Melodies of the Lyre

Chapter 22

The next morning, Dora dropped Amber back off at her dad's house. The only one home was a seven month pregnant Eliza since her dad was at work.

"Hi mum," Amber greeted.

Eliza turned and glared at her. Dora said goodbye to her cousin and left.

"I'm not your mum, don't ever call me that again!" she shouted.

Amber was shocked. She's always referred to Eliza as her step-mum.

"You know your dad will love his biological daughter more than his adopted daughter especially when that adopted daughter is nothing but a freak," she said, resting her hand on her bulging stomach.

Tears prickled the back of Amber's eyes as she said. "That's not true, my dad would never pick favourites."

"Oh, you're naive my dear," Eliza said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Amber couldn't take more of this so she took some floo powder and tearfully flooed to her best friend/boyfriend's house.

"Oh, hi Amber," Mrs. Selwyn greeted her son's best friend and girlfriend warmly.

She controlled her emotions. "Is Tim home?"

"Yes, he's up in his room."

Amber nodded, walked up to her best friend and boyfriend's room and walked in.

"Hey love," Tim grinned at her looking up at from his Quidditch magazine.

She looked up at her boyfriend and broke down. Tim pulled his girlfriend toward his bed and into his arms.

"What's wrong, annwyl?" Tim asked, drying his best friend and girlfriend's tears.

Sobs wracked her body. "Dora dropped me off at my dad's after my weekend with her. The only person home was my stepmum since my dad was at work. I called her mum like I usually do and she just glared at me. After Dora left, she started to scold me saying she's not my mum. She had the gall to suggest that my dad will love his biological daughter more than me since I'm nothing more than a freak."

Tim tensed and said firmly. "You're not a freak. I know your dad wouldn't do that. You're definitely the apple of his eye."

Amber smiled at him. The couple laid on his bed for the rest of the day.

"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Selwyn called.

The couple got up from his bed, walked down the stairs and sat down at the table. After dinner, they had some dessert.

"Thanks for dinner, Mrs Sel- er I mean Rebecca. I should get home."

Tim jumped up. "You can stay here, love."

"I'll be fine, Timmy, but I'll come over after work tomorrow. Does that make you feel better?"

Tim nodded and gave her a short but loving kiss before she flooed home.

"Hey sweetie," her dad greeted when she appeared in the fire.

She smiled and said. "Hey dad."

"I suppose you already ate wherever you were, I'm going to guess you were at Tim's."

"Yeah, I did eat when I was at Tim's."

Elliot nodded. She noticed how tired and stressed her dad looked.

"Can I share something with you?"

"Sure, dad."

Elliot sighed and said. "I'm really worried if I'll be a good father to this little girl."

"You raised me well, but maybe that's because I wasn't biologically yours."

"No, sweetie. You might as well be my biological daughter. Who told you that?"

Amber shook her head she didn't want to get into it tonight. After a few more minutes of talking she went upstairs to bed.

---

The next morning, she woke up at half eight. She stretched and got out of bed. She went to go change into her clothes and then walked downstairs.

"Morning dad," she said kissing her dad's cheek.

"Morning sweetie."

Eliza glared at the father and daughter but only Amber saw it. She sat down and ate some breakfast. After that she kissed her dad goodbye and took the bus to work.

"Morning, Amber," Mr. Manning greeted.

She smiled. "Morning, Mr. Mann- er I mean Earl."

He insisted on her calling him Earl despite her protests. She began working. It was now lunch time she went to the sandwich shop right next to the bookstore. She ordered her usual and ate it leisurely. She took one last sip of her soda, threw it away and left. She went back to the bookstore. At five o'clock, she popped over to Tim's.

"Hey Mrs. Sel- er I mean Rebecca," Amber greeted her best friend's/boyfriend's mother warmly.

"Hi sweetie, Tim and Jonathan should be back any minute."

Amber nodded.

"You want some tea?" Rebecca asked.

Amber nodded as she sat down. Rebecca sat down next to her son's best friend and girlfriend and they began talking.

"We're home!" Jonathan exclaimed.

Tim instantly noticed his girlfriend sitting next to his mum and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Timmy," she grinned, her brown eyes sparkling.

He smiled. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, it went fine last night. I had a good talk with my dad when I got home."

"That's good."

The Selwyn parents looked confused.

"I had a fight with my step-mum," Amber sighed sadly.

The Selwyn parents listened to her intently. To say they were upset was an understatement.