Chapter 12

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Chapter 12: Carter

Even though I had forgiven Mel, I was still upset. My sister, who I had thought was dead, was alive, and then she was taken from me again. All I wanted to do was throw myself off a cliff. But I knew that I couldn't. It wouldn't have been fair to Mel.
After we touched down at SOUNA headquarters, I picked her up, carrying her bridal style into the building, and took her to her dorm room, laying her on her bed. I stood up, looking around the room. After Mel had disappeared, I spent almost every day in there, but I never moved any of her things. It seemed wrong to touch any of it. I laid down on the floor beside her bed, staring at the ceiling. About a year after she had arrived, she insisted on painting her ceiling like the night sky. I had assumed it was because it helped her sleep. She had lived on the streets for so long that the stars and moon put her to sleep. I had to admit that it was awe-inspiring. I gazed at her walls, studying the pictures she had painted there when she was upset or confused.
For some reason, art seemed to calm her down. That, and music. I smiled to myself. There was hardly a day when she wasn't singing. The only time that she hadn't was after a friend of ours died on a mission. She had stayed silent for days. It took me a week to get a song out of her. I loved her voice. It reminded me of a forest right after the sunrise, just as all the animals were waking up.
I chuckled softly, shaking my head. Mel could turn me into such a softy sometimes. I got up, sitting onto the edge of Mel's bed. I brushed a few strands of hair from her face, tucking them behind her ear. Her eyes fluttered open, scanning the room before locking onto my face.
"Hey," she whispered, grinning. I smiled back.
"Hi," I said. "How are you feeling?" She sat up slowly, putting her back against the headboard of her bed.
"Better," she sighed. "A lot better, in fact. What about you? How's your leg?" She nodded towards my right side.
"Oh," I said stupidly. "It's a bit sore, but I'll get over it." She nodded, leaning her head back.
"I'm a little dizzy," she groaned. A grumble went through the room, like a waterfall of boulders. Mel looked down to her stomach, a shocked expression on her face. "Dear lord, was that me?" I stared at her, laughing.
"Yeah," I chuckled. "That was you. When was the last time you've eaten?" She sat for a minute, thinking hard.
"Um," she said. "I don't really know."
"Well," I sighed. "No wonder you're dizzy! Come on, let's get you some food." She nodded eagerly, taking my hand. I laughed at her enthusiasm, pulling her to her feet.
I put my arm around her shoulders, helping her along. We walked slowly out of her room and down the hall to the elevator. After the doors closed in front of us, I pushed the button for the second floor, where the kitchens were. It would take a few minutes to get down there, with the size of the building.
About halfway down, I noticed that Mel was staring at me with a weird grin on her face. I stared back at her, completely confused.
"What?" I asked with a laugh. Mel jumped a bit, her face turning bright red.
"Nothing," she muttered, looking at the floor. "It's stupid." I kept looking at her, laughing.
"Come on," I said, poking her in the side. She shrieked, squirming. "Tell me!"
"Fine," she giggled, pushing me away. "I'll tell you. I was just thinking, I have a feeling that I'm going to be okay with this. With us." I smiled.
"Seriously?" I said. "That's great!"
"That's all you have to say?" She laughed.
"Well," I shrugged. "Yeah! With all that's going on, I'm kind of happy that THAT'S what you're thinking about." She grinned, leaning onto me.
"You're worth thinking about," she sighed. I laid my chin on the top of her head.
"And you were worth looking for," I said, just as the elevator doors slid open.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So," I said, scanning the contents of the fridge. "What do you feel like eating?"
"I don't know," Mel said, sitting in a chair by the table. "What's my favorite thing to eat for lunch?"
"Let me see," I said, pulling out a few ingredients. "I believe that you used to love my grilled cheese with bacon, avocado, and mayo. How does that sound?"
"Absolutely amazing," she sighed. I laughed.
"I don't think there's ever been a time when you've refused it," I recalled.
"I can understand why," she retorted. "That sounds like the most delicious thing in the entire world right now." I shook my head, lighting the stove and placing a skillet over the flame.
"Well," I chuckled. "It's not Hannah's lasagna, but it's still pretty good, if I do say so myself." I placed the bread and cheese on the buttered pan, then moved to cut the avocado.
"Who's Hannah?" She asked curiously.
"It'd be too complicated to explain the details," I said, flipping the sandwich. "So she's basically SOUNA's tech person. She can control computers. Also, she's amazingly fast with hacks." Mel nodded, staring off into space. I took the skillet off of the stove, cutting off the gas. I placed the grilled cheese on a plate with a few leftover strips of bacon and the avocado slices. I slid the meal in front of her, internally laughing at the hungry look on her face.
"Thank you," she sighed, happily looking up at me. I hugged her shoulders, briefly pressing my lips to her soft blonde hair.
"It's not a problem," I muttered, stepping away awkwardly. I saw Mel's face turn red, slightly shocked from my action.
"I know," she said, smiling. "But I'm going to thank you every time anyway."

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