Chapter 3: Late Night Swim
After Zavier had left, Melody wondered about the hidden meaning behind Zavier's words. Was he just talking about our friendship, or something else, something…deeper? Melody thought to
herself. Then she shook her head and laughed. Zavier would never even think of Melody that way. He was too busy chasing Mist. Melody went to the front door and locked it. Then, she
undressed in the main lobby and picked up her clothes as she ran down to the female bath entrance. She threw her clothes onto the bench and dashed through the archway. Melody
skidded to a stop inches before the water's edge and went climbing up a hidden ladder positioned on the side of a pillar over to the right. Once she reached the top, she threw herself off
the ledge, holding her legs to make a cannonball and fell about ten feet, sending giant waves up as she hit the hot water.
Melody resurfaced, sighing with pleasure at the warmth that seemed to spread through her body. Then, she took out her two red ribbons that tied up her pigtails and placed them on the
side next to the hot springs. Her wavy pink hair reached past her shoulders. Melody then swam over to a shallow cove and sat down, her pink hair spreading out behind her like a fan.
Her whole body relaxed as the natural underwater jets massaged her legs and back. Bubbles rose to the surface of the water and burst, releasing steam. Once Melody's fingers were
shriveled like prunes, she decided to get out. She retrieved her ribbons from the pool side and pulled her soaking body up over the small ledge. The steam collected on her wet body in
little droplets. Melody flitted over to her towel and wrapped it around her in one swift motion. Her damp feet made footprints on the pristine tiles in the hallway. Melody grabbed her book
off of the front desk in the main room and gave the room one last sweep before flicking off the lights. She padded up the staircase to her bedroom and shut the door. Flopping down on
her bed, she opened her book to a new page. After reading a little about treating cold and long-term illnesses, Melody's blue eyes started to droop. Sleepiness wrapped around Melody
like a warm, comforting blanket. For one split second, she closed her eyes and imagined that it was Zavier's arms around her. Then, she smiled and snuggled deeper under her blankets,
sleep finally overtaking her.