Lost In Purple
Chapter 28: Blizzard
Melanie's POV
I have a dream that seems very familiar to me after I went to bed last night. The blackened sky shows the many radiant stars in the sky that also brilliantly manifests the moon sitting calmly in the sky. Johnny sits next to me with his hand in mine while we hang our feet over the edge of a forest cliff. He also has that handsome smile laid across his face as he looks out to the horizon. What doesn't feel familiar is the fact that there are a couple of dark clouds forming in the sky. It feels so real, while also feeling like a mirage of the highest degree.
I wake up peacefully and see that I'm back in the room that I spent my entire childhood in. It's very cozy for such a small little room, and it starts feeling like I never left it for the many months of education I experienced. I raise my head to hear the satisfying sizzling of food coming from downstairs, and the comforting blow of heat being emitted into the air from the vents. A flashback of Christmas time replays in my head which gives me a rush of nostalgia. The coziness that you get from the holidays replays in my head, making wish it was Christmas already. I flop out of bed and take my blanket with me as I nearly fall over in exhaustion when I turn the corner out of my room. The house seems abnormally dark, especially since all the lights are turned off, and I don't even think my parents have even turned on the TV so that it erases any kind of silence in the house.
When I groggily make it down the last step of the stairs, I make a loud thud which catches the attention of both my parents. While my Mom gives me a big and motherly smile, my Dad becomes extremely excited when he sees me because he had to work late yesterday. "Moondrop!" He exclaims while his tail starts violently swinging from side to side.
I yawn while saying, "Hey Dad." I wrap my blanket tighter around my body and fall onto one of the couches in the living room, and on top of my Moms legs. She's reading one of her magazines that she loves with all her being. I think she likes them because it satisfies her pure little heart when she sees all the things she could never afford.
"Awwwww, my poor little Melody is exhausted!" Mom comforts while scratching my head with her claws.
"Well she did spend the past few months slaving away in order to get perfect grades. I sure as hell think she's more than allowed to be tired for the next month," Dad approves.
Mom laughs with a load of sweetness before saying, "We're so proud of you Mel."
"Thank you," I groan.
I hear Dad stomp out of the kitchen so that he can take up a position next to Mom. "Do you want some bacon kiddo? They're just about done," Dad asks.
I yawn again and say, "Yeah…I'm hungry."
I hear my Dad laugh as he returns to the kitchen, and I drift off into the first stage of sleep for a couple of minutes before Mom shakes me awake.
"Mel, it's time for some breakfast," She giggles.
I stretch out my arms and legs until they make some audible cracks. Dad walks over to me with a plate of pancakes and bacon which surprises me because it's usually Mom who makes the pancakes. "You made these?" I ask.
"Yep. I figured that it would be nice to give your amazing mother a break and give you a 'welcome home' surprise," Dad replies while scratching behind my ear.
I smile as I take the plate of food from his hand and take a large bite out of a pancake and a piece of bacon. While it might not be as life changing as Mom's cooking, it's still expertly cooked and gives me a feeling of nostalgia when eating it. I can't remember the last time Dad was able to make breakfast considering that he's working all the time…wait a minute. "Dad, aren't you supposed to be at work?" I question.
Dad looks over to me while he's putting all the cooking supplies away and responds by saying, "Oh I was given the day off. There's a blizzard coming in and Scream Industries is closing for the day because of it."
"There's a blizzard?" I ask.
"Yeah. It's supposed to start in about an hour. It's one of those abnormal weather occurrences that happens every once in a while. Did you know that the last snowstorm Monstropolis had was 5 years ago?" Dad informs.
"Wait really? It seems like that happened just yesterday," Mom chimes in.
"I know right? Our little Moondrop was only just starting high school," He reminisces while I take more bites out of my breakfast.
"Daaaaad," I say while blushing.
He sits down next to me and starts massaging my ears which makes me feel relaxed. "Whaaaat? Can I not look back on the days where you were still my cute little girl?" He asks.
I'm able to swallow before Mom shimmies over to me and starts squeezing my cheeks as she says, "And she still is. Look at how adorable she is!" Mom throws her arms around me and then squeezes me so that I can't breathe, and playfully laughs as my Dad starts hugging the both of us.
"Mom, Dad, I can't breathe," I gasp.
"Let us love you Mel!" Mom commands jokingly.
"Ok, ok, give her some space," Dad laughs.
I take a deep breath and then turn my attention back towards my breakfast. I think it's funny that my Mom just entirely forgot that I was eating because she starts trying to feed me as if I were some sort of baby. I tell her to stop, but she keeps saying that she's doing it out of love. While many people would think it would be nice to have everything done for you, I'm more comfortable doing things in my own. She eventually goes back to reading her magazines while my dad constantly looks at his cheap watch. "Are you waiting for something Dad?" I ask while eating my last piece of bacon.
