I dunno why, but I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter. XD Enjoy

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Melody stood there, shivering on the cool of the bathroom floor. Her feet were arched inward and she held her towel securely about her dripping wet body, her teeth chattering all throughout it. It had practically all been a blur. Her sister's had lead her to the bathroom, by Rida's command, and had literally chunked her into the bathtub (which, apparently, had already been filled). Her body was submerged beneath the water, and she lifted her head up for a deep breathe, only to be greeted by a bucket of water as one of her sister's poured it over her head with a giggle. They must've been enjoying this – lucky them.

It had all ended with her looking like a Who-fluff ball, as one of the older of her sisters used a hairdryer along her cream-colored fur. Leading up to this, it had been a decent twenty minutes of being attacked by soap and water, the suds sticking to her creamy fur. Still, she would have preferred to stick to that, rather than a cotton ball.

"Melody! Quit squirming," declared Polly as she practically held the poor girl to the wall with the hairdryer blowing against her. The hot air caused her fur to stand up on end, despite Melody's wishes.

Taking a deep breath, Melody had attempted to follow Polly's orders, even if she didn't quite agree to the same standards. Steadying herself, Melody rested her cheek against the wall, but her expression was uneasy as she held her towel securely over her body. As Polly dried her off with this tool in her hands, a few of her other sisters were gathering supplies such as ribbon, a brush, as well as more suitable clothing. Simply put, by the time Poly had finished with her own task, Melody was crushed against the floor by Sue, Holly, and Hogey as they had dressed her, as if she were a form of doll. Melody didn't quite like this game, but what else could she do except attempt to wiggle out of their grasps before she was suffocated with perfume?

It had been another three minutes, tops, before Melody was released. Scrambling to her feet, after accidentally banging her head to the sink as she did so, before anyone else had come a foot within reach of her, she held out her hand with her palm facing towards the puzzled girls. It was a simple action, one that could be recognized so easily for the term 'stop', but this was not why they were confused. Their bewilderment was caused by the fact of why Melody held her palm to them. They were girls, after all. To them, a mere game of dress up would be considered to be under the top of the list for the word 'fun'.

Melody took a relieved breath as she discovered that she was actually being listened to. She wouldn't complain though and while she could, she'd have to take advantage of the situation. She glanced down to what she had been forced to wear. Despite the fact she could not see properly, perhaps she could at least get the gist of what it was she was wearing. Whatever it was, it was comfortable. The color spoke out as if it, itself, were alive – a vibrant pink. It covered the entire length of her arms as well. Melody's fingers traveled along the entire length of it, determining that it was probably some form of summer dress. Her fingertip came across buttons that ran up the side of it. She turned her head a bit in order to get a, hopefully, better look. She couldn't quite grasp the full details of the buttons, but they were certainly gold.

Glancing upwards to where she knew they stood, she had imagined that their faces were hopeful. So maybe they didn't do so bad, after all. Taking a breath, she had offered a timid nod in order to show she was okay with it all and would no longer attempt to pry away when they were doing something like this for her, again.

In unison, the girls giggled and grinned in satisfaction. They weren't quite done with their job yet, though – no, not yet. There was still the issue of her hair. Sue had stepped up now and held up her weapon of choice: a single gold hairbrush. Behind her, there was Holly with a stream of long pink ribbon, while Hogey had secured a can of hairspray in her hand.

Then they jumped at her.

It had all been instants of tugging and pulling at her hair. A number of times, Melody had bit her lip, holding back a small squeal of pain, as the roots of her hair were ripped at. The scent of hairspray plunged into her nostrils and she coughed several times in a row, in some desperate attempt to get it out of her throat. How could anyone stand this scent? Or even worse…the way it attacked one's lungs? Melody had no clue whatsoever. Her hair was tugged at once again by one of the girls; she didn't know which, but this one tug had been the significance to finish it all off. As the silk of her hair was pulled upon, it had been the final maneuver.

"All done!" the girls proclaimed in unison. They turned Melody's body about so that she was aiming toward the mirror.

