.: CHAPTER 3:. FORSAKEN EYES

Authors note: I hope you are enjoying this story so far, I am striving to accomidate your requests for following chapters as quickly as possible without faltering in the quality of my writing. As a side note, I would just like to state that I am not involved in any way with the production, or people involved with the movie Edward Scissorhands. Just thought I would add that little disclaimer. Happy reading!

A person...no... a man. Melody's breath caught in her throat, gagging and choking her. This person...this man, was half concealed by the shadows, but she could see enough to cause her to tremble at the knees. She saw his pale, gaunt face leering at her. The deep sunken eyes were that of a corpse. Gray lips were pulled in tight across the bones of his skull. She wanted to scream but could not. Instead, thinking twice...she dared, " I am truly s-sorry sir, for my intrusion, but I w-was seeking shelter from the storm." She whispered carefully. She dared even further, " Is...is this your home sir? Because I-"

Her words cut off. Her blue eyes widened in terror. The shadowed figure had taken a small step forward. A stray beam of ivory moonlight had found it's way through the shattered window, and had fallen upon steel blades. She didn't bother to count, but knew he had a few. "Oh God no!" She stifled in panic. He has knives! He must have heard me coming up the stairs! She thought, tears beginning to trickle down her pale cheeks.

The being took a few small steps in further advance. Melody's heart stopped for a beat or two. This was no man, but some deformed creature of hell, she was sure. Blades of cold steel shot from where his hands should have resided. She let out a choked sob, " Please don't kill me! Plea..se" She prayed he would stop in moving nearer. She closed her eyes, fearing the very sight of him. She sunk to the floor, limbs failing her. Lord have mercy on my soul, for whatever reason I have deserved to encounter the devils henchman. She repeated in her head over and over again, until...She felt the ice. The cold dagger of death. She couldn't bear to part her lashes. Death would come soon, and she prayed it to be swift......But it did not come.

The frigid blade touched her cheek gently, yet it was so dangerously sharp, it threatened to bite into her skin. Slowly she felt the demons ice travel to her chin, then drew carefully down her throat, and finally it came to a stop at her breast. It rested there a moment and then she felt it lift away, followed by a tiny tug. Braving a peek, she parted her veils, and saw her grandmother's necklace held by a glinting blade. Overwhelming fear was struck back into her heart. But this time her limbs responded to her beckon.

In a pure mad rush of panic, she mindlessly leapt backwards and scrambled to her feet. She did not notice the small snap of the pearl dove pendant breaking from around her slender neck. The man, who had been leaning over, righted himself, the silver chain dangling from one of his blades. He took a step towards Melody reaching out a scalpeled hand, in attempt to sedate her sudden dash. Their eyes met but a moment. Hers, mysterious and blue, he saw the tearstains. His, dark and dreary, she ignored the pain within them. All she could think about was escaping. She ran to the wooden door, and shoved it open. But she had applied all too much force in her hysteria to the little door, which easily gave way to but a little pressure. Melody felt her stomach flip, as she was suspended in air for a moment. Caught off her balance she gave a soft piteous cry as she tumbled down the entire set of winding metal stairs, and finally came to a motionless halt at the bottom.

Somewhere in this long fall, we cannot be sure, as it was indeed a long fall, Melody had struck her head and was knocked unconscious. Her petite body lay in an uncomfortable crumple at the bottom of the stairs, bruised and immobile. The fall itself must have been down about a hundred or so stairs give or take a little. And somewhere upon them was that appalling man, making his way awkwardly, but swiftly down.

Darkness....groan....Melody came back into her own mind. She was aching all over. She tried to open her eyes, but even that hurt. She had no memory of where she was at that particular moment, but if she could have guessed she might have thought she had been in a serious accident and was in a hospital somewhere. She tried to move, but the shoulder on which she was laying gave a sharp, painful twinge that made her issue a low whimper.

"Be still", an amiable, yet sorrowful voice offered softly. Melody didn't recognize the voice, but it was a nice one, and it calmed her. She tried once again to open her eyes. Her head ached in pain, but she managed to slowly blink, and open her eyes. It felt as if someone had taken a club and beaten every inch of her body. She groaned once more, but succeeded in lifting her head up a bit. She squinted into the darkness, and then at the figure who sat on the floor, looming over her...so close. All of the morning's memories rushed back into her head with a sudden jolt. She began to hyperventilate. Struggling against her body she was able to push her upper frame upward using her arms, though it tormented her limbs.