"Huh?! N-no," He says while standing up and returning to the kitchen with my empty plate.
Totally not suspicious or anything. I keep my eye on him as the sky outside gets increasingly more dark and the wind starts blowing more intensely, making the house creak with every gust. Maybe he's waiting for a package and he's secretly hoping it will get here before the supposed blizzard rolls in. Maybe there's a TV show he's waiting to watch…but wouldn't he have the TV on already? The suspense kind of kills me as time inches forward at a snails pace. I wait and see what's going to happen here within the next few minutes because of my newly gained curiosity. It's quickly satiated when we all hear a sudden knock on the door as soon as I see snow starting to fall to the ground outside. Dad rushes to the door and grasps onto the doorknob with a firm grip, twisting it open with ease. "There you are! Welcome home Mr. Worthington," Dad greets in happiness.
I instantly stand up and see my favorite purple monster lower his head underneath the door frame, and enter the house with small white flakes draped all over his horns and sweater. My dad reaches out his hand for a handshake and Johnny takes it without hesitation. It's almost like their best friends already. As for me, I basically jump over the couch, nearly tackle Johnny, and shove my head underneath his sweater in order to wiggle my way closer to him.
"Holy sh- Melanie! Wait, sto-, calm down!" Johnny stutters while trying to keep his balance.
My parents start laughing and watch as I finally peek my head out from the collar of his sweater. I place my head underneath his jaw with a smile and hang on for dear life. I don't know about anyone else, but I was freezing while sitting on that couch, even with a blanket. I can safely say that he's one warm monster and would prefer to stay next to him for the rest of the day. "Mel is that really how we treat our guests?" Dad teases.
I just grunt in his direction as Johnny puts his arms around me for extra support. "Don't worry Mr. Everett, I was expecting her to be this way when I got here," Johnny interjects.
Dad shakes his head in disbelief and Mom walks over to Johnny in order to greet him with a hug only a mother can give. "Mel you're going to ruin his sweater, the poor thing looks stretched out already," Mom pouts. I also grunt in her direction while I turn my head towards her. She just sighs in response while rolling her eyes. "I was worried you weren't going to make it before the blizzard hit," Mom says to Johnny after bouncing up and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"I wasn't sure either so I sped the whole way here," Johnny laughs.
My Mom gasps and says, "Jonathan! Don't do that, you could've gotten a ticket or crashed your beautiful car!" You can count on her to be worried about all that. If only she knew how good of a driver he actually was.
"Well yes, the blizzard did put some pressure on me to speed, but I primarily wanted to get here as fast as I could to see Ms. Clingy here," he smiles while pointing to me. I look up to growl at him, and he just gives me a wink, making me want to punch him but I refrain from doing so.
"We're you able to eat something before you left Jonathan?" Dad asks.
"I unfortunately could not but I'll be able to survive," Johnny replies.
"Are you sure? We have pancakes and bacon that I was just about to put away, we can give you some if you'd like," Dad offers.
I hear Johnny's heartbeat increase a little bit as he says, "Oh…sure, I'd love to. I don't think it would be ideal to refuse food from you all anyways." He's clearly excited to eat some more food from my family of chefs.
Johnny's POV
After thanking Melanie's parents for the somewhat late breakfast, Melanie pulls me back into the living room and locks her arms around me once I throw my weight onto the couch to the right of the tiny TV they have, resting atop a cheap TV stand. The couch itself isn't rickety, which is what I was expecting (I was also expecting to break it considering I'm on the heavier side), but it was instead standing strong while proving to be kind of firm and uncomfortable to sit on. I can't help but feel sad that this is the comfiest piece of furniture they can afford.
I see Melanie pull her blankets closer to her until she's nice a snug. "Is it too cold in here for you?" I ask.
Melanie yawns before she rubs her head against my chest. "Kind of," she replies.
"Sorry to make you worry Jonathan, that might be my fault," Evelyn interjects, "I tend to get too hot when we have the heat on in the winter. I've supposedly passed out a couple of times over the past few decades because of it, so we keep the house temperature cooler than normal. I think Melanie got too used to the dormitory these past few months."
Right, I don't know how but I forgot that reptiles are cold-blooded and have varying temperatures at which they're comfortable. Wait… is Melanie a mammal or a reptile?
"Yes, unfortunately for Melanie, she's more like me and needs to stay warm at all times… warm blooded if you'd prefer to say it that way," Ronan chimes in.
"Is that where she gets everything from then, from the Illustrious Ronan Everett?" Johnny questions.
