Sign of Life / MIW Adoption

.thirty-seven.

I was walking down a dimly lit hallway, staying in the shadows as much as possible since I wasn't supposed to leave the nursery. My heart was pounding in my chest and I could barely catch my breath. If I don't gain control of my heart and breathing then they will be able to find me before I could find Chris and let him take me back home.

"You better pray she is alive, Evan. Go find her and bring her back!" I heard Grayson's voice booming. I held my breath and slipped into a small closet, climbing behind the lower rack of coats to stay hidden. If they found me before Chris did, they would own me again, forcing me back into the nursery.

"Find her!!" Grayson's voice boomed again.

I held in my breath as I heard movement in the main room. Items were being ripped from their places and thrown around the room, making loud bangs. I closed my eyes. Maybe if I wish hard enough Chris will be able to find me and take me back with him. I wanted to be safe in Chris' arms.

"I don't care what it takes, Evan. Find her and bring her back alive!" Grayson's voice yelled. I held my breath, taking the smallest, slowest and most silent breaths I could. I could hear glass shattering. He sounded closer to me. I wanted to be with my family. I wanted Chris, Vinny, Ricky, Justin, or even Ryan to come save me. I choked on a sob as the thought that I was never going to see them again crossed my mind.

"Hey, Melody. Wake up, sweetheart. Shhh, you're safe. Melody, wake up." I heard Chris whispering to me on repeat. It took a few seconds but I could feel my mind waking up. Chris had his arms around me and was brushing his fingers through my hair in an attempt to calm me down. My body was trembling in Chris' hold and I could feel tears on my face. Being back at the manor was just a dream. Nothing but a bad dream. I opened my eyes, directly locking onto Chris' brown eyes. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged up to him tightly, burying my face in his chest. I took in a deep breath, inhaling Chris' scent before letting myself sob.

"You're okay, sweetheart." Chris whispered as he held me, "You're safe."

"Is everything alright?" I heard a voice ask, but couldn't tell who it was over my own sobs. Chris lifted me up from the bed, pulling me across his lap as he sat upright, "I think she had a bad dream."

I felt like Evan and Grayson were really looking for me. AJ had said I was kept from breeding because I was too pretty. With the panic and urgency in Grayson's voice as he yelled, I couldn't help but think that what AJ said was true. Did Grayson have a plan for me? Did Grayson want me back? Was he really looking for me? I didn't want to leave Chris. Chris saved my life. He cares about me. He's shown me what it's like to be alive and what it's like to be loved. Chris leaned his head down on top of mine.

"Talk to me," Chris breathed softly in my ear after a minute, rubbing my back in an attempt to soothe me, "What happened in your dream?"

I pulled my head out from under Chris' as I pulled my right hand up to wipe the tears off of my cheeks, Bash falling from his place in between my arm and Chris' chest and onto my lap. I took in a deep breath, "They were looking for me. I could feel them looking for me."

Chris gave me a half smile, "You're safe with us, sweetheart. They can't do anything to you and we are hundreds of miles away from there."

"Let me grab AJ." I heard Ryan mumble as I heard several footsteps then a warm voice said my name, "Um, Melody?"

I didn't move, but stayed still. Chris placed a small kiss on the top of my forehead, which gave me comfort. The amount of love I felt from Chris was starting to calm me down and bring me to reality. Chris was right, after all. I'm with all five of my dads in a new place–far away from Evan and Grayson. The dream felt so real, though.