Chapter 14

~the next day~

"I hope you know that they have to be..."Skylar was complaining about his garden party. Not that he wouldn't have a million more, till he was interrupted by two groans.

"MOVE!"

"Maybe I won't have to worry too much, I just hope that dress will fit Melody," Skylar said hopping up and down a bit. He was like a small child at times and both Zachary and Krystal worried about the girl who would be with him in the future. It would have to be something to talk about with him later.

Melody was the first to fully sit up, she wasn't in too much pain, but she no longer felt sick. Her head didn't feel like she was in some 1800's medical treatment room, and she only had a dull ache running through her body. She could probably just stretch it out a bit. Maybe, move around and she would feel good as new. But when Melody looked around, she didn't know what to think of the room she was in. She was far, far, from home.

Zachary was next and while the head was gone he still felt a stabbing in his middle. When did he get stabbed? It didn't hurt a lot, but he put his fingers over where the pain was and had to take a deep breath. This must have been a deep one Zachary thought as he took his fingers away. The only thing that confused him was his surroundings why was he at home with such an injury?

"What happened," Melody asked, rubbing at her head. She began to look around and saw Zachary next to her. "What kind of joke is this! I want to know right now," she yelled.

"Well, she's okay Zachary how are you feeling," a woman whom Melody had never laid eyes on asked.

"Whoever stabbed me needs to go to the land of nightmares," he sounded harsh when he said this. There was no feeling what so ever to the poor soul that would be going to their demise. "Otherwise, fanatic, and whatever is making me feel like this could use some more of it for Skylar's....what was it again," he completely forgot what he was going to the very next day. Hopefully, he would not be this high while he was at his brother's.

"I'm throwing a garden party, hopefully, you both won't be high on whatever it was you guys had tomorrow. Remember, you both have to show up," Skylar sounded frustrated. He was at the door, taking a tray from the servant, both Melody and Zachary needed to eat. "Here, I had some food brought up for you two. I don't think it would be a good thing to let you two wander around today, so just say if you want or need something," and he started making two plates.

Melody didn't like the fact that she woke up by Zachary but to have to spend the whole day in the same space, she would rather drink battery acid. "I'm sorry, but I think I have spent enough time with this drunk. Just point me in the direction of my room and I will stay in there. I won't complain or anything but I could use some time to try and figure out what happened to me," Melody was saying as she began to try to untangle herself from the blanket. After one or two tries, she got her legs free and swung them to the side of the bed. She was then grabbed around the waist and pulled back toward the center of the bed. "Hey! Let go! I said that I had enough of seeing you so let me go," Melody struggled, but she could not get loose. Zachary had a grip like nothing she had every experienced. It took everything she had not to look at him with terror, she managed but nothing she did could help her as far as her breathing was concerned.

"I know that this is going to be hard for you to understand, but here is one thing I am sure that someone like you can understand it is easier for the person who is looking after us to be in the same place. That way if they need to do anything else for us they don't have to go back and forth," Zachary sounded mad as he spoke into her ear. He wasn't mad at her, but he didn't need her to fight the one who was trying to come up with a cure for whatever it was that had both of them. Besides, he was just as frustrated as her at this moment from the injury her making a fuss was just shortening his fuse and made it harder for him to stay calm.

Melody knew this to be true, she stopped fighting and Zachary then loosened his hold on her. "I still don't have to be near you in this room, do I" asking harshly. She wouldn't leave, but she was not about to sit like a good little girl next to him for an entire day. Everyone in that room must have been loony if they thought that.

"No, child, in fact, I would very much like it if you sat over here," it was that same woman as before. Grabbing one of the plates she placed it nearby on a table with a very comfortable looking couch right next to it. It was the prefect place to sit and eat, Melody realized. "Come Melody, you sit over here and let me have a look at you while you eat,".

She was about ready to say how she couldn't eat anything without getting sick, but she bit her tongue and tried to get up. She would deal with that when the food got to her and then do her best not to feel uncomfortable when she would stare and laugh at her. As she put her feet down and put weight on them her legs just gave out underneath her. Without a second thought Melody was picked up and carried over to the couch. She wanted to be embarrassed about this, but no one in the room said anything about it, "So, you're the one who has been taking care of us," Melody asked, nervously. She didn't know what kind of doctors lived here and it made her curious, but also a little worried. This woman looked as old as she did, but by no means did she act it. She also in no way sounded like it.