"Well, she gets her intelligence from me along with a couple of other mammalian traits. Everything else she gets from her mother though, her beauty being one of the defining characteristics," he explains. Both Melanie and her Mom look at him in gratitude in which he responds with a wink. I don't know why but he seems like a… nerdier version of me.
Evelyn laughs and adds on by saying, "Melanie's always been like that though. She never left her room without a blanket or pillow or something to stay warm with."
I look over to see Melanie blushing while trying to avoid eye contact with me. "I mean, who doesn't do that," I say while putting my hand on the back of her head and gently pushing her into me.
Evelyn giggles as she watches Melanie slump down and nearly fall asleep within a matter of seconds. "I'm sorry Jonathan, she's so exhausted."
"It's no problem , as long as she's happy and healthy I don't really care," I respond with a shrug and a smile.
I then take a look out the window and see the snow pummeling the streets with the largest flakes I've seen in years. There's also a thick veil of white that makes it impossible to see a couple feet further, making this blizzard feel more serious than it seems. It only took a couple seconds of thinking for things to go south in an instant. The lights flicker for a moment before failing to emit any sort of brightness and shrouding the house in darkness. Melanie's parents both look up to the ceiling while narrowing their eyes and getting lost in thought. I guess I was correct when thinking that the blizzard was more serious than I thought.
"Did the power just go out Ronan?" Evelyn asks.
"Seems like it. I don't think I'll be able to fix it either since it's already snowed around a foot and the phones never work in snowstorms, so we're just going to have to live without heat until it passes," Ronan explains.
"Ugh…it's gonna be so cold," Melanie mumbles while pushing herself into me.
"It won't be that bad Mel, we've done it before," Ronan retorts. They've done it before? Does this happen every year or something? Do they have to suffer in freezing temperatures as everywhere else has energy?
"You've done this before?" I ask in shock.
Evelyn stands up and starts closing the blinds of the windows only to then walk over to a closet and pull out a case of bottled water and snacks. "Ok yeah, that answers that question," I say with a chuckle.
"Yeah, we prepare every year in case this happens. Unfortunately, I do suggest that you and Melanie to go upstairs and keep warm. I'll get you a thick blanket and some pillows to make a makeshift bed because it doesn't seem like you or your car are moving for a couple days," Ronan advises.
Melanie grabs my hand and pulls me off the couch and towards the stairs, keeping her blanket wrapped around her like a dress.
"If either of you two need anything, just call for us," Evelyn declares after giving me another kiss on my cheek as we pass by.
"Yes ma'am," I holler down the staircase.
Melanie keeps pulling me along with her down the upstairs hallway until we enter her room. She closes the door after I enter and then pulls me onto her bed with her. She slams her head into her pillow and sprawls out into a starfish position that allows me to see her beautiful figure under her blanket. How is she this beautiful even when she's exhausted?
"Are you doing alright Melanie?" I ask while tucking her in.
"Mmmm-yeah. I'm just tired," she mumbles.
"We're you up late or something? I don't think I've ever seen you this tired before," I continue.
"Kind of. I didn't think I would miss you as much as I did after you left and couldn't sleep because of it," Melanie answers.
I lean down and push my head against hers which is something I feel like I haven't done in an eternity. I didn't think I would miss her this much either. "I didn't sleep very well either," I reply.
Melanie pushes herself off the mattress and looks like she just realized something. "So…why is it that my parents were expecting you to show up this morning?" She asks.
"Oh, I called your mother last night and asked if I could come over. Let's just say I knew a blizzard was rolling in and wanted to use it to my advantage," I answer while giving her a wink.
Melanie sighs and flops back down onto her pillow. "If I knew that, I would have been able to sleep last night," she whines.
"Sorry Melanie, I just wanted to surprise my favorite woman in the entire world," I say.
I see a smile slowly begin to generate across her face. There's something about seeing her be happy in a bed right next to me that makes me feel like I've made it in life. It's almost as if it's a look into the future since Melanie's the first woman I've thought about having a legitimate relationship with.
There's a quiet knock on the door which makes Melanie push herself off the mattress again and yell, "Come in!"
It's her dad with a very comfy looking blanket and two pillows in his hands. "Here you are Jonathan, I know it might not be as comfortable as you're used to, but I hope it'll be enough for you," He says handing them over.
"It's perfect Mr. Everett," I reassure him, "It could be worse. Like I could sleeping on the floor with nothing right?"
"Yes that's true," he replies, "At least that's takes a weight off my shoulders. I could only imagine what it would be like laying on the floor, freezing and uncomfortable."
"You don't have to worry, I'll make it work," I reassure him once more.
"Good. I'll be across the hall if you two need anything," He replies, excusing himself and exiting in a quiet manner.
I throw the two pillows on the floor before hearing Melanie crawl over to me on the bed. "Do you have to sleep on the floor John?" She asks.
