"Mel, Mel, wake up please."
Hands dug around her, she could feel cold, wet sand in between her fingers. Slowly Melody opened her eyes to a dark stormy sky above her. Smelling ocean air, she slowly turned her head and saw monstrous waves crashing down the shoreline. Melody could make out a figure wearing a crumpled grey gown with a crown adorning her long red hair - it was her friend Athena. She was facing out towards the sea, when suddenly Melody screamed at her to run away as her friends outstretched her arms towards a rushing tsunami waves towered over her that nearly covered the sky. Darkness came as Melody hyperventilated in sheer panic, hearing the voice of Vincent chanting hauntingly.
"You should be dead you should be dead you should be DEAD!"
Melody bolted straight up in bed. Looking around her now she knew she was home in her room. Makeup smeared on her face and pillowcase as she saw her mirror next to her.
A loud crash was heard again, the same one that just woke her up. Fumbling out of bed only to surrender and lay on the floor as the room would not stop spinning. She could make out the panic voices of the band floors below in the common area as their conversations echoed in the giant building.
"Ams we going to haves to haves thems over heres? Or cans we stills try shippings thems off agains?"
"No way they 'er coming by Nate, we gotta have them distracted by something else. I Don't wanna see Seth's ugly feckin kids again!"
"You think I want my family over staying over here while we plan an upcoming album & tour release?!"
Slowly coming to, a word stuck out to Melody, "Family?"
Come to think of it she never had considered Dethklok having any relationship to their families at all. The thought of having hoards of new people over especially anything like family made Melody sick with anxiety. Crawling back in bed, she picked up her phone to see missed calls and texts from her friends.
A baby softly cooed and drooled being held haphazardly by a brunette woman mindlessly scrolling on her phone. Pickles knew who she was but for the life of him couldn't remember her name. Glancing over to his older brother Seth, he was on the phone trying to make a business deal happen while sneakily doing a bump of coke. Pickles was glad he wasn't close to them at all. He was proud of himself for not being in contact with his mother and father for 3 years. He wished he could say the same for his other bandmates as they all glared at their family members sitting on the other side of the room. They all came down to "celebrate" the birth of Seth's second kid, but it was just an excuse for them to ask for more money.
"You know how hard Seth's been werkin' Pickles. Both he and yer Father need some help getting bailed out. Now don't be so difficult!" Pickle's mother rattled. But he had nothing left to give to her ever since the realtor fiasco. He can't even remember the last time he gave her anything either. He assumed Seth was, but why was his dad near bankruptcy too? Judging from their past upbringing his dad would always bail out Seth from jail and any trouble. So the pieces were coming together and would rather them keep putting pressure on Seth for money.
"Can't say I'm sweatin' ya, I gotta talk to Charles he has me on some money probation. It's been outta my hands for a long while!" Pickles smirked as his mother's face fell in discouragement while his father remained in contempt. He had to hand it to Charles for teaching all of them excuses to give their families when they came running with open hands. He noticed Nathan giving his family the run around too.
Crossing his arms, Nathan heard his Mother out as she came up with her excuse, "I have to keep going back to TJ Maxx Nathan, you know how much I love sending you different curtains for the seasons!"
Nathan sternly stood his ground, "You know I'm not putting more money on the card just because you think we changing out the decor of this place. Mom, we NEVER change the black curtains or anything for NOTHING!" He recalled the shipments of varying curtains and decor he received for Mordehaus ordering the klokateers to burn it all in the grounds' massive incinerators.
Nathan's Dad chuckles in response to his son's frustration, "Ahh I have been telling her boy! But you know how she is! First, it was Kohl's cash but as soon as she became a Maxxinista she never looked back!"
Sitting nearby with his own mother, Skwisgaar realized how his mother stopped asking for money a long time ago but would annoy him with trivial things like the colder winters in Sweden, not having gone on a shopping spree in a while, or that her car wasn't as shiny as before. Things to insinuate for him to offer a hand but never bothered to. Her manipulative ways growing up made it easy to see through any woman's game to try and con anything out of a man. Surfetta was no different.
"Ack Skwisgaar, yous never given me such luxuries your other band members are givens! Makes me thinks if i can trades yous in for one of them as my son." She pouted while putting out her cigarette stub. Skwisgaar only picked at his guitar faster out of his nervous tic. He never wanted to let this woman get a rise out of him no matter how bad his stomach would loudly turn in her presence.
He only then leaned back and nonchalantly responded in matching coldness, "Ohhh, please. Haves your picks! It's not like anys of thems would fucks yous over too like the rests of mens in the worlds!"
Coming to the ever-unacknowledged defense, Murderface scolded his fellow guitarist, "Heyyy! Thatsch not the way to trchreat a lady! Eschpecially your mother!-"
Standing up, Skwisgaar knew he couldn't argue against the disgusting undying lust Murderface had constantly about Surfetta. "I'ms goings to walks away from this. Not a good days todays." Rolling his eyes, he started to walk away when he thought about how he had changed slightly ever since Melody came to live with them. Looking over to Murderfaces lone grandmother, he decided to give his condolences on her husband's death before leaving the room, "I do apologizes for yours loss."
Stella scoff while shifting around in her wheelchair, "Your about 3 years fucking off there! Jesus Christ just how much fucking drugs you all shoot up here til you forget to write in the fucking checkbook, William!" Murderface was caught off guard before yelling back, "I gave you fucking money 3 yearsch ago when we all went to that schhit stainsch funeral what the hell did you even spend it on?"
Stella only yelled louder in response which collectively tensed to entire room up (except for Toki and his mother Anja who were in a catatonic state on the sofa),
"DO YOU EVEN LOOK AT THE RECEIPTS?! EVERYTHING IS GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE WILLIAM! WE'RE NOT ALL RICH ASSHOLES LIKE YOU AND YOUR DICKHEAD FRIENDS ARE!"
Getting away right when things started to get heated, Skwisgaar made it upstairs where he then spotted Melody wearing heavy clothing almost as if a way to disguise herself as she held her shoes in her hands. Clearly, Skwisgaar knew she had been grounded since last night and stood in front of her, hands on his hips.
"And just wheres you ams going young ladys?" He said in a disapproving tone.
Melody swore under her breath. She knew she couldn't talk herself out of this one. She still tried though, "O-oh, Abigail needs to see me a-about somethings, uh, girl things.."
"Oh?" Skwisgaar raised an eyebrow, "And ifs I calls her, woulds she say the same things?" a moment of silence passed before Melody huffed, giving up, "Alright you got me, I just don't want to be here for a while ok? Can't you tell? I'm not on Charles's exact good side and I know what that'll mean..."
As Melody continued the air softened up, "He's going to realize it one day. He can't take care of me. I'm better off being somewhere out of his hair. Fuck a so-called prophecy, I don't belong here. You remember when you gave back your son Fatty right?"
Skwisgaar recalled his bloody death as they dropped him off. It was beautiful at that moment as he was just uncontrollable and belonged in the wild. He knew Melody was different from that. She wasn't a throw away but he didn't know how to prove that to the young girl.
Smirking, he decided on a way then and there to show Melody the very depth of each of the band members, "Yous wants to feels belongings? Meets us halfways todays. Familys ams downstairs. Once you meets them, you'lls know exactly who and why Dethklok ams the ways wes am."
Taking Melody by her hand, they walked towards the elevators together. She felt surprised by the offering and curiosity took ahold of her. Maybe, just maybe, this would be something that would make things turn differently.