"I am and you can call me Addie," she said with a smile, "and you two I must say are very lucky. I don't know what you two ate or drank, but I have not seen anyone like that in a long time," Addie sounded like she was thinking back on places and people she had met. "But, right now it's good to see you up and well, almost ready for the world. So let's see to that food while we settle Zachary," Melody was about to complain, but she was sitting down in front of a huge plate full of sandwiches and she couldn't help herself. Reached forward and grabbed the one on top of the plate, it smelled so good and Melody was so hungry. So she bit into it the taste was like nothing she had ever had before. Melody began to groan with pleasure from the taste and Addie asked, "good?"Melody just nodded, not wanting to stop the enjoyment that her mouth was now receiving. "The cook here is great and sometimes he has a knack at knowing just what you need. Come, let me see your eyes," Addie worked carefully as to not interrupt Melody as she ate. "Did you know that there is a glow to your hair and eyes? Not a lot, but they do have a color that I haven't seen in quite a long time," Addie asked, she was still looking Melody over. Melody just shook her head and reached for the water. Three sandwiches were a lot and she better get some water into her now. "Yes, it is almost fairy like, but this coloring isn't a normal fairy coloring," Addie said this with a look of confusion.

"Addie what could have caused this? I mean she isn't a fairy," Zachary asked from the other side of the room. "Not only that, she just ate some of our food, without getting sick," Everyone looked at Melody as she drank down her water. "Shouldn't she be sick? I mean our food does do that to humans," Zachary said through a bite. He was finally able to get his food and he couldn't remember the last time when he felt this hungry.

"Ummm, Zach, you might want to slow down unless you plan on eating the plate as well," Skylar said. This made Zachary look down at his plate of food it was nearly gone. "You're acting just like Melody is and you have been for the past day," Skylar looked worried, but Addie just took a deep breath and began to look Zachary over the same way she did Melody.

"If we are sick does that mean we can skip your little party, Sky? I mean, we wouldn't want others getting sick as well," Zachary had a smile on his face as he said this. He already knew the answer, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try.

"I wonder if we might be able to stay at your estate while I treat these two," Addie asked. "This way you can just bring them down for the party and if anything goes wrong, we will already have something set up with what we need," Addie sounded so confident with herself. The truth was she didn't know what this was and needed the aid of someone in Skylar's court.

"That does seem like a good idea," Krystal added. "Father knows or at least has an idea of what's going on with Zach and Melody, so to take them somewhere besides Zach's court would be helpful till we at least halfway know what is going on. Not only that, You can dress up Melody while she is there," Krystal knew her brother's would be hard sells for this idea, but at the sound of their father finding them and being able to dress Melody up, Skylar was won over.

"I don't like it. What if they need me for something here," Zachary sounded truly worried. "Also, I don't wish to put the servants in danger just to avoid our father," Zachary winced a bit as Addie took another look at the mark on his stomach.

"You two have to be there tomorrow showing up a day early wouldn't be a bad thing. We can blame it on you wanting to spend time with your brother and it will just get forgotten in a heartbeat.

"Fine, but this better not be some kind of trick like the last time,"Zachary said as he shakily got up from the bed. He still needed help standing which bothered Zachary.

"No trick, promise. We will even show you around the different gardens Melody," Skylar said. "We wouldn't want you getting lost while you are there so this works out perfectly," everyone was now mostly on board.

Melody wasn't sure what she should be thinking at this point. She was going to be taken to someone else place? Should she worry about going or just enjoy the trip? She tried to think back to her childhood any of the trips that she might have taken but she came up empty. Did she not go on a vacation as a kid? She couldn't even think of any time that she might have gone to summer camp or over to a friend's house overnight. Nothing. The harder she tried the more her head began to hurt this caused everyone in the room to notice as she began to slump down a bit.

"Melody? What's wrong," Addie asked, looking at her with concern.

"My head just started to hurt," Melody said. Her voice sounded more lifeless than it did just a few minutes ago. "I don't have any clothes so will there be any there for me to wear," Melody asked though the pain. Skylar just nodded his head, unsure of what he should say. "Then I suppose we should get going, right," Melody tried to get up and she failed.

"I think we are going to need some people help us to take them there. Zach are any of the guards here able to come," Krystal asked. She was moving the dishes out of the way so it would be easier to get to Melody.

"I think a few can come and would be willing, but we better hurry," Zachary said as Skylar helped him to his feet. The weight of his body was just too much for him to carry and he didn't know why. At least his legs still worked, maybe this was just from the whole sleep thing and it would be better by morning.