Melody did not quite understand this. There was no point in looking in a mirror when she couldn't even see entirely. Still, she squinted her eyes and trailed her fingers to her pink hair. It was done high in long dazzling pigtails that were presented in curly locks, dancing all the way down past her waist. It was tied in luxurious bright pink ribbons that trailed down to her cheeks, brushing up against them. She blinked. So maybe these girls did know a little bit about, well…being a girl. Her fur was no longer matted and crusted, but had been restored to a relatively decent composure. The collar of fur just about her neck was fluffed slightly more and as Melody presented her fingertip to it, she realized it was soft to the touch.

Melody didn't quite understand why, but some sort of happiness had filled her and it baffled her. She wasn't sure what to do – perhaps say 'thank you'? No, she could not…and she subconsciously trailed her hand to her neck. She'd have to do something else. Melody took a breath and turned her body about to face her sister's. All had an anxious look upon their face. Melody couldn't see it, but she certainly could tell. Perhaps not through sight, but at least from the atmosphere that surrounded her. So, she determined that in someway or another, she'd have to answer them…and she allowed a smile to slowly crawl onto her lips.

The girls beamed with excitement and they very nearly pounced on her with hugs, but Melody learned that they at least knew better than that, and she was grateful for this.

"You like it?!"
"Really, really?!"

Melody's expression was uneasy, but she nodded, very cautiously, but she would soon regret this action of hers, greatly.

"Good!" declared Polly, grinning from ear to ear, but now poked Melody in the chest, "Cause we're doing this all over again eeeevery morning! Mm-kay?"

Melody blinked – she hadn't quite expected that sort of response.

"And there's no way your getting out of it, got it?" spoke Hogey, with surety clear in her voice.

For a moment, Melody had almost opened her mouth to speak in protest. She bit her lip and stopped herself – the idea was absurd. As she fiddled with the fluff of her collar, she had sighed, nodding. What other choice did she have, after all? None, or so she believed.

"Aw! Don't look so glum!" pouted Sue.

"Yeah, you'll thank us for it, someday!" added Holly, reassuringly.

"We swear!" spoke the rest.

For just an instant, Melody had looked to them. Her white eyes searched for them desperately, but it was only an obscurity of colors. She knew they were sill standing and waiting for an answer though, with hopeful smiles still placed across their lips, never wanting to go. And Melody smiled back. What more could she do? They were just being siblings, after all…

000

Rida helped set the final dish within the sink, allowing the suds to run down the glass material. The sleek plate shone marvelously as the rushing water trailed like teardrops down to the bottom edge. Her fingers held it carefully in her hands as she swung back and forth on her heels, humming a happy-go-lucky tune. She was engulfed in this odd happiness, not allowing a single thing to pass through. That is, until she felt a tug on the clothing behind her. She blinked and glanced downward, with some strange hopeful smile dancing on her lips.

The girls, the same ones who had previously played 'dress-up' with their new sister, were the ones who stood at Rida's feet. There grins were wild and wide, like their Father's always seemed to be. The statement 'Daddy's little girls' came into her thought as Rida analyzed their behavior. She leaned down, smiling, finding it only appropriate, "Yes?"

"Look what we did with Melody!" grinned one of them, and they pulled Melody forward with clear satisfaction, even if Melody, herself, seemed more than unsure; she seemed simply frazzled.

Rida stared for a moment, her eyes going hollow…and for a time the girls wondered if something was wrong. At least until Rida had reached her hand forward to touch the curly locks of hair, now smiling widely, "Yeah. She looks great. You girls did a good job."

She touched her hair again, but as the edge of her thumb brushed along the corner of Melody's cheek…Melody had recoiled with uneasiness to the touch. Rida bit her lip, and even though she smiled, her insides were as if it had been torn apart. Rida could've sworn her heart would rip through her chest at any given moment from simply swelling and throbbing so viciously inside her.

Lifting herself up, Rida took a breath and her smile was wider and more convincing as ever, "Hey, can you girls put that last dish away for me? I have to do something fast."

The girls only glanced to her for a second, but had nodded with simplicity, eager to please.

Rida watched them all carefully for a final time before she turned her body and headed to the hallway. She had left in such a hurry, she had nearly tripped over her racing feet; the mere sound of her footsteps throbbing in her eardrums. She had wandered a great distance away from that kitchen, making sure, by all means, that she was completely and utterly alone. She rested her forehead against the wall and pounded her fist against the hard surface. Her smile was gone and happiness was absent from her body entirely. Her chest was heaving up and down, as her breathing wavered in rushed tones. She parted her lips and spoke, despite the fact that no one was there to hear, "…You really don't remember us…do you, Melody?"

