Song 11

The room fell quiet; the balls of light dispersed as the sound of skin striking skin filled the silence in the air. Losing her balance on the stool, Meloria fell back, hitting the cold marble floor with a loud thud. Lucan growled, running over and kneeling with his hands above Meloria’s trembling body. “Father, how could you?” Raville exclaimed, looking up at Thornewood. Their hot gazes met, Raville searching for the reason as to why his father would do such a heinous act in front of the guests of his party.

Thornewood looked to Meloria, seeing the fear in her eyes, and he used his foot to push Lucan roughly away from her, the guests gasping and whispering amongst themselves. Thornewood growled, leaning down, grabbing her dress by the collar, pulling her up so her feet barely touched the floor. Meloria started to whine and cry, her hands clawing at his arms, trying desperately to break free. “Father-”

“Quiet, Raville,” Thornewood snapped his attention, remaining on Meloria, finding a twisted satisfaction in watching her choke and struggle in his grasp, her cheek a tinted pink from his slap. “No one comes into my home and sings,” he threatened, bringing his face closer to Meloria’s. “You dirty songstress!”

Her nails digging into skin, Meloria’s legs started to feel weak, and her breath caught in her throat, her mind dizzy. Again, she was being rejected. Her voice and music weren’t good enough to make a difference. Tears fell from her eyes, though she was barely able to move around, and she caught small glimpses of the faces of the guests. Some were terrified, others worried. Did singing cause that much pain to the people of this world? Was she forever destined to be a reject?

Maersen stared in disbelief at the screen. This isn’t what he wanted for Meloria; he wanted her to sing in front of a real audience and shine like the idol she truly is. Hearing her sing so freely made his heart soar, and seeing the balls of light dancing around her, he knew she was special; her voice had not only potential but also power.

Tampsen sat beside him, putting a hand on Maersen’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze and a shake. He knew there was a risk to forging Edward’s name on the guest list, but it was all they could do while staying within the rules of meddling he set up. When Thornewood believed he wrote it during his alcoholic state, Tampsen knew their plan worked, especially as they watched Thornewood and Edward embrace in a hug when they met at the entrance. Everything seemed as if it was going to fall in line for Maersen’s plan, but now it was a whole other story.

“I can’t watch this,” Maersen growled, his head buried into his hands. “I’ve screwed up! I messed this all up!”

Tampsen squeezed Maersen’s shoulder tighter as he continued to watch, his heart praying for a sliver of hope. Yet, it seems as if Thornewood wasn’t willing to let go of Meloria; his eyes burned with the fire of a man with a personal grudge. When he saw it, Meloria’s mouth had started to move. He leaned forward, hearing faint words coming from the speakers. He grabbed the remote, quickly turning up the volume. Meloria’s words, though not fully clear, she was trying to convey something.

“N-no,” she spoke up, her voice raspy from the lack of air. As Edward ran in, she began to speak louder. “I-I’m not a damn songstress.”

“Meloria,” Edward exclaimed, lunging forward and punching Thornewood in the cheek, the force knocking him into the piano. Edward rubbed Meloria’s back, encouraging her to take big breaths. “Thornewood! How dare you hurt my children?”

Thornewood growled, pushing himself up using the noisy keys as his leverage. “Your damn child,” he said, using the back of his hand to wipe the blood off his cheek. “She sang and summoned little fireballs.”

Edward pulled Meloria into his chest, his arms wrapped around her protectively. He opened his mouth to defend her when Raville surprisingly spoke up, “Those fireballs hurt no one!”

“Be quiet!” Thornewood snapped, using the back of his hand to strike Raville’s cheek. “You let this wench sit beside you! I allowed you to learn the piano, and you invite a songstress into your space.”

“I-” Meloria coughed and took deep breaths. “I’m not a songstress. I-I’m an idol.”

As she muttered the word ‘idol’, Maersen’s head shot up, staring at the screen, his eyes widening, seeing the pain on all their faces but one. Meloria had a look of fire, the fire in her heart that had ignited with a new passion.

“Ha,” Thornewood laughed before roaring and kicking the piano, causing the leg to break and, with many clangs, break against the floor. “You’re a little witch sent here by that songstress, I bet,” he yelled, the guests backing away from the scene. “Maybe you are her heir or better yet, her reincarnation sent here to take all our souls.”

“No,” Meloria protested, looking around at the guests around them. Her eyes looked at them curiously; not one of them was staring at her. “They’re scared of you,” she whispered, looking back at Thornewood.

“She’s right, Father,” Raville spoke up, flinching as he spoke. “As she sang, everyone had a smile on their faces; not one of them was spellbound or scared.”

“I told you to be quiet,” Thornewood ordered, looking around to his guests. “She’s the one who came in here, uninvited and sang to you all,” he exclaimed, flailing his arms around in the air. “This is how it starts, has history taught you all nothing?”

Edward scoffed, standing up with Meloria in one arm, while with his other hand, he held onto Lucan tightly. “History filled us with fear,” he projected, ensuring all in the room could hear what he had to say. “We choose to ignore the beauty of songs before the songstress came about and instead focus on the fear and desolate times she brought upon us.” Edward smiled down at Meloria, kissing her forehead before continuing, “My little Meloria sang before she even knew what singing really was. A child so innocent couldn’t be affected by one so horrid.”

“My big sis wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Lucan cried out. “She cooks for us, tucks us into bed, and makes us smile every day.” Meloria blushed, her heart swelling with the affection her family showed her. “The only one scared of her is you!”

Meloria’s body shook as she hid her face into Edward’s neck, her hands gripping onto his shirt tightly. Akemi had suck up and accepted rejection many times, never fighting back, and now Meloria was allowing others to speak up on her behalf of rejection. She was weak, and like this, she was never going to become an idol.

“She’s just a child,” an elderly woman spoke up, her voice meek.

“Enough,” The room shook with the force of Thornewood’s roar. The guests, huddled together, some screaming as they sought to keep their balance. With a snarl, Thornewood turned towards Edward, throwing his arm in the direction of the entrance. “You and your children, out. Now!”

Edward kept a stern face, his free hand holding onto Lucan’s tighter as he guided him towards the exit. For a moment, he stopped at the open doors, looking back, seeing the deep wrinkles on Thornewood’s forehead and the evil glint in his eyes. Edward bit his lip, holding back the tears and knowing in that moment, he had truly lost his best friend.