Chapter 4: Melody's Story Delayed
Disclaimer: If you still believe that I own Shadow or any part of the Sonic Universe, you're even more pathetic than I thought…
Melody had just woken up from one of the most frightening nightmares that she had ever had. Unfortunately, it was also the one that was most common to her. And she always forgot it after she woke up, leaving her stunned and her body numb. She was always petrified and couldn't gather her thoughts at all. She knew that the only way to get rid of that horrible feeling was to move. It took her a while, but she finally gathered enough courage to sit up and break free of the numbing sensation. She gathered her thoughts on what had happened over the last couple of days.
Shadow had fallen from space and into the lake that she often went to when she needed to go soul searching. Her necklace had forced her to go down and rescue him. Two days ago, Shadow had told Melody his life's story. It had taken a much bigger tole on him than either of them had expected. Shadow had spent the last 24 hours asleep gathering his energy. The teen knew that he needed his rest. He had, after all, suffered a broken arm, leg, and a couple of smashed ribs from the fall. It had taken all of Melody's experience that she had gained from her grandma to help him recover. She was quite surprised to find that he actually did get better. It had taken him a while, a month to be more precise, but he did.
But just after she was relieved that he was going to be all right, he started to get sick. He got a severe case of pneumonia. The only thing that helped his sickness was the fact that he was unconscious. It was easier to care for him this way. She just had to move him higher on the bed every now and again to make his breathing a bit easier. It also made it easier for her to bring down the fever. He had recovered from this fatal sickness just a few days ago and woke up yesterday. Telling his long story took a lot of energy out of him because he was still physically weak. He needed his rest.
However, Melody herself was restless. After her nightmare, she couldn't get back to sleep. She decided to sit at the edge of the lake and skip some rocks to pass the time until she felt that she needed more sleep. She grabbed her jacket and went outside into the rain.
(3 stars)
Shadow had slept for more than 24 hours, so when he woke up in the middle of the night he was wide-awake. But he thought that it was the same night that he had told his story to his new friend Melody. Shadow was confused. How could I have restored all of my energy in only a matter of hours? wondered the black hedgehog. "Melody?" he called out weakly. There was no answer. "Melody?" he called again, this time stronger and a bit worried. There was still no answer. He then saw something move to his right and looked out the window. A few seconds later he heard a series of splashes. "Melody," he thought. "She must be skipping rocks. But at this hour? And in the rain?" Shadow decided to go outside.
(1 star)
Melody was confused. She tried to answer as many questions as she could. "Why did you glow when Shadow fell?" she asked her pendant, which was beside her on the ground. She knew it wouldn't respond to her, but she kept talking to it anyway. It made her feel better. And so did throwing rocks as hard as she could. "I mean, you never glowed before. Except when we're around the battle bracelet. I think that's what's beyond that door, anyway. And you only glowed when Shadow was falling." Melody was more confused then ever. "Do you only glow around him when he's in danger? Is that it?" Melody stared out to the lake. The stars weren't there because of the storm, but she knew that behind the clouds it would be sunrise soon. "Maybe I should stay here for a bit."
The crystal in the necklace started to glow again, and so did one of the arrows. "What's wrong now?" Melody was confused. The rain hitting the necklace seemed to make the glow more subtle and mystic, but the teen could sense that the glow was urgent nonetheless. After a few seconds it suddenly dawned on her. She looked in the direction of the glowing arrow to see the black hedgehog. Shadow was exhausted and Melody quickly turned into a blur to him as he fainted. "SHADOW!" Melody yelled as she ran to his aid. She caught him in her arms and started crying. She carried him back to the cabin.
(2 stars)
The light shining through the window awakened Shadow. The black hedgehog found himself back in the same room that he was in before he went outside. He felt cold, so he tried to pull up the covers. He turned his head to see Melody kneeling on the floor with her head buried in her hands on the side of his bed, asleep. Shadow was taken back. He thought about why Melody was in that position and not in her own bed. "Could she have been worried about me?" he thought. Although that truly was the case, Shadow had a hard time believing it. He had never truly been cared for in his life, with the exception of Maria. He dismissed the thought immediately. "What happened after I blacked out?" He figured that she had taken him back to the room he was in now and then went back to sleep.
(2 stars. Yes, I'm very star-happy in this chapter (anime smilie face) )
This time when Shadow woke up he saw a worried Melody staring at him.
"Thank God you're alright!" she said. "I thought that you were going to die for sure after you went into the rain like that. Don't you realise how sick you were a few days ago?" Melody was now trying to fight back the tears that flooded into her eyes. "Why did you do that Shadow?"
Shadow thought about the question for a while. He wasn't sure what the answer was. He wasn't sure why he went out into the rain. Since he didn't know, he decided to lie. "I needed some fresh air," he said.
Melody knew that he was lying. It was painfully obvious. Even if he was the Ultimate Life Form, there would be no way that he would risk his health by going out into the rain to get some fresh air. She closed her eyes, allowing the tears to flow down her cheeks and shook her head. "Do you remember the pact we made?" she asked him with a quivering voice.
Shadow knew where this was going. He quickly thought of why he went out of the house in his condition. He then realised it.
"I was worried about you," he said. "I saw you in the rain out the window, so I went to see what was wrong."
Melody's eyes snapped open. She didn't know what to say. She knew that she wouldn't need to demand that Shadow tell her the truth. But she never thought that Shadow would actually be worried about her. "Do you really mean that?" Melody asked.
"Yeah," Shadow answered. "I do." He had a hard time believing it himself. He never thought he would truly have feelings for anyone other than Maria. He never thought he would truly have another friend like her. "I guess I was wrong about that…"
"Thank you Shadow," said Melody, sniffing and wiping away her tears. "I feel a bit more relieved now that I know you're doing fine." They looked at each other for a bit, without saying anything. Melody decided that she would break the silence. "Shadow, promise me you won't do something like that again without telling me? Please?"
Shadow knew that he couldn't refuse. He decided that it was for his own good. He had put his own life in jeopardy, which must have put a lot of pressure on Melody. "Sure," said Shadow. "No problem."
"I guess it's my turn for story time, huh?" Melody asked. "You told me everything about yourself a few days back and you still don't know anything about me."
"Go ahead," Shadow said. "It's not like I can just get up and walk away anytime soon."
That's true," Melody chuckled. "Alright then, here I go . . ."
Author's note: In the next chapter of my story, Melody tells the story about her past to Shadow the Hedgehog. Before you read the next chapter though, I want you to try to predict what her story is. I want you to see how surprised you will be when you read about Melody's past. You done you're predictions? Then review!