Since he didn't hear a response, Flug opened the door and let himself and 505 in.
Melanie looked up at the pair, took off her headphones, wiped her tears, and said, "Yes?"
505 whimpered sadly and walked over to Melanie first.
Flug was unsure of how to approach this. Showing sympathy wasn't something he was adept in, even before he became a villain.
"Are you alright?" Flug asked.
Melanie zipped up the 505 jacket she was wearing, pulled her knees inside of it, rolled over on her side, and asked, "What do you think?"
505 sat down on the bed next to Melanie and rubbed her back. She rolled over closer to him and let him keep rubbing her back.
"Right," Flug said, rubbing his arm. "Maybe you would like us to leave you alone to get some rest?"
Melanie sat up, glanced her head out the window, and said, "Actually, I would like to go outside. Can we go outside?"
"You're kidding," Flug replied incredulously. "After what you put us through today?"
"But I caught Demencia," Melanie protested.
"Caught Demencia?" Flug asked as he slowly remembered what Melanie was talking about.
"Yeah, I got the remote from her," Melanie said.
"Yeah, right as time ran out," Flug added.
"But…" Melanie began to say.
"Never mind it," Flug relented. "Do you still want to go outside?"
"Yes," Melanie said eagerly. "May we go to the beach please?"
"The beach?" Flug asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, my family flew over it in the limo, so I never got to see it up close," Melanie explained.
Flug visibly hesitated. He knew Black Hat allowed Melanie to have slight freedom for now, but he wasn't sure how he would feel about this outing. There would have to be conditions.
"Very well," Flug relented. "On one condition."
"What?" Melanie asked.
"You have to wear another one of my tracking devices," Flug said, staring down Melanie pointedly. "Without trying to destroy or remove it."
"Okay, fine," Melanie said reluctantly.
"Come on," Flug said, holding out a gloved hand to her. "I have a spare in my laboratory."
Flug pulled Melanie to her feet so that she was standing on the floor.
"Can I change my clothes first?" Melanie asked, looking down at her dress.
"I don't see a problem with that," Flug replied, leaning back against the wall. "Just make it quick."
"Okay," Melanie said, turning the back of her dress to Flug. "Can you unzip me?"
Flug flushed for a moment before he found the words to reply, "What? No! 505, please help Melanie."
505 nodded eagerly and walked over to help Melanie.
505 began unzipping her dress, but Flug squealed in a panic and said, "Not out here where I can see you!"
"Why are you being squeamish all of a sudden?" Melanie asked confusedly. "I just need help unzipping my dress. It's nice like I'm stripping in front of you. Besides, weren't you the one who dressed me up earlier?"
"That was 505," Flug said, looking away. "He cleaned you and put you in the dress he made."
"This is yours, 505?" Melanie said in surprise. "It's lovely."
505 grunted with a smile.
Flug cringed uncomfortably and said, "Look, your parents will kill me if they found out I saw their 14-year-old daughter without clothes on. Can you please go in the bathroom where you can change without me seeing you?"
Melanie sighed and said, "I wouldn't want you to be killed. 505, can you bring me a bikini and some clothes to wear over it? I'll be waiting in the bathroom."
505 nodded, and Melanie entered the bathroom.
While 505 walked over to the bureau and the closet to get the clothes, Flug noticed the pictures on the floor. He picked one up to get a closer look.
It was a telltale drawing from Demencia. It was a group of kids and adults pointing to Melanie and calling her a freak, a traitor, and an inferior being to put it in the politest terms.
Flug looked on the floor and saw dozens of the same kind of picture. That explained what Demencia was doing earlier instead of answering Flug's call to return Melanie to her room.
Those pictures had been ripped off the wall dramatically with pieces of paper still taped to the wall. Melanie was upset before she entered the room. The drawings made her only feel worse.
Flug took a moment to look thoughtfully at the bathroom door and think about the girl inside. He then looked back at the piles of drawings and proceeded to pick them up. Flug had picked them all up until the floor was clean, and then, he carried the papers to the trash and pressed them down so that they wouldn't poke out of the top.
Once that was done, Flug picked the taped pieces of paper that were still attached to the wall off and did the same thing. He smiled under his bag when the work was done and felt grateful that his bag hid that from anyone who might want to see it.
The bathroom door opened, and Melanie and 505 walked out. Melanie was now wearing a crimson red crop top and grey shorts over her black bikini. She stepped into her sandals, grabbed her knapsack, and walked over to Flug.
"Ready to go?" Flug asked, holding his gloved hand out to Melanie.
Melanie nodded, took Flug's hands, and summoned her wings to fly next to him.
As they left the room, Melanie noticed that all the pictures Demencia drew were gone.
"Doctor Flug, did you throw away the drawings?" Melanie asked.
Flug paused for a moment and said, "Yes. Yes, I did."
"Thanks," Melanie said with a weary smile.
"Don't mention it," Flug replied.
Melanie flew wearily next to Flug for a few minutes. But by the time she reached the elevator, she was too tired to keep it up, so 505 carried Melanie on his back the rest of the way.
