Her mother was standing before her, arms open wide. Grinning, she ran into them, burying her face into her neck. "Mommy?" She squeaks, her tiny voice fitting her tiny body. "Do you have to go?"
Her mother looked down at her, her eyes filled equally with tears. "It's time, honey. We all need to go eventually. Just remember-
"-To the orphanage." A harsh voice says, waking her up quickly. She didn't dare open her eyes, scared of what she might see. "She obviously isn't taking a good care of herself alone." They same voice says, not an ounce of sympathy. She hears a door open, occumpioned by two pairs of footsteps. "Kat, she's not fit for the palace!"
The short blonde maid looks down at the girl, completely disagreeing. "If I can't make her fit by the selection, then I'll bring her back." A gentle voice, coming from the maid. The orphanage director sighs. "Two months until it's starts. Get working." She stomps out, grabbing her briefcase, her heels making sharp clicks on the tiled floor.
§
The maid sits quietly on the edge of the girls bed. "What do you remember?" She asks, her hand covering the girls smaller one.
"Nothing." She chokes out, shutting her eyes tightly and leaning back in her chair. The maid looks at her, her heart aching to help her.
"Not even a name?" The maid asks quietly, looking her in the eyes. "Or age, family, anything?" The girl looks at her, hiding the one thing she has left. Shaking her head, the maid sighs. "You can be... Melody. Melody Waters. Welcome to our lives."
§
Melody shuffles awkwardly down the hallways, everything foreign to her. The maid and a guard talk ahead of her, as she looks around curiously. The two adults ahead of her turn down a different hallway, and she has to jog slightly to keep up. The guard opens a door, and the maid stops, letting Melody walk in after the guard. "Welcome home, Melody." The guard says, flipping on a light.
The room is quickly illuminated, showing a small living room. Only about ten by fifteen, it holds an old torn sofa, a coffee table, tv and bookshelf. She furrows her eyes brows, only seeing three other doors. A bathroom, and two bedrooms, she thinks, walking to one. "Bathroom," the guard says forcefully. She turns to look at him, giving him an annoying expression. "Call me dad. Only dad. Nothing else." He says in a cold voice, sending shivers down her spine. The maid gives her a calming look, hoping she doesn't upset him. She nods and turns back, walking to the next. "Our bedroom." The guard says in the same tone. Not turning around, she goes to the third and walks in. She closes the door behind her and sits on the small, cot like bed. She looks around, though there isn't much to see. Peeled wallpaper, scratched floors, and a dresser. One small lightbulb hung from the ceiling, not even screwed into place. Sighing, she opens the dresser to find a few maid dresses.
"Fath- I mean dad?" She asks quietly, flipping through them. "What are these?" The maid walks in quietly. "Your clothes... What's wrong?" Melody shakes her head, grabbing one and shutting the dresser, sighing.
