Settlement and Confession

By the time Melinda finally made it to the cave, she saw all of her friends talking to each other. Suri was the first to notice Melinda and asked her why she was all wet.

"I was swimming in the ocean before I got here," she answered. "I am sorry. I wanted to come here sooner, but-"

"Never mind that," interrupted Cassius. "Sit down. We need to talk to you."

Melinda entered the cave and positioned herself between Lyra and Faline.

"Why didn't you tell us," Tiberius asked, "That you and Dartz were related?"

"I was afraid," Melinda confessed. "I know that a lot of you lost everything because of him and I was afraid you would loathe me as much as you loathe him."

Suri rubbed Melinda's shoulder and asked, "Is that it? Come on, Milly. It's true that we hate Dartz and can't forgive him for what he's done, but you being his sister doesn't make you our enemy."

Yusa agreed. "You did nothing to hurt any of us."

"Then again," debated Cassius, "how can we trust you? For all we know, the king is giving you your freedom so you can tell him about us and this place."

His brother joined in and said, "If you're really our friend, you should be keeping secrets for us instead of from us."

Melinda saw that the twins had a point. If she truly loved her friends, then she would be protecting them from her brother. But there were some secrets she had to keep from them.

Faline spoke up and told everyone, "The way I see it, all Melinda wants is to be everyone's friend, but none of you are giving her a chance to prove herself. You won't know anything about Melinda if you keep making accusations."

Lyra agreed. "You guys, Melinda has to put up with Dartz more than any of us do. Think about it. He's probably cruel to Melinda just as he is to everyone like us in the city."

Actually, Dartz was very kind to Melinda and had never mistreated her. True, there have been times when Dartz would lose his temper and take his anger out on his sister, but the two would always set things right between themselves.

The twins faced the ground feeling guilty. "I didn't think of it that way," Cassius said.

Melinda finally spoke up. "Please hear me out. All of you are telling the truth. I should be helping you instead of hiding from you. I also want to prove to you that you can trust me, but I need you to give me a chance. I promise not to tell my brother about you or this place."

Everyone gathers around and decides to think about it. After their discussion, they agree to give Melinda a chance if she promises not to keep any more secrets from them. Melinda raises her right hand and gives her word as a member of the royal family. The twins are still in doubt, but the wolf children trust her. Lyra, Zephyr, and Faline also believe Melinda.

By the time the sun starts to set, the human children leave the cave and make their way home. Zephyr heads to the west part of town and Lyra and Melinda walk Faline home. Due to her shy nature, she wouldn't stand a chance on her own if anyone decided to attack her again.

"Thank you for walking me home," Faline said gratefully. She felt a lot safer with the girls and felt like she owed them a great debt for their kindness.

"Of course," Melinda told her. "It is more fun being with a friend than being alone."

"Well, if there's ever anything I can do for you girls, please let me know."

"Thanks, Faline," Lyra told her. "And just know that if there's anything you want to talk about or if something's troubling you, you just come to me." She faces Melinda and tells her the same thing.

Before the girls leave, Faline asks them if they want to stay for dinner or wash up before they go. After being at the beach for so long, the smell of the ocean really got to the friends. Lyra kindly denied her offer. Melinda didn't want to take advantage of her friend, but she couldn't let her brother know she was swimming in the ocean, so she asked Faline if she could take a bath.

"All right," Faline told her. "I'll go run you a bath. You can come in too if you want, Lyra."

Lyra was in no hurry to get home. As much as she was used to being on her own, she wanted to stay with Melinda in case someone would start picking on her. So she followed them inside.

Melinda washed herself with ease, but it took a long time for her hair because it was so long. Faline took Melinda's dress and washed it as well. Her hair and clothes would still be damp, but she would be able to change once she got home. "Thank you again for everything today."

"Well, after what you've done for me, it's the least I could do."

"I wish my big brother was not so hateful towards monsters. I could invite everyone to the palace for dinner or to play with me."

Lyra placed her hand over Melinda's shoulder. "Don't worry, Milly. You can always come to us any time you want. Hey, before you go, let me show you where my house is, all right?"

Melinda agreed. She and Lyra said 'goodbye' to Faline and that they would meet her again. Lyra took Melinda to the northwestern part of the city and brought her to a small house not very far from the palace at all.

"My father's a fisherman and my mother works in the marketplace. So I'm often home alone. I do my chores every morning after breakfast, so I don't head out to the cave until the start of the afternoon," she explained. Since her parents were hard at work almost every day, they had little time to spend with their daughter. Not that it bothered Lyra. She was fourteen and capable of taking care of herself. Her parents often worried that because of her rough behavior as a fighter, she wouldn't have a lot of friends her age. But they were glad she managed to find some thanks to her kind nature towards the children who were often teased because of their appearance.

Melinda gazed at the little house and asked, "So you are letting me know where you live in case I do not see you at that cave?"

Lyra nodded. "Also, you can come inside and make yourself at home so you don't have to wait outside."

Melinda thanked Lyra for bringing her to her house and promised to see her again the next day. The two girls shook hands and hugged each other. After that, Melinda walked back to the palace on her own and made it just in time for dinner.