"I mean I don't have to, but I'd rather you have enough room in that tiny rectangle you call a bed," I joke.
"But the floor is so uncomfortable…" Melanie groans.
"What do you think will happen if I somehow lose myself in the Human World Mel? I've been trained to do this," I reassure.
Melanie reaches over to take my hand, pulling me towards her which makes my heart flutter. I reach down to take the two pillows, and put them on the bed while tossing the thick blanket over the two of us. "Alright… but it's not my fault if we end up getting in trouble."
"Why would we get in trouble?" Melanie asks.
"Well, it seems like your dad doesn't want us sleeping together, hence the two pillow and blankets to make a makeshift bed," I explain.
Melanie scoffs as I begin to lay down next to her. "If anything does happen, my Mom will quite literally scream at him. She's been trying to get him to let me be an adult since I was 16."
"Mmm, sounds like my mother as well," I add.
"Ooooh, sounds like she didn't grow up with a silver spoon in her mouth like you," Melanie jabs.
I can feel the air start getting colder as the wind picks up a little bit outside. There's obviously some sort of draft in Melanie's room because there's no way it went from warm and toasty to borderline frigid. I put my arm around Melanie and pull her even closer. I see why she needed a blanket earlier because her scales are noticeably cold to the touch and could freeze anything you place on them. "No, she was always wealthy. She just became more mature when she married my father. Can't say she's happy about that though," I respond.
I can see Melanie's expression turn sour as she lowers one ear and becomes curious. "She's not happy?"
"Not really, she had a high school crush, but was never able to act upon it because of my dad actively pursuing her. She was supposedly a trouble maker growing up and always wanted to have fun partying, which is where I get my wild side from, but my Dad ended up turning her into a dull businesswoman," I explain.
"Did she not want to marry him?" Melanie questions further, sounding like she's sorry for asking.
"Originally no. She wished she said something to her crush, but it's almost 26 years too late for that now. After a couple months she ended up falling in love with him because of my father was one of a kind, but ever since I was born he hasn't paid very much attention to her. So yeah, all she does now is work and hate life," I elucidate.
"He seems like one of those cliché rich men in the movies," Melanie says.
"I agree," I reply with a chuckle.
"Is that how your grandpa is too? Business oriented that is," Melanie questions.
I give it some thought, and conclude that my grandpa is almost the exact opposite of my father. At least I think he is, he always wanted to have fun and thought about things in a selfless manner. I guess my family is going through some sort of philosophical pendulum where we swing from one side to the other with each generation. "No, he was always the kind of person to go out and live life to the fullest. That's where I envy my father because he probably had way more fun than I did as a kid," I answer while sighing.
"He always made things stressful didn't he," Melanie assumes.
"Yep," I say with a nod.
I take a look outside Melanie's window from the bed and see nothing but white. I can't even distinguish the individual snowflakes anymore and give thanks to whatever entity allowed me to get here before all of this happened. The air now feels like it's below freezing, and I can see my breath with every exhale. Melanie starts shivering uncontrollably which makes me worry that she'll somehow get hypothermia.
"Do you need to wear my sweater Mel?" I ask.
Melanie gives it some thought before diving underneath the blankets and lifting up my sweater in order to squirm her way into it for the second time today. I don't know why she wants to do it this way because it hurts when she accidentally elbows my stomach or knees my legs, but its worth it if it means she's happy.
"Ow! Mel, wai- god damn it!" I exclaim.
She pops her head through the collar and wraps her arms around my head. I can feel the coldness from her body transfer to mine, and can't help but feel excited to have her this close to me.
"Why are you so warm?" Melanie complains.
"Because I have fur," I respond arrogantly while moving my hands up and down her body to generate some heat.
She groans. "…it's so soft too…"
"Well yeah, I can't be walking around with matted and disgusting fur. People would think I'm some kind of homeless person that's high on drugs and under the influence if didn't keep it under control," I explain.
"Wouldn't that make you look scarier though?" Melanie asks.
"Maybe, but that's not how my family, nor I, work. Just like you and your beautiful mother," I answer.
Melanie's ear flatten and I can feel her tail start wagging underneath my sweater that she's voluntarily intruded. She puts her lips against mine, and I react by rolling over on top of her. We kiss for a little while before our energy depletes completely. "Are you feeling a little warmer yet?" I ask while looking down at her.
She nods while scratching the bases of horns. That's good, because I wouldn't want her dying on me while I'm right next to her. "I think I'll be alright for the rest of the day."
She didn't lie. The rest of the day consisted of us talking about random topics as we shuffle through social media and enjoy each other's presence. While it is cold, we're able to survive through the night as we dream in tranquility.