Soon enough, the trio made it to the laboratory and into the area where Flug kept his new and improved tracker bracelet.
Flug patted 505 as they entered the room that he needed them to go to and said, "Long mission, huh, buddy?"
505 looked back at Melanie who he was carrying on his back, smiled back at Flug, and shook his head.
Melanie smiled at 505 and said, "You're sweet, 505. Thanks!"
505 grunted positively and grunted again to ask where he needed to put Melanie.
"Just sit her on the desk, 505," Flug instructed as he began to search for the updated ankle tracker that he had been looking for earlier.
The scientist rummaged through his various inventions on the counter to find it while 505 placed Melanie on top of the desk.
Once Melanie was settled on her perch, 505 looked at her and gestured to her neck.
"Oh, don't worry, 505. Whatever painkiller your dad gave me is working. It doesn't hurt," Melanie said before Melanie gestured for the bear to come closer.
505 looked at Melanie curiously, but the bear moved in closer.
Once 505 was close enough, Melanie whispered into his ear, "I'm not mad at you either. I know your dad didn't give you any other choice but to hand me over to him. It's okay."
505 smiled with large tears coming out of his eyes and instantly wrapped his arms around Melanie in a warm hug.
"Ah hah!" Flug said, picking up the tracking device and unlatching it open. "Can you scootch aside, Fluffy?"
505 looked back, nodded, and stepped aside.
Flug stepped in front of the desk and said, "Hold up your leg, Melanie."
With a reluctant sigh, Melanie held up her front leg.
Flug took her foot in one hand, clasped the device around Melanie's ankle with the other, and said, "There, we go. And please don't try to destroy it this time."
"I'll do my best," Melanie replied. "Can we go to the beach now?"
"Sure," Flug said reluctantly. "Do you have everything you need?"
"I could use some sunscreen and a beach towel, but yeah," Melanie replied. "I mostly want to sit on the beach and maybe walk into the water. I'm afraid with my injury that I'll attract sharks."
"Not quite, but very well," Flug said before turning to 505. "Would you like to go to the beach, 505? 505?"
Flug looked around the room and noticed that 505 was not there.
505 ran back into the room squealing joyfully. He already had a beach bag with sunscreen and brightly colored beach towels that he showed off to Melanie.
"Wow, those are really pretty, 505," Melanie gushed as she hopped off the table and dashed over. "Would you like to lie on the beach with me? Oh, yeah. Could you help me get my sunscreen on? I'm tan, but I still burn. I could put it on you, too. Oh, wait. Do you even have anything that could burn? Oh, we need to make sure that we have enough for Flug. His neck is almost as pale as my Papi. The rest of him will be porcelain…"
"I'm right here," Flug said annoyedly. "And I'm not taking my clothes off, so I won't need sunscreen anywhere except my neck and my arms."
"Are you sure?" Melanie asked. "It's gonna be hot."
"I'm used to it," Flug said. "505, can you go see if Demencia would like to come? I'd rather not leave her alone to break something."
"What? Nah ah," Melanie whined. "She doesn't need to…"
"TOO LATE!" Demencia shrieked into the room as she hopped off the ceiling. "I'm going to the beach with you, traitor! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
505 squealed in surprise, and Demencia began laughing hysterically.
"Does she have to go, Doctor Flug?!" Melanie whined. "Demencia's gonna ruin everything!"
"Rest assured I'll do my best to make sure she isn't an issue," Flug reassured Melanie.
"But she hates me," Melanie protested. "She'll be super annoying."
"Demencia's annoying to everyone. You learn to live with it," Flug said with a jaded and tired expression towards Demencia. "Besides, Lord Black Hat has made it clear that we are not to harm you."
Melanie groaned in annoyance while 505 pat her head and said, "Just make sure she stays away from me."
"Consider it done," Flug said.
505 joyfully handed Melanie the basket and walked over to his dad.
Melanie complied with a smile and asked Flug, "So, how do we get there?"
Flug took a leash from the drawer of his desk, handed the leash to 505, and said, "We can walk. It seems like a nice day out."
"What's the leash for?" Melanie asked confusedly. "505 doesn't need a leash."
"Yeah, it's not for him," Flug said gesturing to Demencia who stood still while 505 put a leash on her. "It's for her."
"Huh?" Melanie asked confusedly.
Demencia hopped on her hands and feet with her lizard hood completely covering her head and her ponytail looking like a tail. Releasing a hissing sound, she skittered some steps forward while 505 quickly followed behind her.
Flug watched on, unphased by this very regular occurrence.
Melanie continued to watch with her mouth hanging open, completely weirded out by what she was seeing.
Flug glanced down at Melanie walking out the door "Coming?"
"Uh yeah..." Melanie said. "You guys have issues."
"It all depends on your perspective," Flug said, beckoning Melanie to walk out with him.
Melanie walked past Flug and said, "By the way, even though it was your fault in the first place, thanks for saving my life."
Too surprised at first to respond, Flug stood there quietly for a moment before walking behind Melanie to catch up.