Haunted King

THREE | my morning

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Melody peaked under her eyes lids but flinched at the bright light. The smell of dust, old mango smoothie, and laundry detergent filled her lungs. The first thing she noticed was how quite her apartment was. Her roommate, and cousin, Crystal Lu, loved blaring loud pop music in the mornings. 'Is Crystal still asleep?'

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"God damnit," she cursed as she turned her head to the source of the noise. Melody grabbed her phone and aggressively slammed her thumb on the grey [ stop ] button. She leaned back and stretched her aching limbs. Her eyes caught the time on her phone. "7:30!"

She jumped out of her desk chair and ran to her bathroom. "I slept for 9 hours!" Melody screamed in frustration as she ripped off her clothes and threw them in the hamper. She grabbed her dry shampoo and coated her hair before tying it into a messy bun. She then grabbed her toothbrush and hurriedly scrubbed her teeth. A red ring around her pale white wrist caught her attention.

Then she remembered. Her mouth fell open. The 9 hours of sleep had made her mind clearer than it had been for a while. As illogical as it seemed she knew it hadn't been a dream. She had met the love of her life, Gabriel Ashe last night. Not to mention fallen asleep in his arms! The happy wave that washed over her quickly sank as she realized she was no longer in his long, muscular, tanned... Her mind was wondering off to his face, and his body. "God, please take me back," she pleaded to the sky.

Melody got dressed with a little pep in her step. She slipped on her favorite emerald green sweatshirt and black leggings. She even applied a bit of lipstick before grabbing her computer, lunch (which consisted of a bag of carrots and a Caprisun), and her tote bag with Gabriel's face embroidered into it. Her apartment was a twenty minute walk from the college campus, but she could make it there in twelve minutes if she ran. She flipped her matching green Crocs into sports mode and booked it out the door.

•••

Melody slipped into a seat in the corner of the lecture hall. Missing class was basically a promise of failure, and with her scholarship on the line that was something she couldn't risk. Many students in the room were facing the same dilemma. But this also meant that kids would come to class even if they really shouldn't. She spotted a few students who looked severally sick or extremely exhausted. It was hard to think she was one of them just yesterday.

As she was running to class she was surprised to see just how refreshed she felt. Her muscles and mind buzzed with excitement as an unnamed fire burned in her chest. She felt happy. As Melody typed her notes a hoarse cough cut through the air. She glanced over to see the boy next to her coughing in his sleeve. He was more worried about stifling the sound then grabbing the water bottle in front of him to ail his sore throat.

Melody grabbed a small ziplock bag from her bag and retrieved a cough drop. She pushed the man's water bottle closer to him along with the cough drop. He nodded in thanks as he chugged the water. Melody turned back to her computer and focused on scribing the notes she had missed. The boy popped the cough drop in his mouth and turned to the girl beside him.

Christain Davis was always proud of his exceptional memory. He could memorize maps at a glance. He knew the first thirty numbers of Pi by heart. Not to mention the faces of every student in every one of his classes. But he didn't recognize this classmate. 'Who is she?'

•••

Melody had been trying to open Fallen Angel for twenty minutes but to no avail. The loading screen stayed constant. She was sitting in the dinning hall when a lunch tray plopped in front of her. Melody looked up to see her cousin in a baby pink blouse and white pants. Melody was smiling with a carrot between her teeth. Crystal held a not so amused expression.

"Care to explain where you were all night?" Crystal put together her salad, drenching the leaves in ranch. Melody chewed her carrot slowly. "Um. The library," she fished her mind for an excuse. Crystal raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. Her powdered face and sharp eyeliner only intensified the irritated expression on her face. "Don't shit with me Melody. The library closes at 8:30. I would have called the police if it weren't for the sound of Fallen Angels coming from your room at midnight."

Melody snapped a baby carrot in half and chewed. Her mind was processing all the small clues she was getting. Melody pondered over the missing time stamps, "what time did you get home?" Crystal sighed. Melody always evaded questions when she hadn't come up with a proper response. Or was too scared of the repercussions of her answer. "After study group. So maybe 7:50."

Melody nodded. 'So I was gone for at least five hours?' She didn't know what learning all this would do. She didn't even know if she could go back into Fallen Angel, but she sure would try. "Look. Wherever you were, don't let it get between you and your grades. If Auntie hears you have been slacking-." Melody snapped another carrot. "I know, I know," she grumbled. "You don't need to tell me," Melody looked down to her lunch. If she lost her scholarship she would end up like one of these carrots.

"It won't mess with my grades." She looked back up to Crystal. "I promise," she smiled for reassurance. But internally she knew that was a promise she wasn't sure she could keep.