"Well, this is like nothing I've seen before. I can't find any physical cause for her illness." The doctor was completely baffled about my condition. This was one of the only things I could catch. I was semi conscious, my vision hazy, breath heavy, fever boiling. I laid there, not remembering where I was or how long it's been since Neville shook me awake, fear in his voice.
"Is she going to be ok?" Neville asked anxiously.
"I believe so. However, there is no medicine I can give her. Nothing more I can do then say keep her in bed and swap the cold clothes every fifteen minutes. Try to get her to eat or drink something." Giving his best wishes, he packed his bag and walked out the door. I gave a large moan of pain.
"She was just fine the night before. Wasn't she?" Miss Petunia questioned.
"Well…… I did find her in a small corner by the art exhibit yesterday. She was on the floor, just staring into space. Think that might have been an early sign?" With Waverly's last statement, I realized what caused my illness. That time I was zoning out in my small corner, I was thinking about the possible ways Vincent would try to have his way with me. No wonder the doctor could find no cure. I was ill with fear. I would tell them not to worry, but I didn't have the strength to speak.
"I'll get Mr. Luggs to make some tea for her. Maybe she'll be able to eat later." With that Petunia sneaked off, closing the door gently behind her.
"Hmmmmmm" hummed Waverly. "Since when does she go off by herself to Mr. Luggs?" I knew why she seemed suspicious. Miss Petunia once stated in our Knitting circle, because of his weight, that she despises him and wants to be no where near the 'creature' except during meals. But lately, I noticed Miss Petunia going down to the kitchen by herself. I decided not to get involved with whatever this was leading to.
"I don't know." Neville said. "Maybe this is for Lydia."
"Maybe." Waverly thought. She would let it go, for now. But I knew if this happened again, she would stop at nothing until she found out the truth.
Meanwhile, Miss Petunia raced down toward the kitchen. She crashed through the door, being greeted with the smell of fine food.
"Oh, it smells heavenly in here!" she exclaimed, dramatically. Just the tone she was going for, it got Mr. Luggs attention.
"Hello Miss Petunia, what can I do for you?" he asked with annoyance. This wasn't the first time she came crashing in.
"I need some tea for Lydia. The poor thing is sick in bed with an unknown cause." she said with a smile on her face.
"Oh, will she be ok?" he asked.
"Yea she'll be ok, so what masterpiece are you preparing for tonight?" she quickly changed the subject.
"It's pot roast." Luggs stated. Luggs began to feel just a tad bit awkward, especially when Miss Petunia walked towards him in a very sexy like manner.
"So, it must take so much talent to cook food to such an amazing perfection." she said in a flirtatious tone.
"Uh, not really……." he answered quickly.
"Well, I never really learned how to cook, maybe one day you can show me how…." she said slowly, getting extremely close to him. He quickly pushed away.
"Are you drunk?" he screamed.
"What?! NO! Can't you tell when-" she stopped herself short. Mr. Luggs gave her a long stare of confusion, until he finally realized what she was doing.
"Miss Petunia….. Were you trying to hit on me all this time?" he asked in a sleazy voice.
"Maybe…." she said. The two exchanged dirty looks to one another, until Melody broke their trance.
"I'm sorry, but Waverly said she really needs the tea now." Mr. Luggs quickly rushed back to what he was doing, as if nothing happened.
"Sorry Melody, we were just talking about…….pot roast… Would you mind if you took the tea up to Miss Lydia?" Petunia asked, trying you conceal how mad she was that Melody ruined her perfect moment.
"Sure." She agreed. Mr. Luggs steadily gave her the tea and sent her on her way. Shortly after Melody left, Petunia headed for the door, only replying "I'll be back."
made her way up the stairs with such pose and balance, spilling not one drop of tea until she reached my room. When she arrived, she was a tad shocked by my appearance. I can't blame her, I looked as though I was on the verge of death.
"Oh my, is she ok?" she asked shakily.
"Should be, if we can successfully get her temperature down." Neville said. I could her some hopelessness in his voice. Oh how I wanted to embrace him, tell him I was going to be fine, tell him to kick Vincent out! But alas, I was still weak.
"Melody my dear, if you be so kind as to go fetch some more cold water? Use some ice in the freezer."
"Right away sir" she answered back quickly. I felt bad for the poor girl. Waverly could have gone, she was right next to him. I feared Melody would soon become a modern Cinderella if she didn't stop doing everything she was told. I pray for the day she refuses a chore. Problem is, she's too damn sweet. Melody scurried off without a word to fetch my water. As she made her way down, she suddenly had a strange feeling. A feeling as though one is being watched. She was in the perfect setting , a long hallway with nobody in it. She picked up her pace, trying to get to the freezer as soon as possible. However, her efforts failed, as Shivers saw her passing by from the other room. He quickly ran out, setting his course for down the hall, straight to her. Seeing him out of the corner of her eye, her heart leapt for fear as she picked up her pace to a small jog. Continuing to check his distance, it seemed as though he was coming up faster and faster. Now, she was running for her life. Melody made sharp turns in random directions, trying to lose the petifile. But once again, her attempts seemed worthless. After recognizing where she was, she quickly darted out the door into the backyard. She didn't have anytime to think about where to hide. Shivers would be out in a matter of seconds. On impulse, she headed to the garden shed. She dashed in and slammed the door. Looking for a good spot to hide, she went behind the shelves with the various flower pots. Holding her breath, she prayed he would go away. Shivers slowly walked out into the blinding light, glancing around for his crush. However, Shivers was one of those people who never went to the backyard. Ever. Thankfully, he easily gave up, and walked away. She gave a huge sigh of relief, thinking she could finally relax. Unfortunately, she was wrong.
"Hey you!" Bogmire shouted. Melody gave a yelp of fright. "What the hell you doin' here!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, this was a last resort thing really. I was running from Shivers, and-"
"What!" he screamed, as he rolled off the wood post again. He quickly got up, trying to ignore his pain. "You mean that creepy butler guy with the face that looks like its been smashed in?"
"Yes, I'm sorry for intruding, but-"
"O no! miss, ya'll can hide out here for as long as you want, anytime you want. Nobody ever come back here, so your always safe."
"Thank you" she said softly. "I didn't even know anyone lived back here."
"…..Well….. It's like that for me. I hide out here, I get food, do some work, I don't bother no one, and no one don't bother me."
"Oh. Doesn't that get lonely sometimes?" she asked. Bogmire looked at her strangely. This was the first time ever had a 'conversation' with anyone. Not to mention the first person to ask how he was.
"Well not really. Ya'll get used to it." he said. However, she knew he wasn't exactly telling the truth. She was about to leave until he suddenly stopped her.
"Uh…. Before you go, never got a chance to catch your name."
"It's Melody" she said with a smile. Bogmire gave her a long stare, having no idea what to say next.
"Oh, that's a perrty name. It's like that thing related to music right?" he asked stupidly.
"Um, yeah, it is." Bogmire made a face, realizing how ignorant he just sounded. She couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh my! I have to get water for Lydia! I'm sorry, but I have to go." she exclaimed, rushing toward the door. She gradually slowed down, remembering how he kinda saved her.
"Thanks again for the cover. I'm sure I'll be back the next time Shivers comes around."
"Hope it's soon." Bogmire said without thinking. He turned bright red after his statement, watching her walk away with an awkward stare. While he thought she'll never be back, Melody knew she would see him again.