Love Melancholy

PROLOGUE - OPHELIA

DISCLAIMER: This isn't going to be exactly like Hamlet, it's going to have the same characters, names altered to be more modern and some events that are entirely my own, for I don't think that an entire replay of the play is what anyone signed up for. So, with that in mind, I hope you like this. 

***

 There was something to said about the fact that everyone in the house knew that Benjamin Hamlet had died before Ophelia. There was also something to be said about the fact that she wasn't invited to the funeral, despite living in her girlfriend's house with her father who worked for the man. She had known him quite well and had liked him even, but they didn't want to upset her. They told her that they just wanted her to be happy, to wait for her girlfriend, who had been unfortunately delayed on a flight due to the bad storm, because she would most definitely be grieving when she came back. "Please, Ophelia." Her father had said, "Don't take this personally. We just wanted to make sure that we didn't upset you."

"Didn't want to upset me?" Ophelia asked, "Father, I am not a child, I think that I could deal with it." She knew that he would remain unconvinced though. She was sweet Ophelia, the naive child that wasn't smart and well read like her girlfriend. She would have to live with that sort of assumption in everyone's head forever, live with the fact that everyone would underestimate her. This was something that would haunt her whole life.

Her brother, Laertes (yes, her father was really that cruel with their names) doubting her ability to handle bullies at the private school that she went to. Her friends, not wanting to go out with her because they thought that she wouldn't be able to lie to her father to keep her out of trouble.

Everyone except her girlfriend. Talia Elena Hamlet was the only girl that really knew that Ophelia tried her hardest. Talia didn't consider her someone to be pitied or just another pretty face. And that's why she couldn't wait for her to come home. Ophelia waited in Talia's room, pulling her creme sheets up to her chest and plugging her phone into it's plug.

Talia: I just landed

Ophelia: Wonderful

Talia: Can't wait to see you

Ophelia: I can't wait to see you too

Ophelia's lips turned up into a smile, and she closed her eyes, wishing that Talia could be here now. Soon, she reminded herself, she could wait for her. It would only be a few hours until she got back to the house. Hopefully they would be able to spend some time alone, with no one else to bother them. That way they could make up for the time that Talia spent studying abroad.

Ophelia spent some time listening to music on her phone before drifting away in her girlfriend's sheets.

***

Ophelia could see flowers, floating in the water above her. She wanted to laugh at the beauty above her, but there was a much worse morbid aspect to this dream than just the flowers. Warped, distorted hands were in the water, grasping a pale white neck in it's hands. She could hear muffled crying above the water, then she started panicking as she realized that she was the one that was being drowned alive.

She thrashed in the water, almost coming up for air once, coughing and spluttering. It seemed like a clear moment of sanity in a long, long scene of anarchy. Then she went back down, and the struggling stopped.

***

For a moment, Ophelia felt like she was in a waking nightmare. She was being shaken in the bed and she thrashed around, until she realized that she was in fact awake, still in Talia's room. Her girlfriend stood over her. "Hey, 'phelia. It's me. It's me. Calm down." Her blonde hair was tied behind her, a few strands coming loose over her face as she looked down at her. She gave her a kind smile. "Are you okay?"

"Talia!" Ophelia pushed herself up to hug her girlfriend. The embrace was tight and long awaited and she didn't want to let go. Talia was the first one to break the hug after a few minutes.

"I see that you're enjoying my bed." The girl blushed as Talia stared at the pajamas she was wearing. Her pajamas.

"I missed you, and I wanted to wait for you." In the dark, she could feel her hands against her back, keeping ahold of her. Talia felt cold, but she wouldn't tell her. There would be a lot of time to warm her up. She opened her mouth to ask her how she was doing, how she felt about the fact that her father had died but Talia was the first one to speak.

"I missed you too. Plus, I'm exhausted." The way she was smiling wasn't the way that a girl who's father just died should smile. But Ophelia decided that it wasn't her room to judge. The way Talia grieved someone was unique to herself.

"Well then, you should lay down with me. I've been keeping your bed warm."

"How kind of you," Talia took her hair down and let it fall to her shoulders.

"I should help you undress." She was more than eager when Talia had nodded, taking off her jacket and unbuttoning her shirt. Talia shivered a little bit as her shirt fell to the ground. She got down to most to her underwear and picked out a random shirt from her closet, jumping in bed next to Ophelia. She wished that every night could be like this, just holding her in bed next to her as the two of them got warm and fell asleep, but she knew that this wouldn't be forever. Ophelia tossed and turned a few times, probably also causing Talia a bit of restlessness as well. 

If she did, Talia was kind enough to not make any sort of indication towards this the next day. "Are you ready?" Ophelia said. She would be ready to help her deal with her mother, and the handful that she could be.

"Ready as I'll ever be." For a moment, there was an unsure quality to her voice. One that Ophelia only heard when the two of them were alone.

"It'll be okay," She told her.

"I'm sure it will be,"