4 days later at the restaurant with the police
"you got this all wrong Shaun, I would never harm her" says Santiago Jones
"really, you say I'm wrong but she was ruining your career by proving you manipulated evidence to make certain children look like hard criminals, you're saying that didn't irk you enough to want her dead or maybe rape her after dosing her drink with GHB" says Shaun
"ok so maybe I dosed her and Carly's drinks but I had no idea how high the dose was, I personally had no problem with her bringing my mistakes to light, even if it meant I'd lose my job, her apartment super is my brother and he thought Shelby was trying to make moves on his daughter, he prepared those doses, he assured me it would only make them tired, when news came that she was in the hospital, possibly on deaths door he told me the truth, that he'd get away with it and I'd go down for it, he'd written a shameful clause into her lease agreement, basically if she failed to pay, he could take her property as payment, he's a real creep, Carly being there probably saved her life, he expected her to return to the apartment having forgotten that she couldn't get in because he kicked her out, he bought tons of rope last week, the day before the last attempt, look maybe I trusted him too much and I should be arrested for that but I have never falsified evidence, I go forward with the evidence I'm given, get the FBI involved, go through my cases, tear them apart, they won't even need a warrant, I hate being lied to and I hate convicting those that are innocent based on lies I've been fed" says Santiago
"wait, you knew Theodore is a perv and did NOTHING" asks Shaun very upset
"up until now the police called it a civil matter and wouldn't get involved and probably still won't, also he's the super of a high class apartment building like the one Carly and Spencer Shay live in, actually now that I think about it, it's run by the rival company to the one Carly and Spencer live in, nobody has been willing to do anything, he's raped his own daughter and the cops just said 'that's hearsay' they won't do anything" says Santiago as Shaun looks at the police chief suspiciously
"hey don't look at me Shaun, this is the first I'm hearing that Theodore Jones is a perv or that he raped his own daughter, I'll launch an investigation, he will be arrested for illegal possession of Shelby's property and it will be returned to her and put in storage at his expense if she doesn't have space for it" says Police Chief Arnold Scott
"what about Santiago" asks Shaun
"he will be arrested for accessory in his brothers attempt to get to Shelby, though he will be released on a half a million dollar bail and he will be required to resign from his post as a state prosecutor" says Arnold
"that's fair, so long as you investigate all my mistakes, finish Shelby's job and free the girls I wrongly convicted and make anyone who fed me false information pay for putting those girls away Samantha Pucket included" says Santiago
"that was my next question, when we talked yesterday you said that she might be innocent, do you think she was wrongly convicted" says Shaun
"I have had doubts recently yes, my daughter has watched iCarly since the beginning and I've seen Samantha change because my daughter makes me watch it with her, Samantha may have childish humor and she may have a temper but the cop who handed me that case said he was absolutely certain that she was completely corrupted and would be impossible to save, Carly Shay has proven him wrong again and again in the past two years alone, in the past three years Carly's proven that Sam can be saved , I've seen Sam go from implying mean things about Carly and Freddie to being a complete insecure softie who won't even poke fun at anyone, even though Carly gives her plenty of chances to, she won't even make fun of the apartment concierge Lubert anymore and she used to do that all the time, she's clearly changed, honestly she's more like Carly now than anything" says Santiago
"you're a good man Santiago, I told Shaun that you likely didn't dose Carly and Shelby on purpose, or at least not intentionally, definitely not of your own will, now let's go quietly, I'll need a lot of evidence to bring your brother down, you willing to help with that" says Arnold
"he raped his own daughter, my niece and I couldn't do anything about it, absolutely I'll help, he deserves to rot in jail for what he's done to his own daughter alone, who knows what else he's done, for all I know he raped Shelby long ago and his recent attempt was just to try and keep her locked away for his pervy games" says Santiago
"ok, before we go to the police station, I'm asking that you apologize to Shelby and Carly, they're at Carly's at the moment, though from what Spencer says, Shelby is clinging pretty hard to Freddie" says Arnold
"can't I do it over video chat, I doubt they'll believe me anyway and they won't want me there, it would only traumatize them by me being there and from what Spencer says Shelby's in a bit of a paranoid state anyway thanks to a bad reaction to the meds to get the GHB out of her system entirely, trust me it's safer for them if we do it over video chat or I write it out" says Santiago
