Characters belong to SM
The rest of the day remained very relaxed. Bella held the book she had plucked from the library in her lap for the majority of the time. Melody claimed she was going up stairs draw, so I was left with the remainder of the day to myself. Unable to find anything productive to do, I climbed my way to the little purple room.
"Come in, Edward!" she called from the other side of the door before I even had a chance to knock.
"How did you know it was me?" I asked, entering her room.
"Have you heard mommy walk up the stairs?"
The answer was no, but now that it was brought to my attention; I would surely be on the lookout to see what Melody meant.
I took a seat next to the girl and peaked at what seamed to be a sketch book in her hands. The view of the woods from her window was identical to the penciled sketch.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"Six, but momma always said I was more grown up than that," she smiled, obviously proud of herself.
The child showed definite signs of artistic ability, and I was momentarily lost in the thought that she reminded me of someone…
"Do you play?"
Her high voice brought me back to the present, and I saw her pointing to an alto saxophone which sat beside her. "I'm a bit rusty," I admitted.
Melody laughed. Feeling more comfortable around the small girl, I tickled her. She squealed in delight. "Stop- it, Daddy!" She gasped out of breath.
Footsteps loudly climbed up the stairs, "I'm not your father, Melody!" My voice held something that was even foreign to me.
"Mel! Come on, it's time for your math problem of the day," Bella's voice was thick, and a hint of fear was tied in.
"I'll teach her," I stepped in, giving Bella a reassuring smile. She must have heard her child call me her dad.
I led Melody to a room that I hadn't shown Bella. A baby-grand piano stood in the middle, and almost every side of the room was covered by some sort of instrument.
"I thought it was time for math."
"Music first, math will come later," and another talk about the father issue. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with the idea that the monster who called himself a father might have harmed the innocent girl.
I sat down at the piano; my hands shook nervously as they automatically took their spot on the keys. Clair du Lune was the first tune that came to my mind. Fingers graced over the keys as if I had never stopped playing.
"Clair du Lune is so beautiful," Melody commented, swaying slightly with the tempo. The music came to a stop, and the notes settled into the room.
"You know Debussy?" I asked suspiciously.
"Mom likes to listen to the classics."
I moved off the bench for Melody to place herself in the center. She started with "Heart and Soul" as her warm-up. Surprisingly, the little girl sang the words as well as played a very advanced version.
The melody slowed into "Moonlight Sonata."
"Edward, what's going to happen to Mommy if he finds us?" The gently tune did not falter as she spoke.
"There is no need to worry. Our position here is secure, and there are many experienced guards observing the grounds at all time."
"Is the black box outside what they see through?"
Hmm, so the child was aware of what was happening. "Yes."
"I'm sorry I called you dad earlier," she blurted out, "I know we had a conversation about it, but he used to tickle me like that."
My mood instantly dropped. "Melody, I need to know if he ever touched you in anyway that would be considered inappropriate."
What was I thinking? How was an innocent child supposed to realize what was appropriate or not? Then again, she had seen the ungrateful bastard beat her mother.
Petite feet paddle across the room. "Where do you think you are going?"
"To explore!" she shouted jumping then landing without making so much as a tiny thud.
I showed the curious one the library, and she showed just as much interest in it as her mother had. Melody even surprised me in knowing how to read a full-out chapter book.
"How old did you say you were again?" I asked skeptically.
She smiled brilliantly. "I'm six years of age."
I was impressed by her knowledge of sentence structure and verbal communication skills. The child disappeared once more to flee into the fiction section and returned shortly with her arms filled with books.
"Can I take these to my room?" I nodded and took the reading material from her arms.
I caught a glimpse of the glowing red numbers on the coffee machine. Damn, it was past time for me to have Bella take her first swim. The girl's room was still neat and tidy from the previous night, but several journals lay upon her purple comforter and white nightstand which stood beside her bed.
"What do you do with all of these?" I questioned.
Melody snatched the journals and notebooks of sorts away from me and stuffed them in the draw of her nightstand. "Nothing," she murmured innocently.
I let the curiosity lie low for the time being and left the girl with her books. I knocked on Bella's door and waited for her approval for entry.
"What does Melody use all those notebooks for?"
The mother shrugged nonchalantly. "She has a mind of imagination. I wouldn't be surprised if she had a whole world created in one of those journals. Mel insists that I keep clear of her writings. Personally, I think she wants to be a children's book writer and wishes to surprise her mommy."
I was taken by the child's ambition. "What are your books about, Isabella? I've never seen your name in any libraries."