000

Just as Sally had predicted, she arrived home almost three hours later. She nudged the door open by her shoulder, holding too-many-bags to count within her arms. It was always tedious stopping for such a large household number, but it was still her job to do so as Ned did his own part at work. Perhaps it was tiresome, but Sally, like her husband, would not have it any other way.

"Girls, Rida – I'm home," she declared as she made her way into the kitchen, beginning to set down the large number of bags along the counter. The instant her arms were empty, she found them full to the brim again as a few of her daughters jumped within them, greeting her with grins.

"Welcome back, Mommy!"
"Mommy, Mommy!"
"Yahs – You're back!"

Sally smiled, just as before – this was why she wouldn't have it any other way. As she withdrew from them, placing the smaller ones along the floor carefully, she spoke in her same gentle voice, "Were you good for Ms. Rida?"

"Yup, Yup!"

"And what about Melody?" Sally urged, still smiling warmly, so that a tender heat practically radiated off of her, "Did you all have fun with your new sister, today?"

"Uh-huh!" spoke Polly.
"We dressed her up all pretty!" added Sue.
"And we did her hair, too!" finalized both Holly and Hogey.

Sally kept her smile on her lips as she heard this, "Really, now? Sounds like you had fun."

As the four girls nodded their head in sheer agreement, Sally had lifted her head a bit and looked over the crowd of girls, searching for one in particular, out of her own curiosity and fascination, "Where is Melody, anyway?"

"Uuum…" Polly thought for a sec, placing a finger to her chin, thinking deeply, until she had come up with a solution. She turned around quickly, without a word, and hurried past her mother, and through the crowd of her sister's until she reached the edge of the kitchen, pointing to the window, "There she is, Mommy!"

Sally straightened herself up, and looked to where Polly pointed. There by the window, was Melody. She was leaned up over the windowsill; her eyes wide and curious as she watched something – she wasn't sure what – flutter and flap its tiny wings just outside the open window. To her, it was a nothing but a blurry blob of dazzling scarlet. In detail, however, it was a tiny butterfly. Its body was black, with its antennas stretched out and curling over at the tips. The wings of it were a base of white, but over this simple white, were splatters of scarlet, speckled upon the entire length of its wings. Melody watched it with such fascination, reaching out her slender fingers to nearly touch it, until she was drawn back by the sound of Sally's voice.

"There you are," Sally had spoken, leaning down so that she was closer to her level. She smiled and touched the edge of her the lush pink curls of Melody's hair, then drew her hand back, "Your sisters did a good job on you, huh?"

Melody looked at her and tilted her head, and faintly she nodded, but she wanted to more than just that. She wanted to smile, but she wasn't quite sure how she had done it early. She leaned her body back against the window sill, barely hearing the fluttering of the butterfly's wings, but it was enough to reassure her. She had begun to spread her lips into her smile, but, just half way though, something had caught up into her throat and she jerked.

"Melody?" Sally questioned, arching an eyebrow, noticing the strange action.

She didn't respond, cupping her hands over her mouth as she coughed. Her eyes squinted shut and the pain in her throat would not stop. It throbbed and she could hear blood rushing up her throat, and the rusty taste of the crimson lied on her tongue. Melody knew this taste… she knew it all too well.

"Melody? Are you okay?" Sally inquired again, saying her name as a sudden worriness rushed through her, she carefully set her fingers about her adopted daughter's wrist, "Melody?"

"Melody?"
"Meelody!"

The girls had chimed in, as they surrounded them now.

Still, Melody wouldn't speak, just holding her hands up to her mouth. She tasted blood, she knew it was blood – she always did. It would come up her throat on the strangest times. It throbbed and rose up her neck again. She bit her lip, pulling her hands down and away from her mouth. There, upon the palm of her hands, were speckles of scarlet…speckles of scarlet just like the ones of the butterfly she so wished to catch…

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Haha! Cliffhanger... 8D Lmao... But anywho, I felt that Sally and the McDodd daughters really needed to be exposed a bit more, I mean, they're still part of hte story. ;3