"good I was testing you to see if you'd changed, now when I'm done with you at the station, you're basically on house arrest, at least for a month" says Arnold
"how long do I have to send in my resignation letter" asks Santiago
"elections are next year so just tell your boss that there is an investigation into your brother and you were an unwilling participant and an accomplice charge will likely bar you from doing your job, have him contact me and I will make sure that they don't do a press conference about it, I'll do my best to get you on desk duty until a trial date is set and begins, depending on how it goes the D.A may just keep you in your position or maybe a slight demotion, I can only recommend actions, technically it's going to be a federal case anyway because Shelby technically is from Malibu and lives there part time, it makes it a federal case, it's technical, anyway let's go" says Arnold
At Carly's an hour later after Santiago apologies
"I don't want Santiago charged Arnie, he was an unwilling accomplice who was lied to about the strength of the date rape drug he'd be giving us" says Shelby feeling secure on Freddie's lap
"legally we still have to charge him Shel, it's the law, though the severity of the charges can vary depending on how much he gives us on his brother's illegal activity" says Arnold
"this isn't the first time he's drugged me Arnie, his daughter wants to be a fighter like me, he'd send her to my apartment with juice boxes laced with drugs, she'd seize within minutes and it would last at least half an hour, I think he rapes her a lot, she cuts herself" says Shelby
"could there be an alternative explanation, maybe she really hates herself or how she looks" says Arnold
"she's homeschooled by him, he says she does drugs, that's how he explains it, the problem is she's never out of his sight unless she's at my apartment, he's very controlling of her, I only lived five doors down and he escorted her and only leaves once she sits down and she's only ever been out of the building once, he buys all her clothes, besides she's told me she thinks he drugs her" says Shelby
"implying that you do drugs with her, interesting tactic considering you've passed every mandatory CFC drug test" says Arnold
"there is one they can't test me for because I'd fail because of the meds I have to take because of an infection I had as a kid that resulted in gum issues" says Shelby
"that is true, also all the vitamins you keep at your apartment was always odd, even to me" says Shaun
"my little sister AND older sister have several vitamin deficiencies, I got worried ok, however that's no reason for him to assume I get her drugs….. Oh that reminds me, when you pick up my property, check and dispose of my meds and vitamins, I don't trust him not to have tainted them, I had to get new meds after he kicked me out, so even if they are safe you legally wouldn't let me keep them as backups anyway, oh and get Callie out of there, she won't tell you the truth anyway, at least not if she thinks he's listening or if she thinks you're going to give him back to him after she talks, as it is she won't talk if he thinks he could hear her talk about movies or books because she's not allowed to do either unless he's pre-approved them" says Shelby
"is he some sort of extremist or something" asks Arnold
"dude's a full blown Catholic extremist in the worst way, Callie hasn't even met a boy because Theodore believes that until she's ready for marriage, every boy in the world will corrupt her if she even has a passing interaction with them and yet he's claimed she has a boyfriend, he divorced her mother when she was two when she tried to get cops to arrest him for molesting Callie, because of Theodore's family connection to Santiago, they believed Theodore over his wife and he got custody, he's literally the only male in her life and I'm certain he wishes I was the only female in her life, as in he wants me to be her mother, of that I'm certain" says Shelby
"you're experiencing some paranoia symptoms because of a reaction to the meds Shelby, can we trust your judgement on this, it's important" asks Arnold
"you can Chief, she's talked to me about this for the past few months, that's when she learned that I was in school to be a lawyer, it's not some paranoia issue" says Spencer
"you can guarantee that, the doctor said her symptoms could be bad for the next few weeks" asks Arnold
"Freddie stood up and asked the doctor about symptoms, what to look out for and how to make her feel comfortable while she recovers, sure she's clinging to him but only because he's shown that he cares about her recovery and not just because if Carly choses Sam she agreed to choose him, he's shown that he genuinely cares and sometimes that's enough, she's calm, collected and currently stable and her story hasn't changed once, it's the same story she's told me since she first started talking to me about it" says Spencer
"ok, we'll talk to her alone and if the stories match then we'll charge him with rape as well, though I have to wonder if he's already raped Shelby" says Arnold
