Scarlett woke up to something fluttering softly against her cheek, without opening her eyes she lifted her hand to wipe at her it away. Her fingertips brushed something soft and warm and completely unexpected. Startled, Scarlett opened her eyes to see a sleeping Melanie resting her face against Scarlett's cheek, her breath coming out in light puffs against Scarlett's neck. In fact, some how their bodies seemed to be completely entwined with each others, Scarlett's first thought was to shove Melanie off but then it wasn't a completely uncomfortable experience and Scarlett could always pretend she hadn't known. It was still raining outside the window, and little light was yet visible outside, deciding it was too early to actually get up and too cold to move away, Scarlett compromised by settling back against Melanie and closing her eyes. She had only lain like that for a few moments more when a soft voice resonated against Scarlett's neck.
"What time do you think it is Scarlett?" These words were pronounced in a husky manner that made Melanie sound almost like a man; Scarlett got a chill down her spine, and immediately disengaged herself from Melanie.
"Too late, Aunt Pity is probably terrified without us; you know how she gets in bad weather." Actually Aunt Pity's fear of bad weather only applied to thunder storms. Besides, if Aunt Pity did need anything, Scarlett new that Uncle Peter would be on her beck and call to get it for her. Still, Scarlett couldn't bring herself to lay against Melanie with Melanie awake and aware of it. Melanie stretched out her tiny arms, and turned her head on the pillow to look at Scarlett. She was beautiful, Scarlett thought, with her hair down and spread out against the pillow, much more so than when she wears it up during the day.
"You're right, we should be getting up," Melanie sat up beside Scarlett and looked around her for her robe. Spotting it she crawled out of bed, and Scarlett was able to see through her nightgown at just how bony she way, how skinny. Why, she looks like a toothpick that someone could break in half, Scarlett thought. There seemed to be something in the air, an unspoken agreement about something, Scarlett shifted uncomfortably, and looked around the room for her own robe. Spotting it on the other side of the room and not daring to ask Melanie for it, she bellowed out for Prissy.
"Prissy!" Scarlett called again. "Prissy!" The door opened, and in came Prissy with an air of indifference that made Scarlett's blood boil.
"Yes, Miss Scarlett?" Prissy turned her large eyes on Melanie who was fastening her robe in the corner, and immediately jerked her head back to Scarlett in astonishment.
"What is it you fool? Why do you look at me like that, as if I didn't have a head? It's only Melly in here for heavens sake, the way you look you'd think I'd been harboring a man in my room."Prissy looked carefully back at Melly who smiled kindly at her, and then looked down at her feet.
"Oh, no Miss Scarlett, I wasn't looking at you in any such way."
"You're a liar I saw the look myself."
"Scarlett! You mustn't talk to Prissy that way, why, she was just surprised to see me," Melanie said stepping forward and placing her hand gently on Prissy's shoulder. "Its alright Prissy, I'll go back to my room now." Melanie didn't look at Scarlett as she exited something that only heightened Scarlett's feeling that something was amiss.
"Well? Aren't you going to hand me my robe?" Scarlett demanded of Prissy when the door was shut.
Scarlett took breakfast by herself in her room, thinking of a million different things but mostly of Ashley and of Melanie. Afterwards she sulked around upstairs for a while, before finally deciding that she couldn't avoid going down to face Melanie and Aunt Pity Pat any longer. The clock from the foyer chimed 11 as Scarlett descended; there was an unwarranted pregnancy to the whole house. Scarlett had a ridiculous notion that Melanie and Aunt Pity had left the house in disgust and that she might never be allowed to see them again. But what have I done? Scarlett thought bitterly, after all she was the room who came into my room and she did hit me in the face with a door. With these reassurances Scarlett made her way into the drawing-room where she was relieved (but not altogether happy) to find Aunt Pity dabbing her nose as Melanie read an excerpt to her from a Jane Austen book. Upon her entering both women looked up and smiled.
"Ah, Scarlett, are you feeling quite well this morning?" Melanie asked concernedly. Scarlett furrowed her brow slightly, but then returned the smile promptly,
"Why, I'm just fine Melly," Her smile made the cut on her lip open again, and Scarlett reached up to touch her face instinctively.
