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Around the city parked a food truck in front of a few benches in a parking lot. Two girls were sitting down as one of them took a break from her shift. It's been a thing for one girl to work in at her family's food truck and invite her friends over after school or during the weekend but one friend was missing.
They had not seen her in months and worried if she was lost forever and if her sadistic case worker had buried her last bit of happiness for good. Tapping nails on the table, the girl who worked at the truck spoke up.
"Athena, how would you feel if my grandparents got custody of me again?"
Looking up from her cellphone, Athena twirled a long red curl around her finger. The thought of her losing another best friend made her heart break, "I know that I possibly wouldn't see you again but I would try to always keep in touch with you. You're one my only good friends left, Margaret."
She had known Margaret since they were little kids, always going outside to play and both had met a new girl in the neighborhood. She had been adopted for three years until she was given back into the system due to child negligence. But she continued to stay close in the city and never went too far. She managed to stay in the same school system with Athena and Margaret until recently when she stopped showing up.
Margaret sighed and folded her hands under her chin, sadden by a sweet friend lost forever. In her situation, Margaret felt if she was taken away she wouldn't be able to come back. She was thankful she had a large family on her mother's side that took care of her, in return she worked at the family's creole food truck so as to not be a burden. However, she knew they had unconditional love for her, same with Athena's family; all were together and had siblings she loved very much. With all of this, of course they would see their lost friend having pain in her eyes whenever she would be around their families.
"What do you think it was like in Melody's head? I mean to be all alone like that. No family but still amazing how well she held up." Athena said.
Margaret wasn't much of an in-depth conservationist. She liked to stay on the surface matter of things and laugh at serious situations instead of facing them.
"Ahhh, of course she came out ok! come on now we're in middle school Athena, we shouldn't be this sad!" She scoffed in response.
Athena rolled her eyes, "She could change y'know, we can all change."
Margaret was going to answer her with a "tough shit," response until a black Lincoln navigator pulled up near the food truck.
"Who's that?" Margaret asked Athena. She shrugged as the two looked over to the car as the passenger door opened.
Melody closed the door behind her, it had been months since she seen her friends and now they were in the middle of 8th grade. She looked up over to the red food truck and the strewn benches and umbrellas to find her two old friends. Athena and Margaret looked back at her and felt in awe.
A pause. And In a split second all three girls ran to each other and hugged and screamed with excitement. Some tears were spilled as all three girls gripped tighter onto each other.
Wiping her nose and teary-eyed, Athena looked at Melody, "We thought we lost you forever."
"Yeah! Where have you been all this time? Whose car was that?" Margaret questioned holding onto Melody's hand.
Swiping her sleeve across her eyes Melody inhaled a shaky breath, "Well...you have to keep this a secret ok? It's for safety reasons."
Both her friends nodded their heads and as they sat down at a table, Melody explained everything except the Church of the Blacklok. Both were amazed and even questioned how any of it was possible.
"So, what about Vincent? Does he know you're related to Charles?" Athena asked.
Melody cringed and became anxious, "I don't even want to think about that." She then changed the subject, "I know you guys are gonna be at school and Margaret you have work but maybe you guys can come to Mordehaus and just hang out? It can get pretty lonely."
"Of course!" Margaret chirped up.
"We all need to hang out anyways, we got a lot of catching up to do. We'll figure out sometime this week and let you know." Athena said smiling. Clearly the girls were overjoyed and Melody couldn't help but think how lucky she was to have Athena and Margaret as friends. But in her mind she also thought of Vincent.
Had Charles taken care of him? Or did he even knew the things he done to ruin Melody's life? She sorely smiled with her friends thinking only how Vincent could discredit her and Charles family ties.
As the afternoon went on, it was Melody's time to leave back to Mordehaus. Hugging and waving goodbye to her friends, she got into the awaiting car and drove off.
"How can melancholy hurt so much?"