Roses bloomed in her cheeks, and she shuffles her feet. The woman looked me in the eye and smirk, "A few relationship books, a fiction teen book, and a…uh…an erotic book."
My jaw dropped. Perhaps it was due to the fact that this woman had the appearance of innocence or strict morals that I had never guess she would write on such topics.
"I use a pen name which I keep hidden from my daughter of course. I don't plan of having her know until she is old enough to understand how I view the topics."
The woman before me was intriguing. A gleam shone in her eye, and a new being was in the process of being revealed to me. Then, my mind put itself back into place.
"I came up to tell you that you will be swimming tomorrow so be sure to get plenty of rest." I left abruptly. You're a guard, my mind screamed, what the hell do you think you are doing? You're job is to protect! Not falling for an erotic writer with a daughter who is in hiding from an abusive husband.
Damn, I forgot to ask Bella about Melody being abused or not. Remembering her confused face when I left just moments ago, I decided to let it drop for the time being.
By the end of the day, I was thoroughly worn-out, so I made my way to my room.
"Goodnight, Edward!" Melody called from her room which was all the way down the hall.
I looked into her room to see her with a notebook in hand. She slammed it shut when I made a move towards her.
She assumed my reasoning for coming into her sanctuary. "You're not the only one with good hearing," she smirked.
We exchanged goodnights, and I gave her an awkward pat on the head before I left her room. When I entered my room, I quickly shed the shirt and changed into a pair of loose pajama bottoms. Sticking in a couple of ear buds, I flipped through my songs until I dove into blackness.
I woke to a pleasantly quiet house. Being at it was only six in the morning; the running of small feet didn't interrupt the peace. Bella already sat sipping at what seemed to be a cup of coffee. A white towel sat at her side as well as a black swimsuit.
"Ready?" I asked and had the satisfaction of watching her jump when she noticed my presence.
"If you hear Melody running upstairs or calling, can you tell her I'm doing my workout for the day?"
I nodded and led her downstairs to the pool. She walked out of the small changing stall and blushed when I stared at her fit figure in a black bikini a second too long.
Words bubbled to my lips, and as inappropriate as they were for my position as bodyguard, they fought their way out. "There is no way that child belongs to."
She blushed deeper and attempted to hide from my gaze, but a smirk adorned her face. She dove into the water elegantly, which took me by surprise as I recalled Melody's comment about her mother's stability.
For an hour, Bella swam laps as well as performed a few different dives. She treaded water for a totally of twenty minutes before saying she was tired. And for an hour, I held the spare towel over my lap in humiliation while I tired to hide myself. Finally, she retreated to the dressing area to change.
Melody sat sipping at a cup of juice she must have found in the fridge. "Good morning!" She bounded over to her mother and me. "Eww, mom, you're all wet!"
Bella shook her wet hair effectively sprinkling the two of us with droplets. "Cereal time, Mommy!" the little girl chanted once she had wiped the water from her face. Bella looked to me for guidance.
"Emmett stoked up on Lucky Charms for her."
The girl smiled up at me from her seat at the counter island. "Can we go to the park?"
Bella gave me a look that clear said: You tell her we can't leave.
"I've got some work to do today, Melody, but we'll go in a few days." The child's grin grew.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Bella growled under her breath once her daughter was gladly munching on her sugar filled meal. She pulled me into the hallway at the bottom of the stairs. "Why the hell would you tell her we can take her to the park when we clearly can't? How could you lie to her like that? What – hmph!"
I covered her mouth with my hand. "Emmett will be here in a few days will with a fake I.D. for each of us."
Her face flushed. "Oh."
I spent the remainder of my day teaching Melody how to spell different things such as my name. Her eagerness to learn was spectacular. The child would have grown to be a natural teacher's pet. She showed me a picture she drew in one of her journals that portrayed her mother and herself. The child intended to give to her at the park since Mother's day was already two mouths past.
I left her room when the sun had set and ended up running into her mother when I exited. "Tomorrow we'll be working those arms," I muttered.
She nodded in acknowledgement and continued her path into her daughter's room.
More calming music flowed from my ear buds such much like the previous night. I thought over the plans. Bella would need another inspection in a week, and Melody would need a new canvas. Perhaps I would get Emmett to pick one up for me considering Forks didn't offer too many choices.
Then there was the topic of Bella and her…writings. I briefly considered looking in the library for one of her books…or maybe just the book.
The two of us still need to discuss Melody's opinions and condition.
I wondered about James and his distance from this place. I wondered about Bella's new side, and I wondered what the child held in those journals. Tomorrow already looked like a long day but the evening had barely begun, so I laid back and sunk into dreams filled with families, books, and cherishment.
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