by Brea Alepoú
"If I don't show up?" Zola was just that mad.
The guard looked confused, as if she had never heard anyone ask that before. "I'm… I believe… I…"
Zola stopped her there. "You let the queen know: I want Melony in my room first, before I go to any dinner." Zola went to shut the door, but the guard’s hand stopped it. Zola thought about just closing it anyway.
"The witch who was brought with you will also be at dinner."
Zola blinked, not expecting that. "Then let's go."
"It will be in an hour." The guard turned and left before Zola could say anything else.
"Don't bother chasing her. She can walk through walls. She is long gone," Itsumi said.
Zola walked back into the room and slammed the door. "So, we just wait?"
Itsumi nodded, but her fists were also clenched. At least Zola knew she wasn't the only one upset about it. Dinner would come, and soon, she would be able to see Melony again.
Gods, how she hoped Melony was okay.
Chapter Twelve
Melony
It went on and on—the pain and sorrow was all she knew. She only got a few seconds of relief when Isabelle gave her the antidote to the Witch’s Brew, and then she would fall asleep and a new nightmare would greet her. It was a vicious cycle. No matter how hard she fought not to sleep, she did anyway. She had long ago stopped crying, even screaming had become nonexistent. It still hurt, and she was still in agony, but now it was just her daily life.
Was this how she would die? She hoped it was soon. She wanted everything to stop.
She opened her eyes, looking up at the pink ceiling. She was back on the table. The time before, she had been on the floor. That had resulted in her counting the strawberries on the ground. She had gotten to three hundred and twenty before falling asleep.
"You are the best toy," Isabelle said.
Melony didn't respond. She’d stopped talking a while ago. She had no idea how long she had been in the room being tortured. Isabelle wore the same two pink dresses every time she came into the room.
"You're still alive and now getting you to scream is nearly impossible." Isabelle wore a huge smile as if she was proud of Melony.
Melony flinched away from Isabelle's outstretched hand.
"We ran out of Witch’s Brew. I used the last of it on you yesterday," Isabelle informed her.
Yesterday? How fucking long had she been there?
"Don't make that face. You should be happy. You have surpassed all of my expectations." Isabelle moved to the other side of the room. Melony turned her head to watch her twirl around the room in a dance. "Would you like to tell me the truth now?"
Melony closed her eyes. How many times had Isabelle asked her that question only for Melony to answer it incorrectly? Too many to count, and each time, Isabelle would inflict pain on her worse than the time before. Last time, she’d resorted to breaking Melony's bones while the Witch’s Brew coursed through her veins. Melony had screamed herself hoarse.
After every round of torture, Isabelle would give her the antidote. It not only got rid of the Witch’s Brew but fixed any of her injuries. She was always healed up when her eyes opened from her nightmares. A part of her wished that Isabelle wouldn't heal her, so she could just stop being there.
"The only thing is… you stopped talking." Isabelle sounded sad about that fact.
Melony kept her eyes closed, ready for whatever would come. It was sure to be painful, whatever it was.
"I wonder what I should do next. No one has ever lasted this long."
Melony wanted to laugh at the hysteria of it all. A little laugh escaped from her lips, and once the first laugh was through, her laugh grew louder. She was going insane, laughing at the situation she was in. She no longer had tears for it.
"Oh dear, did you finally break?"
Melony shook with laughter. Isabelle's face stood over hers, looking down.
"Hmm. Maybe the last go round pushed you over the edge. Maybe a little too far."
That only made Melony laugh more. The whole thing was too damn much. She’d gone too far long ago.
"Fuck you, you evil little bitch," Melony said.
The face Isabelle made scared Melony more than anything. She didn't look angry. No, in fact, she looked happy that Melony had cursed at her.
"We can keep playing then."
"Fuck you! Fuck all of this! You're one sick fuck, that's what you are!" Melony shouted.
Isabelle walked away, and Melony felt dread fill her. She had already dug herself a hole, why not dig to the fucking core of the earth?
