Song 13

Weeks passed following the incident in the Thornewood manor; an incident that had caused quite the stir at school for Meloria, who stood sheepishly in the headmaster’s office, her head hung low, and her gaze fixated on the floor. She flinched as the headmaster’s roars bounced off the walls and into her ears. Edward stood behind, his hands sweating as he stood up straight, trying desperately to keep a straight face as he watched the headmaster continue his war path. “If you ever embarrass this school again, believe me, young lady, it won’t be a suspension,” he growled through gritted teeth. “But expulsion and then no school in Reybu will ever take you in. Do I make myself clear?”

Meloria sighed, looking at Edward with half-lidded eyes, her heart aching seeing how much he tried to keep his composure. Before I’m even an idol, I’m already causing controversy, she thought to herself, letting out an exaggerated sigh. She folded her hands in front of her and gave a low bow. “Headmaster,” she spoke politely and with a sincere smile. Luckily for me, in my past life, I worked with plenty of people like this headmaster. “Please forgive me, I will ensure to conduct myself in a more mature manner befitting of the school’s image in the future.”

The headmaster crossed his arms over his chest and stood up proudly with a smirk. Yep, all this guy wants to hear is how right he is and how wrong I was. Meloria stood up, her sweet smile never fading, giving Edward a sense of relief. With nothing left to be said, the headmaster waved his hand, gesturing for Meloria and Edward to leave his office with haste.

Edward nodded; a hand behind Meloria’s back, guiding her out of the office. With the click of the office door, he let out a heavy sigh of relief, patting Meloria’s back with a gentle smile on his face. “Well, kiddo,” he laughed nervously. Running a hand through his hair, Edward leaned against the nearby wall for support. He had hoped that gossip wouldn’t spread about the incident at the manor, but when he discovered the headmaster’s assistant was in attendance and witnessed it all, he believed it was a career ender. “Seems you’ve been let off with a slap on the wrist. Maybe don’t tell your mom about this little meeting, okay?”

“Okay, Papa,” Meloria nodded and started to skip down the hall.

“Mel, where are you going, honey?” Edward called out.

“It’s lunch time,” Meloria giggled, turning back with a twirl, her skirt flaring in the movements. “I’m going to the library.”

Edward raised a brow, looking to Meloria, then in the other direction, to where the library actually was. His confusion grew; had the head master’s roars made Meloria delirious? Was she in such shock that she had forgotten her way around the school? Meloria waved her hand towards her, gesturing for Edward to follow her before she ran off down the hall. Not wanting to lose track of her, Edward made quick haste, keeping a close eye on his bewildering child as she led the way down the dark hallway.

He turned his head to scour the walls, broken lamps, and cobwebs. Where was Meloria truly taking him?

Meloria hummed, her hands pressed flat against the door, her body primed to push it open. Briefly, she took one hand off the door, turning to Edward with an extended pinky. “Promise not to tell anyone, Papa.” Her innocent smile was warm enough to melt a warlord's heart. Edward nodded, interlocking his pinky with Melorias’s. Using the hand still on the door, Meloria pushed it open, revealing the music library that the school had long forgotten. She smiled in amusement as Edward cautiously stepped into the room, dropping her hand. “It’s impressive, right?” She asked with a playful tone.

“Meloria,” Edward turned, kneeling to look Meloria in the eye, his tone becoming serious. “How did you find all this?” Nervously, Meloria started to laugh, her hands in front of her chest as she played with her fingers, trying to come up with a way to explain how she came across this treasure trove of music while she should have been in detention. “You know what,” Edward chuckled, ruffling her hair. “Don’t worry about it. Why don’t you show me around?

Meloria immediately perked up, grabbing Edward’s hand and dragging him around every corner of the room. Though the evidence that this room was home to mice and a spider or two, behind the layers of dust and spider families, you could make out the countless vinyl records, promotional photos, and vinyl players of varying sizes. Meloria hummed, running over to a shelf, tiptoeing to the second shelf, her fingers barely reaching the vinyl she was after, grasping it tightly, and pulling it down.

Edward noticed that this vinyl had barely any dust on it, indicating Meloria must favour it over many of the others that were scattered along the shelves. He watched as Meloria turned on the vinyl player with practiced ease and placed the vinyl into the top, moving the needle over it. As soon as the point of the needle hit the vinyl, a gentle voice started to sing. Edward closed his eyes, his fingers tapping against his thighs in time to the beat, the words resonating in his ears, making his heart flutter.

Then he heard a second voice. He opened his eyes, seeing Meloria singing perfectly in time with the singer. “Meloria,” he whispered, raising a brow. Meloria turned and nodded, a tint of pink in her cheeks and hands behind her back. “You know the words perfectly.”

“Yeah,” Meloria nodded again, grabbed a notebook from nearby, and handed it to Edward. Edward used his thumb to flick through the book, his eyes widening at the countless words written down, stopping on a particular page where the words matched the current song that was playing. “I’ve spent hours listening to the songs, writing each lyric by hand,” Meloria admitted, showing her hands with calluses that had started to form. “Even without the vinyls, I wanted to learn every word so that I could hope to sing it without assistance.”

Edward shut the notebook, handing it back to Meloria with an encouraging smile. “You’re very serious about all of this, aren’t you?” Meloria nodded, her eyes filled with determination. “Then, as your father, I will do everything I can to help you.”

Meloria’s face softened into a toothy grin. “Perfect,” she declared. “Because you’re going to help me put on a concert!”