"not for lack of trying unfortunately, I've always been wary of him, when I am around him it's never by choice and I'm never alone around him, he has tried to get me alone but I always refuse, I also had a special lock on my door that had a code for me and a code for him as I had no choice but to give him a code according to him, he seems to leave me alone for the most part, unless he found out my code and has been using it and raping me in my sleep he hasn't raped me yet" says Shelby
"ok, that's all for now, Freddie, take good care of her" says Arnold as he hangs up
"what did he mean by take good care of you Shelby, is he under the impression that I'm dating you right now" asks Freddie
"you're acting like it, he sees that, which I don't mind honestly, he's a friend of my mothers, Carly's dad has someone check up on and deliver messages for him to Carly and Spencer, Arnie is my moms contact, I was born in Malibu California but my parents divorced and my dad got custody, at least initially, we moved up here and my dad lost custody of me because he gambled most of his money away but my mom can't financially support me either, Arnie is basically my Godfather, I got into the CFC junior division and I did so well they paid for me to live on my own, my parents get to check up on me but I've been financially independent since I was twelve, Arnie reports back to both my parents, he's very protective, when he said 'take good care of Shelby' he meant, 'make sure she's safe, happy and healthy', basically everything you're doing right now" says Shelby
"I've always liked Arnold, he's a good cop" says Spencer
"yeah but like I said, he can be protective, especially of me, which is why he took up the matter of the date rape drug thing himself when Shaun told the cops what happened, I'm a big tourist draw for Seattle, honestly I'm a tourist draw for any city I'm in, people would never forgive him if he let something happen to me by not doing something when he finds out I'm the target of someone" says Shelby as Carly looks at her watch, seemingly nervous
"Freddie can we talk in the kitchen" asks Carly
"briefly, you see how scared Shelby looks when I'm not at her side, this is the third time today alone that you're acting very nervous and want to talk to me" says Freddie as he gets up to talk to Carly in the kitchen and Shelby crumbles, tears running down her face
"Sam's late" says Carly
"you gave her first chance didn't you, I warned you not to" says Freddie
"how could I not, Shelby's basically glued to you while she's recovering, I'd never get any time alone with her, meaning until she's better both you and Shelby have to wait" says Carly
"how long has she known, because if it's only been a few hours then she's not late, she's probably trying to look perfect for you, Sam got a weeks payment from Shelby cash supply yesterday, so she has money to spend for once" says Freddie
"have I really changed Sam into being like me, Santiago seemed to think so" asks Carly concerned that she's changed Sam into something Sam doesn't want to be by accident
"you've changed a lot of people Carly, not just Sam, though she would definitely be the poster child for how people can change if they're around the right or wrong people, you know Sam wouldn't change who she is if she didn't want to, I doubt that she's actually changed, we might just be seeing the real Samantha Puckett for the first time, a girl that's more comfortable in her skin and in touch with her emotions on a level she's never truly been before, Shelby has also changed because of her being around you, Sam's just been around you longer so the effect is more obvious" says Freddie
"can you give an example of how I've changed Shelby because I don't see it" says Carly
"Shelby used to keep tons of secrets, mainly about her health, we've learned more in the last year than we have any right to know about, she also shows no interest in getting another apartment, she only got that apartment because she liked the isolation, it deprived her of distractions, now look at her, she's open and loves distractions" says Freddie
"have I changed you" asks Carly
"in some ways yes, you've gotten me to accept who I am and no be so self conscious or clingy, though you could never get me to stop loving technology" says Freddie
"and I'd never want to convince you to abandon technology, you've grown iCarly into something I never thought possible" says Carly
"what if you can't decide on who you want to date, would you consider polyamory" asks Freddie
"dad's already tried to send me away once because of how I'm living my life, it has crossed my mind but I won't give dad another reason to send me away to some island community away from you guys, he definitely dislikes Sam and he doesn't like you all that much either, he has yet to form an opinion on Shelby, if I can't decide after one or two weeks each then I'll keep myself locked in my room until I can decide" says Carly as Melanie calls her
"Lubert won't let us in the building, he doesn't recognize Sam, Sam's crying, it's raining, Sam spent all her money on a new outfit, right down to panties and this weather is ruining it" says Melanie
"Spencer, Luberts being annoying again, he won't let Sam and Melanie in, can you go get them" says Carly