"I hate your fucking pink dresses. You are the reason people get birth control." Melony was losing things to say. She felt as if she hadn't sleep in ages. Her nightmares couldn't be counted as sleep; she was still so tired after she woke up. "You’re just a very evil fucking child."
"Thank you," Isabelle said. She held a new vile in her hand. It was a different color than the Witch’s Brew, with this one being orange.
"What the ever-loving fuck is that?" Melony stared at the vile, afraid of its contents, and Isabelle hadn't even used it yet.
"This—" Isabelle shook the vile. "—is pure, concentrated Goblin essence. Just as rare as Witch’s Brew. Do you know what it will do to you?"
Melony feared just that. She had no idea, and she knew Isabelle knew she was clueless about it.
"I'll tell you before I use it on you. So, Witch’s Brew is a nerve intensifier, I can make you feel extreme pleasure, or pain. The pain you have experienced so far is child’s play compared to this. I am almost reluctant to use it on you. You surprise me by surving for so long, and to end it too quickly would be a tragedy."
"That won't be necessary," said a new voice.
Isabelle turned away from Melony. "Queen Lydia. You're back."
Melony turned to watch as Isabelle skipped over to a tall woman in a black dress with crown on her head. Isabelle jumped up into the woman's arms and hugged her like a child would. After all the torture Isabelle inflicted on Melony, she cringed watching the interaction.
"You have been busy, I see."
Isabelle moved back and turned to look at Melony. "She refuses to talk, but a little more time and I’ll have her giving up her accomplices."
The queen shook her head. "No need. The criminals have stopped since we caught her. I’m surprised you haven't gotten her to talk yet though."
Isabelle smiled at Melony. "She has been more fun than anyone as of late. May I keep her?"
Melony looked to the queen, silently begging her not to let Isabelle keep her.
"No. If she is strong enough to survive your torture, then she must be somewhat special."
Isabelle got down and walked over to Melony. There was a slight frown on her face. "Do come back and play."
"Fuck you," Melony said.
Isabelle smiled and left the room. Now, it was just the queen and Melony remaining.
"Come on, you will need to be cleaned up before dinner." Her eyes scanned up and down Melony. "You reek of tears and fear."
Melony wanted to say ‘no shit,’ but thought it best not to piss off the queen. Well, not until she was out of Isabelle's room.
"The restraints," Melony said.
The queen looked at her, confusion written all over her face. Her red lips turned up in a smirk. "That's right, this room has an illusion spell on it."
She snapped her fingers, and Melony found herself no longer pinned to the table. The room still looked the same, and she wanted to ask what was an illusion and what was real. Everything had felt like it was actually happening.
Melony’s legs felt unsteady as she followed behind the queen.
Fuck.
Melony nearly face planted walking down the hallway. She had no idea where she was headed, but any place had to be better than where she had been. It wouldn't hurt to know where she was going though.
"Where am I going?" Melony asked.
She may have been healed, but she was still feel
ing the effects of everything. She hoped it wasn't a crazy dream that she’d gotten to leave the room. Every few seconds, she turned her head to see if her mother or best friend would show up. She even listened for their voices, but none of it happened.
Melony didn't relax, too afraid of the moment when she thought everything was okay only to be proven wrong. She might wake up back in the room with pink walls. She would forever hate the color. Ingrained in her brain was the fact that pink was the color of misery, pain, and suffering.
Just remembering the room made her knees weak, nearly falling again.
"You walk worse than a newborn calf," the queen said.
Melony glared at the queen’s back. She should try going through fucking torture, and then try to walk normally. Melony wasn't even sure how she was moving at all. All of the shit she’d gone through, she should be in a corner rocking back and forth mumbling madness. For all she knew, that's exactly what she was doing.
She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the gloomy thoughts. If she was in some made up dream, she’d rather be there than in the pink room or on the plot of land she always saw when she fell asleep.
