Gone Batty II: Eclipsed
Chapter 24: Goth's Fear
Goth had intended to stay awake, in case Melody had any ideas of trying to abandon him again. But his stomach was full and his energy was spent. Sleep came to him whether Goth liked it or not.
He found himself in the familiar underground mines, but there was no exit. The tunnels stretched on for miles and no matter how long and far he flew, Goth had no hope of seeing a hint of moonlight or the rays of the sun. The further he flew, the more the tunnel seemed to turn from a cold bluish gray into a fiery red. There was a glowing light at the end and a Goth strove to reach the light. Perhaps it was daylight?
It wasn't the outdoors like Goth had hoped. The tunnel opened up into a grand cavern that stretched both high and wide. Stalagmites and stalactites stuck out like sharp teeth, formed from crystallized mud and minerals. They shone like sleek wet stone. The ground was half solid earth and half water that only was disturbed when flames burst from their depths, spitting hot water and steam.
Goth let his feet touch land and he draped his wings around himself protectively like a cloak. He could feel the damp heat through his fur. It was hotter and more humid than the heaviest storm season that Goth had lived through. The air was so heavy.
"Hello?" The king called out and his voice echoed back to him, causing his ears to flatten back a bit. Goth slowly walked across the terrain, carefully eying everything. "Is anyone in here with me?"
"Why, if it isn't Gothy-old-boy?"
Goth whirled around to see Cama Zotz in his smaller form, swinging carelessly back and forth on a hammock made out of stretched out skin and bat bones- hanging up high from the stalactites.
"Mighty good of you to come by and visit my humble abode," Zotz said pleasantly as he flicked his claw back and forth to some unheard tune, his one arm tucked behind his head. "How has life on the surface been treating you?"
Goth folded his arms, looking apprehensive. "It's been fine, thank you."
"Just fine? I made you a king, gave you unimaginable power, and you're only just fine? My dear boy, you are remarkably difficult to please."
Goth frowned, "I hardly find the death of my father pleasing."
Zotz let out what sounded like a half groan and half laugh merged together. "Honestly, what did you expect to happen when you took me up on my offer? I promised to make you a king and a new king is born only when the old one dies. It's the natural order of things, you know that. Besides…"
Goth jumped when Zotz suddenly appeared before him in a cloud of black smoke and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I did your old man a favor. He practically went mad with grief when you disappeared without a trace. His weakness tarnished his thoughts and pushed my needs out. I can't have a weak king serving me, you see."
Goth could barely believe what he was hearing. King Goliath had grieved over him when he so clearly favored Itzel? He grieved the very son who he had claimed to be a disappointment? A mistake? A runt? The son he had turned his back on ever since Queen Mayara… his mother…
Goth swallowed heavily. A horrible memory woke up the pain in his heart and Goth quickly tried to stifle it.
Zotz must have known what he was thinking because he said, "You need not spare a second thought on Goliath. He was never your true father, my son."
Goth's eyes widened and he looked up at Zotz with bewilderment.
Zotz merely gave him a sleazy grin. "That's right. I am your father, Goth. Goliath and Mayara might have given you life but I created you. You are the first and last that I have sired. You owe your very existence to me." His hold on Goth's shoulder tightened possessively. Goth tried not to wince when he felt the claws dig in. "So I expect a little more gratitude from you, boy," the god added with a growl.
"Yes, Cama Zotz." Goth lowered his head as fear pulsed through him.
Zotz smiled loosened his grip and patted Goth's shoulder, "There's a good lad."
Goth nodded and Zotz released him. But his mind raced. He was the son of Cama Zotz, the god of death? How was that possible? But he wouldn't dare call his god a liar and somehow, Goth had this feeling that Zotz was telling the truth. Normally, Goth would be honored beyond belief and would shove the news in Voxzaco's face, but for some reason… in the very depths of his soul… a feeling of dread came over him- a hidden warning that pleaded with Goth to be careful.