"on it" says Spencer as he gets in the elevator
With Spencer
"that is NOT Samantha and Melanie Puckett they're too girly" says Lubert
"give it a rest Lubert, Sam stopped making fun of you on iCarly even though you deserve to be made fun of online, stop making everyone's lives miserable" says Spencer
"fine but they need to call ahead next time, I just finished waxing this floor, do you know how hard it is to get all those black scuff marks out, I'd rather people went barefoot than wear those leaky shoes" says Lubert
"on the black soled shoes we agree, now may I bring Samantha and her sister inside" says Spencer
"ugh I guess" says Lubert as he heads to the back room and Spencer unlocks the front door
"Lubert's evil" says Sam as Spencer let's them in
"he can be a pain, you know that Sam, wow Carly's going to be knocked off her feet, you look amazing" says Spencer as they walk towards the elevator
"I looked better before it started raining, now I look like the building wazzed on me" says Sam
"let's go upstairs and get you dried off, I can put your clothes in the wash and clean them for you" says Spencer as they get into the elevator
"the whole point was to look undeniably pretty for Carly, I can't do that in my normal clothes Spencer, that's why I spent the money Shelby has given me for working with her trainer to see if I could be a fighter like Shelby" says Sam
"you have a whole week with her Sam, she didn't know you liked girls, she never thought you'd like her, if she's undecided after week long test dates with you, Shelby and Freddie then she will do two week test dates, meaning it's likely that you will have three weeks to be pretty, an hour or two to make sure your new clothes are nice and dry won't change things" says Spencer as they near the apartment
"wait so I don't have to just call her Carly, I could call her cute names, for an entire week" asks Sam shocked that it is possible
"that's the idea Sam, just so you know, this isn't a competition" says Spencer
"of course it is Spencer, both Freddie and Shelby are competing with me for Carly's heart" says Sam
"Shelby and Freddie are getting pretty close, right now they share a bed but only because Shelby had a bad reaction to the meds to clear the date rape drug from her system and needs Freddie by her side at all times, the symptoms could last up to two weeks so it is possible you could be Carly's girlfriend for two weeks and it is also possible that Shelby enjoys Freddie's company so much that she choses him outright" says Spencer as the doors open and they walk into the apartment
"OMG SAM, you look amazing, you didn't have to do that for me" says Carly as she runs to hug Sam, nearly tripping as a result
"Spencer did you tie her shoes together, you told me she'd be knocked off her feet when she saw me" asks Sam
"I couldn't have planned this Sam, I didn't know what you chose to buy, besides she's not wearing shoes today, she's been up all night planning for today's events, which mostly include sleeping, movies and cuddles" says Spencer
"really, you want to cuddle with me" asks Sam still in shock
"you have a week with my full attention on you, except for iCarly but that's only one day this week and Shelby and Freddie will also have no exclusive attention during iCarly during their week, let's go, we have snuggling to do" says Carly, pulling Sam behind her already halfway up the stairs
"what about Sam's clothes, they're near soaked" asks Melanie
"she'll leave them in a basket outside her door" says Spencer
"wait is snuggling code for something sexual" asks Melanie
"not strictly no, she 'self-snuggles' all the time, basically she strips down to her underwear and learns to love her body the way it is, though in this context it probably means, 'see me in as little as I want to see if you like it', basically it's a day one test" says Spencer
"how do you know what snuggling means for her" asks Shelby
"she has a list of words, phrases and symbols that means 'don't check up on me I'm fine', self snuggles and snuggling are both on that list" says Spencer
"so in this case, her saying 'we have snuggling to do' means what" asks Freddie
"it means 'don't be surprised if we're late or absent from a meal, we're fine', I get scared when she misses meals so that message was purely for me" says Spencer
"why nervous" asks Shelby
"because she lacks introspection, she can't tell when she's in pain, she has a hard time telling if she's too hot or cold, she takes meds to regulate those nervous system signals but if she takes the meds too close together she can have a seizure, not to mention she can't tell if she's having an asthma attack" says Spencer
"that sounds like she has a big problem, why would she take the meds closer together, doesn't she know certain meds can only be taken at certain intervals" says Melanie
"she knows all that, she tends to get lost in her work, she makes art and writes songs, sometimes she loses track of time, she thinks that not missing a dose is more important than not taking the meds too close together, so sometimes she's ten minutes late taking her medicine, sometimes she's an hour or two late, which messes with the twice daily requirement of her meds, she hasn't had a seizure yet but she's come close few times, her antidepressants in particular seem to be the most likely to cause seizures in an overdose situation, which the doctor says taking them less than twelve hours apart would classify as an overdose" says Spencer