"Sorry, Your Highness." Melony may have sounded a little sarcastic, but the queen didn't make any comment about it.
They continued to walk down long hallways. Melony’s muscles started to ache, she was beginning to think this was the new torture. Walking for-fucking-ever. She was about to make a comment about it when the queen stopped at a door.
"You will bathe in here, and there will be fresh clothes set out for you." She turned to walk away.
"You're just going to leave me here by myself?" Melony did not sound scared.
Did she?
"I can send a servant if you have forgotten how to bathe." The queen turned to look at her, her face unimpressed.
Melony rolled her eyes. "What if I run?" She wanted to run, but could she?
The queen's eyes moved to Melony's wrists. Melony looked down at the metal cuffs on her wrists and realization dawned on her. They weren't worried at all about her escaping, because she had no magic.
"A guard will retrieve you for dinner."
With that, Melony stood in the hallway by herself. Her hand trembled as she turned the knob on the door and entered the room she was to use. Stunned didn't express how she truly felt. The room was large with a waterfall in the middle of it that fed into an in-ground pool. There was no way it was a bathtub; it was just too large. The floor was white marble, and the walls painted like the sky with clouds all over it. But what held Melony's attention was the gold statue of a dragon that laid on the waterfall. it was breathtaking.
She looked back behind her at the open door. Her body still shaking slightly.
Just take a fucking bath.
Melony took a few deep breaths, afraid to close the door but wanting privacy at the same time. She contemplated just getting in the bath anyway. Sighing, she went and closed it. She stood there, clutching the door for a few minutes, waiting. She had no idea for what, but she waited anyway.
All she could hear was the splash of water from the waterfall. Nothing else. Counting to ten, she backed away from the door and made her way to the bath. She stripped her tattered clothes off, throwing them away without care. She wasn't going to fold something she would never be able to wear again.
She stood just outside the water, wondering if it would be cold. It would be just her luck that the water be ice cold, but even then, she would still enjoy the bath. It had been a while, she thought, not sure how much time had passed. Everything felt as if it had all happened ages ago, but at the same time, it felt as if her life had been destroyed yesterday.
Tentatively putting her toe into the water, she moaned from the warmth. With no more hesitation, she jumped in. It was deeper than she thought possible, but she could still stand in the middle of it. She went to the side of the bath and rested her arms on the side, just allowing her body to relax in the water. She laid her head on her arms. She was tired, but she wasn't going to fall asleep.
She didn't even dare to close her eyes; she just looked at the walls. It almost looked as if the clouds were moving. She watched them for a while before she realized they were moving. She wondered if she could do magic like that. As far as she knew, she could use fire and gems, but what gems did you use to make wall art move?
"Are you nearly done?"
Melony jumped, splashing water everywhere, nearly drowning herself. She spat out the water that had entered her mouth and wiped her face so she could look at the person in the bath with her.
Not a person.
Melony looked down. The woman who had spoken didn't have legs, but a tail. A fishtail. Like a mermaid. Melony gawked at the tail in amazement. She really shouldn't be surprised mermaids existed, since she did know a unicorn. Remembering Zola, Melony groaned. She hoped Zola was okay.
"You haven't washed up yet," the mermaid said.
Melony focused back on the mermaid. "I was… Umm… Soaking."
"You've been soaking for nearly an hour."
Had she?
She didn't feel as if that much time had passed, but it was possible. Time seemed to elude her. "Sorry, is it your turn? I’ll hurry up and get out." Melony looked around for some soap but didn't see any.
A webbed, brown hand appeared in front of her, holding seashell-shaped soap.
"Thank you," Melony said as she took it.
Melony lathered her hands with the soap and began to wash. She felt eyes on her. Sure enough, when she turned, the mermaid was watching her with her fire orange and blue eyes.
"Are you going to watch me bathe?"