"Now then, back to the matter at hand," Zotz sat back in a throne that was formed out of stone and bones. He motioned at Goth with his claw to come closer to which Goth obeyed. "The eclipse is approaching. How are the preparations coming along?"
Now this was something that Goth was more comfortable discussing. He lifted his head and said, "We are gathering sacrifices as we speak, my lord. The number of victims is limited due to the interference of humans, but I have high hopes that I will find those whose hearts would please you greatly. I have extended an invitation to the bloodwings as well. They aren't likely to go against what they believe to be your word."
Zotz looked amused. "I wouldn't put my faith in the bloodwings. They are getting ready to flee further south as we speak. Down to the Amazon Rainforest, as I've heard."
"They would dare-?!"
"They are fickle when it comes to faith. When it best serves them, they would turn to my sister to protect them. Not that it will do them any good. Nocturna is gone."
This was bad news for Goth. If the bloodwings would turn their backs on Zotz and would leave his jungle, then getting one hundred hearts before the eclipse arrived was going to be practically impossible. But Zotz did not look worried.
"I see that this news concerns you. If gathering the sacrifices is proving to be too difficult for you, you could always bring me a heart that would equal the sum of a hundred instead."
Goth looked up at Zotz in confusion. "A single heart that would be equal to a hundred hearts? But who- "
"Nocturna's daughter would do nicely."
Goth frowned. "Her daughter? Where would I even begin to look?"
Zotz cackled and shook his head, earning a strange look from Goth. "Oh, you are a laugh, Goth! Really, you are! Haven't you figured it out yet?" Seeing Goth's confusion, he continued with the evilest of grins. "The human girl has been with you this entire time."
Elliot and Orestes found Denise flying from branch to branch, her face twisted in concentration. It was unusual for Denise to look so serious, that was for certain. Even so, Elliot was reluctant to have anything to do with her. Orestes saw Elliot's face cloud over like a storm, so he gave Elliot a slight nudge with the elbow. "Leave it to me," he said with a wink.
He flew over to the female barred owl. "Hey, Denise! How's your flying going?"
"I think I'm getting the hang of it!" Denise smiled excitedly, wiggling her tail feathers. "All it takes is a hop, skip and a jump, and I'm airborne!"
"Good, that's really good," Orestes nodded with a smile. "You're a fast learner."
Denise puffed out her chest proudly, "Yeah well, I've always had a knack for talent."
"And a lack of tact," Elliot grumbled on a branch below them.
Orestes cleared his throat, not appreciating Elliot's wayward comment. He turned back to Denise, who had deflated back down with an upset look on her face. "No, what you have going on here is good, Denise. You're doing great."
Denise looked up at Orestes with surprise. No one had ever complimented her on her accomplishments before. "Really?"
"Of course!" Orestes beamed.
Denise suddenly grew quiet, becoming uncharacteristically demure. She lowered her head, bashful and -dare anyone believe it- humble.
Elliot's jaw dropped.
"And because you're doing so great, I think it's time to step you up to your next lesson!"
Denise looked at Orestes expectantly, her eyes wide and curious.
"I will teach you-" … Orestes gave a little pause for affect, causing Denise to lean forward with anticipation, "-how to hunt!"
"What?!" Denise squawked and leapt backwards, flailing slightly. "Me? Hunt? You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're joking. He's joking, right?" She looked at Elliot with a horrified look on her face.
"No, I'm being quite serious." Orestes replied calmly with a smile. "You're going to be stuck as an owl for the unforeseeable future, so it's best that we show you the ropes."
"But… hunting! That means killing and eating animals!"
Elliot snorted and rolled his eyes, "Thank you for the clarification of the definition. Honestly, you're blowing this out of proportion. You eat steak and hot dogs, don't you? Where do you think you get that meat?"
"Buying meat from the store isn't the same thing as killing a cow!" Denise exclaimed back. Her crown feathers were sticking up in agitation.