"ahh and she wants Sam to be the frontrunner" asks Melanie
"that is the idea but she can't control fate so do not use this information to skew Carly in Sam's direction unless you have a reason to want out of the competition" says Spencer
"you told Sam it wasn't a competition" says Melanie
"it is a competition but Sam can't know that because Sam is very competitive and Carly wants Sam to be as genuine as possible, if Sam knew it was a competition then Sam would do anything to win and Carly doesn't want that because Sam might do stuff she wouldn't do in a real relationship, it's important that Sam not find out" says Spencer
"to be honest I'm definitely feeling more and more connected to Freddie, I'll probably want to see what it would be like to date Carly but if Freddie keeps acting like a gentleman even when I get a little paranoid then I can see myself backing down" says Shelby
"with how much Freddie's grown I can see him fitting in with you very well, plus having someone that can take photos of you for fight promotions would be a good thing, Freddie is a very good camera person, before he offered to be my camera man I was barely selling any of my sculptures, now I'm selling faster than I can create them, all because he can take pictures from angles people don't think about" says Spencer
"my fights already sell out with the pictures the CFC takes for the matches, selling more tickets makes no sense when I'm already filling capacity and then some, the CFC doesn't have licenses to operate fights in bigger buildings, mainly because the CFC is all about fights, which most people link to violence and some people even call them fake fights, most big venues refuse to let the CFC operate in them as a result" says Shelby now clinging to Freddie again
"are you saying that the CFC doesn't fake some fights" asks Melanie
"no, some of the smaller name fighters have some rigged fights to help build confidence in the fighters but no fights are outright faked, especially not once you get to a certain publicity level, though the men's fights can definitely look that way" says Shelby
"rigging fights is faking them" says Melanie
"that's not what I mean by rigging fights Melanie, by rigging I mean setting rules about how hard you can punch or kick someone, they're main goal is to keep us out of the hospital, once you've had a hundred fights, you're considered 'toughened up' and the rules are relaxed slowly until you've got to two hundred fights, at which point the rules about kick and punch strength are removed and in its place is a rule about compensation from your opponent if they hit you hard enough to send you to the hospital" says Shelby
"so Sofía would have had to pay anyway" asks Freddie
"initially yes but thanks to you piecing things together the doctor determined that Sofía didn't cause my injuries, only bringing them to surface where they'd be noticed, therefore the money Sofía gave me is to help me survive without an income until a doctor declares me healthy enough to fight again" says Shelby as Spencer's phone goes off
"what's up Carly, is everything ok" asks Spencer
"yeah, everything's fine, the mail app says my package was delivered, could you go get it pretty please" says Carly as Sam seems to be out of breath
"please Spencer, it's important" says Sam catching her breath
"of course, I'll leave it outside your door" says Spencer as he hangs up
"a package, she doesn't usually order online" says Freddie
"it was in anticipation for today, it's probably something special for Sam, I don't know specifics, anyway I'll be right back" says Spencer as he gets back into the elevator
"do you think she'll buy something special for us Freddie or do you think it's only for Sam, Carly really seems to like her" asks Shelby
"don't get all mushy on me Shel, we can talk about it later, we were invited over today for three meals, you know how your mind wanders into the dark side of your emotions when you get mushy" says Freddie as Shelby clings harder to Freddie
"is she having a paranoia spike or something" asks Melanie
"this is how it starts yeah, she questions something then she dwells on it, often making herself very nervous, though she's doing better today than she has the past few days, since leaving the hospital she's been a bit agoraphobic, the doctors think it's linked to the paranoia spikes" says Freddie
"it's NOT linked, I've always been a little like this, that's why my apartment was so small, I don't like big spaces, it's just worse now than it normally is" Protests Shelby as she begins to freak out at the size of the apartment
"ok tell Spencer we're sorry, Shelby can't continue today, we'll have to schedule a dinner tomorrow, she's beginning to have issues with the size of the apartment, which the doctor says is when it's time to pull her out of a situation involving big open spaces, this apartment is pretty big" says Freddie as he picks Shelby up and leaves