The gaunt corpse like creature beside her started, and leaned towards her. "You must not move. You fell, so far." She jerked away. She did not notice, did not want to see the look of concern in his eyes or hear it in his voice. "Please, just let me out, don't kill me please." She sobbed. The man shrunk back, giving her way to exit the door. She cried out inside her mind as she fought to her feet. Stumbling like a sedated animal, she limped in torture as quickly as possible out of the door. "Go then". She heard the creature say as she stumbled out of his presence.

As she made her way tenderly through the mansion, she had the feeling he was watching her the entire time. She took a different route as she couldn't exit through the hallway, and was accompanied by her tears of both pain and fear. She managed to find her path out of the manor by taking a different passage, and clinging to shelves and other protruding objects to support herself.

Once outside in the generously lighter rain, she was able to breathe almost normally. The shadow of the crumbling mansion still haunted her steps, but she weakly made her way down the steep rocky pass without fear of his presence.

Though the rain had lightened, by the time she reached home, she was soaked to the skin. When she opened the door, she found her mother waiting for her. "Where on God's earth have you been! I was worried sick, you were supposed to be home hours ago! What were you thin-Good heavens! What happened?!"

Melody looked up. "What?"

Her mother touched her face, ow, "Your eye! It's all grayish and bruised!...Did you get in a fight?"

"Uh, yeah mom...just leave me alone for now okay."

Jody looked hurt, but Melody ignored it. She had too much to think about right now to put up with her mother's frenzy of bickering. Skulking into her room, she slammed the door, and went to her bed.

An hour later found Melody propped up one her pillows with her drawing tablet on her knees, and charcoal pencils at hand. She always liked to sit in bed and draw after traumatic events to ease her mind. She had retrieved her utensils with mind to draw something pleasant, but found herself staring at sunken charcoal eyes....his eyes. As she drew she noticed something odd about the sketches. Instead of dangerous, murderous facial expressions, she had put sorrow and pain into his deeply darkened eyes.

Now that the terror had drained from her veins, she looked back, and thought she had seen something different than her first frantic interpretations in his forlorn orbs. But even with those morose eyes, she still felt a little chill as she stared at her artwork. As always when sad, scared or distressed, she reached up for the comfort of her necklace...but not as always, it wasn't there. Melody gasped, feeling all around her neck, but it was indeed gone. And she unfortunately knew exactly where it was. The small snap of her breaking necklace that she had not heard earlier, now echoed on the walls of her brain. He has my necklace. She thought in dismay. She got up from the comfort of her bed, and walked to the window, and sat down upon the bench, resting her sore shoulder tenderly on a pillow behind her. Willing herself to do so, she looked up at the manor, and where she imagined his window would be. The darkness had swallowed the manor, but its haunting outline still remained.

Melody pulled her sweater closer to her. The loss of her grandmother's necklace brought her great sadness, but what could she do about it now? Some crazed, deformed madman was now residing up there, and would kill her if she returned......or would he?

There had been something very human, and almost - kind in his black orbs. Now that she thought about it in the safety of her room, he had never actually attempted to harm her in any way. She remembered falling down the staircase, and was not accurately sure how long she had lay unmoving, but he had sat with her till she woke.

But the sight of him! It could not compare to anything she had seen in those old horror flicks her parents wished she wouldn't watch. She stared hard back up at the manor. I must get grandmothers necklace back. She thought determinedly.

The small outline of her slender face could be seen in the warm, heavenly glow of her bedroom window. She was so beautiful and innocent. And he had frightened her so badly. Woe was he, the man with scissor hands. He had for much time knew he would never again see an angel's face look upon him again. That was until today. But she did not want to see him. No, what she saw was a monster. Is that what I am? He thought wearily. He looked down at the silver chain dangling from his scissors. It seemed to glow despite the darkness. And a feeling that had only once skimmed his skin, radiated from the fragile pendant. Love, warmth, family. And another essence resided within this trinket. A spirit of an old acquaintance, a love long passed....Kim. He knew then, that she must be her kin. He had seen the hints in her face, when she had lay still at the base of the stairs. How it pained him to hear her fall. He had scaled the stairs, dreading what sight awaited him at the bottom. But she had been all right, and then she had ran. He looked out the shattered window into the night, and it in turn stared back at him.