"Humans eat cows and dogs?" Orestes blinked with awed astonishment. "Fascinating…"
"So what are you going to do? Go grocery shopping as you are now? Have some common sense!" Elliot snapped.
"But- but-!"
"Umm, Elliot?" Orestes held up his pointer feather like a finger, "If I may interject? You're upsetting my student."
Elliot gaped up at Orestes. He was upsetting her?!
Orestes turned his attention back to Denise. "Hey, it's okay. Deep breaths," he cooed. "In and out, repeat after me." He took in deep breaths and slowly letting them out, gently encouraging Denise to do the same. She did as he instructed and began to calm down again. Once he was sure that she wasn't freaking out anymore, Orestes said, "I understand what you're feeling. When I had to hunt for the very first time, it was hard on me too. I sympathized with my food so much that it drove my dad nuts! I even stuck to eating only insects."
"Really?" Denise looked surprised. "Even though eating meat is necessary for your diet?"
Orestes chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I have always been a little odd. But my mother told me that there's no shame in hunting in order to live, as long as it's done with moderation and respect. Don't think of it as murder because it's not. Murder is killing for the sake of killing. The mouse you catch might have a family back home, but so do you. An owl has to hunt to provide for themselves and their mates and owlettes."
Denise listened intently. It was obvious that she was hanging onto every single word that Orestes said.
"If Elliot was hurt and unable to fly, he would still need to eat. You would have to hunt for him, wouldn't you?"
Denise looked down at Elliot, her eyes pained at the thought of him being hurt. After a moment, she nodded. She would do anything to help him.
Orestes smiled softly. Getting Denise to understand wasn't difficult at all. All she needed was undivided attention, acknowledgment and support. Heck, with the way she was paying attention to him, it almost seemed that she was starving for it. "There, you see? There's nothing wrong with having to hunt. Let me give you a demonstration on how we do it, okay?"
Denise nodded and for once didn't say anything. Instead, she was watching them both with great interest. Below them on the jungle floor, a mouse was strolling through the grass, unaware of their presence.
"The key is not to be heard," Orestes whispered as he leaned over the branch, his wings at the ready. "We have this ability where we can fly without making a single sound. Not even a flutter of the wings or feathers. Our eyes are our best tools, but in Elliot's case it would be the ears."
Elliot nodded. While he couldn't see the mouse, he could hear the movement below them. He could pinpoint exactly where the rodent was.
"You've gotta pace yourself, have patience… and when it's time for you to strike. Glide, don't fly. That helps with the element of surprise." Orestes watched the mouse for a moment. He did not look happy with what he was about to do but then he breathed, "Here I go."
Almost as if someone had pressed a mute button, Orestes soundlessly launched himself out of the tree. He only flapped his wings to position himself in a more favorable diving point and then gilded swiftly downwards. The mouse never saw him coming. There was a sharp squeak before it was over. Orestes flew back towards their tree with a dead mouse in his claws.
Denise couldn't help but be queasy at the sight of the dead mouse. She didn't like mice… or rats.
"Try to make their death quick and painless. It will not only make it easier for you, it would make it easier for them. It usually helps when you don't think too much about it," he said as he remorsefully looked down at his kill. Normally he would try and limit his diet to insects, but owls do need fresh red meat once in a while - and this knowledge was crucial for Denise to learn.
"Right," Denise hunched her shoulders and stretched out her neck as she bounced in place- readying herself. "Search, glide, kill quickly." She still didn't like the idea of killing to eat, but her stomach was empty and her owl instincts were starting to kick in.
"Are you ready to give it a go?" Orestes asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be," And with a hoot, Denise flew into the night and began to circle over the trees. With her eyesight magnified tenfold, she could see every little detail on the jungle floor. She could see each singular dead leaf. She could see the moss on the rocks. "This is incredible!" Denise breathed to herself. She had never felt like this before. Never felt this… liberated from her human life. Something scurried across the branch and Denise's eyes locked on a squirrel. It was completely oblivious of the danger it was currently in.