"how does he manage to do that, Shelby doesn't look like a light person" asks Melanie shocked as Spencer returns
"where's Shelby and Freddie" asks Spencer
"Shelby was beginning to freak out, I guess talking about her agoraphobia triggered it, she began freaking out, he said you'd have to schedule the dinner for tomorrow, how long was she here today" says Melanie
"five hours, almost six, I was surprised she lasted this long, it's the first time she's been out of Freddie's apartment since returning from the hospital" says Spencer
"is her agoraphobia real, it seemed perfectly timed" says Melanie
"oh it's real, both her siblings have it and she's the only one where it wasn't bad enough for her to be put in a mental health care facility, her sisters literally made the doctors but blindfolds on them every morning so they can't see how big a room is, it was that bad, by freak out what do you mean, like what did her eyes look like, that's important to see if she's still experiencing the effects of the meds or if her body is weaning herself off them, because like I'm sure you've heard, meds stay in her system longer, meds she does take always have to be lower than recommended for her weight and height, not many hospitals or pharmacies take that into account" says Spencer
"her eyes looked a little wobbly but she seemed to be all there, she just seemed freaked out" says Melanie
"that's at least a good sign, it means her normal meds are pushing through the side effects" says Spencer
"huh" asks Melanie
"she's going to be fine in a few days but the storm isn't over" says Spencer
"I still don't know what you mean" says Melanie
"she will be suspicious and less trusting for the next three days or so, they had to adjust her medication doses, one of the side effects of her agoraphobia medication is slight eye wobble because it messes with nerves, it's a temporary side effect but it gives doctors information about how and when the medication takes effect, the side effect on her end looks like the room suddenly shrinks in size, which freaks her out" says Spencer
"how can she fight if she has an agoraphobia spike" asks Melanie
"her medicine stops the panic attack side of things, the whole room shrinking thing is why her fights are all in the evenings or late afternoons, she's well awake by then and her meds will have kicked in and all temporary side effects will have come and gone by the time she fights" says Spencer
"but the building the cage matches are in are huge, how does she cope, couldn't that set her off" asks Melanie
"mostly blindfolds up until moments before the fight but that's also why she only does cage matches, it shrinks the room down to a more comfortable space for her, the cross hatch wire walls help separate it from the building in her mind, if the cage matches were in a glass walled ring she'd have a problem, anyway I'll be right back" says Spencer as he heads upstairs to get Carly's package to her, having forgotten it was in his hands still
3 minutes later
"Shelby's going to be alright though right" asks Melanie as Spencer sits down with her on the couch
"so, far she seems ok, you don't have feelings for her or something do you" says Spencer
"no, though I can see why she intimidates Sam, I'm more a classical music girl… if you know what I mean" says Melanie
"you're talking about Missy Marx aren't you" asks Spencer
"I'm talking May Marx" says Melanie
"isn't she a little young for you" asks Spencer
"three months, why does everyone worry about a three month age gap, for crying out loud, mom was seven YEARS YOUNGER than dad and nobody batted an eye but oh no, the girl I like is three months younger than me, better shame me so I give up and date someone way older than me like mom did" says Melanie upset that yet another person has a problem with a tiny age gap
"with any luck she'll be ok by dinner and Freddie will bring her back over, you can talk to Shelby then, I don't have a problem with that small an age gap Melanie but the cops might and Shelby might" says Spencer
"wait, is Shelby their guardian or something" asks Melanie
"more or less, Arnie pays for Missy's care and Shelby pays for May's care, I didn't know she was that close in age, I thought the difference was a year or more, that's the only reason I got concerned Melanie" says Spencer
"ok, let me help you make dinner" says Melanie
"fair enough" says Spencer
2 hours later as Freddie returns with Shelby
"remember, if you want to leave again just let me know" says Freddie
"just in time for dinner" says Spencer handing them both a plate
"what's with the robes" asks Shelby
"we were hungry but getting fully dressed then having to undress again is a lot of work, anyway Melanie has a question for you" says Carly
"what's the question Melanie" asks Shelby
"I want to visit May" says Melanie as Shelby winces
"she doesn't like visitors and the facility is more than willing to keep visitors out for as long as she doesn't want them, unlike Missy, May is there voluntarily and so long as she takes medication that helps her deal with her agoraphobia they're willing to accept her requirements" says Shelby
"I'm her pen pal, she's wanted me to visit since we first began exchanging messages, I even showed them the penpal letters and they still turned me away" says Melanie