"Oh my goodness, blood! Scarlett you're bleeding, quick Melly send Uncle Peter for Doctor Mead." Cried Aunt Pity, fanning herself hysterically with her handkerchief, Melanie made to get up, but Scarlett shook her head at her.
"Really I'm fine. Its not that deep, I don't need to see Dr. Mead." Scarlett went and sat down on the unoccupied divan by the window.
"Oh, no I can't stand the sight of blood, its dreadful, and you'll bleed on the furniture. Oh what did happen to you? Oh how can you stand it? Melanie, please take her to the kitchen and get her some ice to put on it, ohh heavens my nerves can't take it." More out of annoyance than anything else Scarlett complied and left the Drawing-room with Melanie, to be escorted to the kitchen.
"I really don't know how you could have stood living with her all your life." Scarlett was proclaiming as they entered the empty kitchen. It was now almost noon, and dinner had already been set on the table, so cook, Prissy, and Uncle peter were all taking lunch in the servants kitchen adjacent to the back stairway.
"Oh, Scarlett, she's a sweet dear thing, really. She's just worried about you."
"Worried my foot, the only thing she's worried about is my getting blood on her furniture." Melanie left Scarlett at the sink and went to retrieve some ice from the ice box out back. When she came back in, she was splashed with rain water, Scarlett noticed some water droplets on her cheeks, and instantly she worried that Melanie might catch a cold, she was so vulnerable. Scarlett frowned at this, and couldn't help but add in her mind that it was all the better for her if Melanie would get sick, so that Ashley might be free all the sooner. As if she could read Scarlett's thought Melanie sighed and steeped forward with the ice wrapped in a towel in her hand, she stopped right in front of Scarlett and pressed the towel to Scarlett's face. The sensation of cold against her hot lip made Scarlett's heart skip a beat. And the only sound was that of the rain falling heavily on the back patio, and the clock ticking in the foyer, everything was beating, beating right along with Scarlett's heart. Even the light freckles on Melanie's face seemed to be beating. Melanie dabbed the towel, once, twice, three times, finally hesitantly their eyes met, and all the tension from the morning was there encoded on each others eyes. Scarlett finally understood, though she didn't know in what context she could put it. Melanie stopped dabbing Scarlett's face and her lips parted slightly. Scarlett stared at her, in wonderment, could there really be something more, something deeper to Melanie Hamilton? The desire to find out was overwhelming, all of her ideas about women just went topsie turny, until that moment Scarlett had thought that she alone was the only female that was of any significance whatsoever. Was this why Ashley loved her? This feeling that Scarlett was experiencing? When Scarlett continued to stare at her, Melanie looked down at the towel, and raised her eyebrows.
"Well…there isn't a lot of blood so does it still- hurt." Melanie's voice broke, and on an impulse Scarlett leaned in and kissed her mouth. They lingered together, their bodies swaying slightly on the spot, but otherwise neither moved. All the beating sounded in Scarlett's ears, the rain, the clock, and the heartbeats. She thought of Ashley rejecting her love in the library at Twelve Oaks, she thought of meeting Melanie for the first time, and Rhett Butler, but now all of that seemed to be fake next to this moment. Scarlett didn't try and analyze it right then, she didn't understand the ethics of what she was doing, or her implications, all she knew was that Melanie's lips were much softer than any mans lips she had ever felt in her life. It was Melanie who pulled back, panting slightly, her lips stained a redder hue from Scarlett's blood.
"Scarlett? Are you sure you're well?" Melanie asked, her voice sounding odd to Scarlett's ears. They were still standing extremely close together.
"Yes, Melly I'm fine, my lip is fine I mean," Scarlett said embarrassed by her actions. She pushed past Melanie, and made her way to the door where she hesitated.
"Melanie- Don't think that I…" But here Scarlett trailed off,
"Yes Scarlett?" Melanie asked quietly. Scarlett looked back over her shoulder, her eyes their darkest shade of green.
"Don't think that I can't take care of myself,"