She blinked as if Melony was asking a dumb question. Melony waited for a reply, but she said nothing. Melony turned back around and continued to wash up as if no one was watching her. No matter how much Melony tried to ignore the mermaid in the room with her, she just couldn't. She turned back around to face the mermaid, and she continued to bathe.
"So you're in the bath to wash up. Do you want your soap back?"
"I'm not here for a bath. I felt great power and wanted to see who it was."
"You got in the bath just to check me out?" Melony wasn't sure if she thought it was creepy or flattering. She was leaning more toward the creepy side, especially the way the mermaid just stared at her. "Well, you can at least give me your name. After all, you are seeing me naked."
There was silence for a while, and Melony figured she wouldn't get an answer. She ducked her head under the water and opened her eyes. The mermaid's tail was even more breathtaking under the water. The scales looked as if they shone multiple shades of blue with little touches of orange. Melony wanted to get closer to see more of the tail, but unlike the mermaid, she wasn't rude. Going back up for air, she pushed her curls back from her face and wiped her eyes.
"My name is Trinity."
Melony smiled. "Melony." She stretched her hand out in greeting.
Trinity looked at her hand as if it was diseased.
"You just watched me wash it," Melony said.
Trinity’s odd eyes looked back up to Melony’s face. "Your hair is everywhere."
Melony opened her mouth to say there was nothing she could do about it, since she had none of the products that she used for her curls. Before she could say any of that, the mermaid moved and was behind her, her webbed hands going through Melony's hair. It should have felt strange, but Trinity was very careful. She didn't pull any of Melony's hair. It almost felt relaxing, but Melony was still too on edge to really relax. Still looking around and waiting for the ball to drop.
All too soon, Trinity was back in front of her. Melony reached up to see what she had done to her hair. She felt a few beads, but not only that—Melony’s hair felt amazingly soft for her having not used any conditioner. Melony was amazed.
She opened her mouth to ask Trinity what she’d used when the door to the bathroom opened. Melony turned to see who was entering. Fear clutched her and she held her breath, hoping
it wouldn't turn into a nightmare. A woman dressed in form-fitting clothes walked in, and in her hands, she held clothes. Melony realized that it must have been the servant the queen spoke of. She turned back around to talk to Trinity, but she was gone. Melony was once again in the bath by herself.
"Are you ready, miss?"
Melony looked back at the servant. "Did you see anyone else in here?"
She shook her head.
Melony felt like maybe she had imagined everything. The servant held out a towel. Melony looked from the towel to the servant. "I can do that myself. Just leave the clothes and the towel over there."
The servant looked skeptical, but after a moment of hesitation, she nodded and left the towel and clothes. Melony waited for her to leave the bathroom before she emerged from the water. She went over to the towel and wrapped it around her body. It felt like being wrapped in the softest blanket ever. She sighed from the comfort of the feeling.
Fear once more worked its way through her. She didn't want this all to be fake, and she never wanted to wake up back in the pink room. She took a few deep breaths before she had a panic attack.
Once she had a better handle on herself, her heartbeat slowed and her breathing went back to normal. Her hands still shook slightly, but she was starting to get used to seeing them do that. She grabbed the clothes that had been next to the towel. It was a nice, light blue dress with a sweetheart neckline. It didn't look fitting, but she looked back at were the dress had been, and sure enough, there were a pair of heels.
"Fucking great," Melony groaned.
Giving heels to her right now was the worst idea ever. She was bound to fall flat on her face a few times. She wondered if she could find the servant and ask for different clothes. More like sweatpants and a big, comfy T-shirt. She was definitely feeling like that's what she needed, and maybe endless, mind-numbing TV.
She held the dress in her hand, contemplating just showing up in the towel. It felt more comfortable then the dress and heels would.
She wondered if she would get in trouble and how much trouble? Not willing to risk it, she dropped the towel and started to put the dress on. She worried about her hair, and how she would do it for the fancy dress. She looked back to the bath, trying to see if Trinity was there. She wasn’t, the water empty of any occupants.