"that's because she has a code phrase for visitors she's requested be allowed in, what does she call you in those letters" says Shelby
"Melly-pie, I keep telling her I don't like the pie part but she keeps using that phrase" says Melanie
"ahh so you're Melly, ok, what does she think of love" says Shelby
"I don't see how that's relevant" says Melanie
"it's her code phrase, If you can answer it the guards will let you in" says Shelby
"love is feeling completely safe in a crowded room with no exit" says Melanie
"that's the one, it's not normally so easy to figure out because she doesn't look agoraphobic, in general she does not look panicked in big crowded rooms, her code phrases are always something something in a big crowded room or something something in a room with no exit, as long as she agrees to take her meds and vitamins she's legally allowed to leave any time she wants, when I talk to her about it she always says 'I'm waiting for Melly', she won't leave on her own" says Shelby
"wait so she doesn't call me Melly-Pie" asks Melanie
"no, the whole Melly-pie thing is code for 'Melly the girl I love', no mail or emails or anything is allowed to leave or enter the facility without being checked first, they've had a few patients become targets of pedophiles so they screen everything sent or received, they don't read them specifically, they're scanned looking for certain phrases or words, mostly words of possession like say 'you're mine' or simply just 'mine' when referencing a patient, by saying Melly-pie she indicates that she loves the person she's sending the messages to so that when the scanner picks up 'Melly-pie' they don't catch 'love' or 'I love you' or things like that, though they will always scan your return messages for signs of anger, sadness or possession in response to her messages" says Shelby
"wait so they know I like her back then, I'm not sure I like that" asks Melanie
"no patients there get that sort of privacy, though it does mean that if you say that phrase you will be let in and IF May decides to leave with you they will let you leave with her" says Shelby
"just like that, I say the phrase and if she wants to be with me they will let me leave with her" asks Melanie
"yep, that was always the deal, she lives there voluntarily and they get her symptoms under control with meds and when the girl she loves shows up and May decides to leave with her that they let her so long as she agrees to continue their medication regime, the meds are working, you're the final step to her freedom, though be warned, she's sort of obsessed with you, you open the door to love and she will quite literally be all over you, I mean that literally, she will be all over you, in bed or otherwise, you will never have alone time, she will never leave your side" says Shelby
"honestly that sounds like fun" says Melanie
"oh you say that now, she also bites, she's also what you'd call a little, basically when anxiety hits her she reverts to a child like way of speaking, she's nearly impossible to understand, not even doctors who specialize in littles can understand her" says Shelby
"can you understand her" asks Melanie now realizing the struggle before her
"only slightly, Missy has always been a translator, I've learned a few words" says Shelby clinging to Freddie as she begins eating
"can you give me an example" asks Melanie having already finished her food
"munkaytom means kiss me, slemtim means cuddle and Femtola means sleep" says Shelby
"anything else" asks Melanie
"Camtotia means I'm scared, Demetal means I taste metal and the last word I know is Kuala, it means loud sounds, loud sounds being her most common little trigger, as a result any storm has the potential to scare her, please keep all this in mind when you visit her, I can tell them to expect you tomorrow and to trigger the Melly-pie code phrase, which is the phrase that you spoke when I asked you what she thinks of love, that phrase will get you in, as long as you say it exactly as you did a few minutes ago, any deviation or alternate word for anything in the phrase will get you denied, I myself have been denied a few times because I forgot a word, I'd come back an hour later with the proper word in my head and then I'd get in no problem, it's a pretty locked down facility, for safety reasons obviously, they don't want just anyone walking in and making false claims, them not catching it and a patient getting seriously hurt as a result, it has happened a few times, May is the one that suggested the code phrase system and its been flawless ever since, no incidents have happened in the last four years, all because of a system she created to protect herself" says Shelby
"she makes music doesn't she, I've had people tell me she's nuts and that I should avoid her" says Melanie
"I'll admit she's not the most stable person but that's because she's very in tune with her emotions and a feeling of love being denied because of her agoraphobia tends to make her imagination a little overactive and she can say some pretty crazy stuff but she's not insane, Missy is the least stable of the three of us, May is actually the most stable, even off meds, the paranoia thing is genetic, Missy is the worst, borderline schizophrenia, may and I can generally keep it under control with the help of meds but some meds don't sit well with us and sets the paranoia off if we are forced by circumstance to take them" says Shelby
"is there any chance I could go now, I'm done eating and Sam seems comfortable here so I don't really need to stay here and the address I had to send the mail to is close by and I've been dying to visit her since she sent that first piece of pen pal mail" says Melanie
"let me make a call, she may be sleeping, she just got off three days of insomnia and when she does that she tends to sleep a lot, but I will make the call, I'll be right back" says Shelby as she gets up and heads to the window and calls the facility
"hey Shelby, how are you doing today, we heard about what happened" asks Doctor Rene Hughes
"Melly-pie would like to come visit May, she said she's been trying for like two years and you've turned her away, even when she showed you the pen pal letters" says Shelby
"oh Melly is Melanie Puckett, man how have I not connected those dots before now, May is sleeping, however that said May said that whether she's sleeping or not if Melly shows up to let Melly in her room regardless of if she's sleeping or not, send her over and as long as she knows the Melly-pie phrase answer we will let her in" says Rene
"ok, I'll send her now" says Shelby as she ends the call and walks back over to the table
"well what did they say" asks Melanie, excited that she's within reach of finally meeting May Marx, the girl who she fell in love with two years ago
"you can head on over, she appears to have a standing order that you be allowed in whether she's sleeping or not so long as you pass the phrase check, oh but my rule is that you bring her over to Freddie's so we can discuss things before you head to your apartment with her" says Shelby
"do you not trust her in public or something" asks Melanie as she picks up her purse
"she's been in that facility for five years, a lot has changed since she went in, I don't want her completely freaking out on you because a restaurant she loved to go to has moved to a new location or that people will look at her in disgust, I want her to be prepared Melanie, that's all" says Shelby
"why will people look at her weird" asks Melanie
"because she put herself in that facility, not very many people can just leave when they want to, in fact people usually stay there forever once they go in, her being out will freak some people out, they may make snide remarks to her about her mental stability" says Shelby
"oh ok, I'll be back" says Melanie as she leaves
"I've never seen Mel so excited about anything that involves humans, she's usually drowning herself in books, shows, movies or school, I'm happy for her" says Sam
"it's easy when she's not worrying about you, besides she's an animal person…… wait Shelby is May allergic to any animals" says Carly
"none of the common ones, though she does have problems with snakes" says Shelby
"Melanie has two cats, a ragdoll and a munchkin, Susy and Sarah, she loves those Cat more than most people" says Sam
"May isn't allergic to those breeds, she's wanted a munchkin for years, the facility only allows certified service animals in there and nobody trains munchkins as service animals" says Shelby
"something I don't understand is why you're the only sibling without a name starting with an S" says Sam intrigued
"I was supposed to be Mary but my mom said no so they settled on Shelby" says Shelby
"what's wrong with Mary as a name" asks Sam
"my mom's not religious and my dad is barely religious, my mom said Mary sounded too religious for a Latina child of two people who don't go to church" says Shelby
"fair enough, you don't mind that Carly and I are in robes do you" asks Sam
"as long as neither of you are naked I don't have a problem" says Shelby as Carly blushes
"no we're not naked, we both have panties and bras on, Sam wanted to feel my skin touching hers, I told her as long as it doesn't get sexual I'd be ok with that, I'm not doing anything besides kissing until I decide who I want to be with" says Carly
"that's fair, though you should know I'm leaning towards Freddie, I'll take the one week with you before I make a final decision myself" says Shelby
"have you kissed him yet" asks Carly in a joking tone
"yes but I surprised myself when I did, I wasn't expecting to want to kiss him, at least not yet, he'd just had a shower and he just looked so cute, I guess I couldn't stop myself" says Shelby
"so you've seen him naked then" asks Sam jokingly
"no I'd taken a nap, he'd gotten into pyjamas and woken me up after he got dressed, I've been napping a lot lately, these meds tire me out but it's part of recovering from the side effects of the flush of any GHB from my body, my body doesn't take well to meds that flush anything from my body, even simple things like those various detox pills, man Spencer this food is amazing, you'll have to make this for me all the time or teach Freddie the recipe unless Carly and I happen to come to the conclusion that her and I should be together