"Sorry cutie," Denise apologized. "But I am an owl and you are food. It's nothing personal." She swooped down with her talons outstretched. She must have not been as silent as she had hoped because the squirrel looked up and gave a horrified gasp. But it was already too late. Denise had swiped the squirrel out of the tree and made sure that her talons had pierced through flesh and organs. She felt no struggling so it had to have been dead.
She flew back to her tree where Orestes and Elliot were waiting for her. Elliot must have gone hunting too because he was eating a rabbit. Orestes looked up at Denise in greeting. "How'd you do?"
Denise placed the dead squirrel in front of her, trying to ignore the blood that leaked from its wounds. "It noticed me last minute. I hope it didn't feel anything…"
Orestes gave Denise a sympathetic look. "I'm sure it didn't. You did a good job, Denise. Elliot flew into four trees and one moose before he caught anything when I taught him."
Elliot grunted but continued to eat, pulling the flesh from the bones with his beak while holding down his rabbit with his foot. He'd rather not remember the moose incident...
Denise grimaced. Now she had to eat this squirrel, blood and all. Her stomach squeezed but she mimicked Elliot and used her beak to tear through the furry skin. Like him, Denise had to hold the body down with her weight in order to battle the skin's resistance. To her amazement, the squirrel didn't taste half bad. If anything, it was really good!
Orestes watched and tilted his head, "Well? How is it?"
Denise looked up with delighted eyes, "Tastes like chicken!" She began to eat more eagerly, and despite trying to be careful of the bones and fur… She gagged and straightened up in worry. "Ack! I swallowed fur and bones!"
Orestes laughed, "Don't worry! That's normal. You'll cough it up later."
Denise's eyes went wide like saucers. "What… like a cat coughing up a hairball?"
Orestes had no experience with cats, so Elliot replied instead.
"Yes, just like a cat. You'll get used to it."
Denise wasn't sure that she liked the sound of that.
"Follow the river? That is your plan?" Goth raised an eyebrow and he looked at the running water as he and Melody hung from a branch a few yards away. He frowned deeply. "You believe that it would help you find your friends and this… Statue Haven?"
Melody nodded. "It was the river that initially washed me away. So if we follow it upstream, we should be going in the right direction."
Goth stared at the river for a moment before turning his head away,"I don't think that is a good idea."
Melody looked at Goth, expecting him to elaborate. He didn't and Melody frowned. "Would you care to share as to why?" she asked with annoyance lacing her voice.
"It is out in the open and we would have no trees to shelter us. It is too dangerous."
Melody blinked. Something was completely off with Goth. He had been unusually quiet since nightfall and seemed to be lost in his head. He had hardly said a word to her when she woke up and had taken his sweet time hunting. And now, he was saying that flying in the open was too dangerous? HIM out of all people, especially after all this time of recklessly chasing Melody and her friends through the frozen Canadian mountains?
"Since when did you care about danger?" Melody scrunched up her face in confusion. "And the river is hardly that out in the open. We've got trees on both sides."
Goth glared down at her, "We are not going to follow your stupid plan."
"Hold on…" Melody's eyes widened in realization. She pointed at him with her finger, "Goth, could it be that you're afraid of the water?"
The vampyrum bristled at the accusation and he growled. "I am afraid of nothing!"
"Really?" Melody smirked and flew towards the river.
"Stop! Where are you going?" Goth barked after her.
"Oh, look at me! I'm a big bad bat and the river is going to get me! Oooh~" Melody taunted as she practically backstroked in the air. She laughed at the furious expression on Goth's face. She landed on the bank and cupped her mouth to shout, "Admit it, you're scared!"
Goth growled and flew to Melody. He landed on the bank and towered over her, "You are playing a dangerous game, senorita," he hissed.
Melody sighed, "Oh, come on. When has anything been safe with you? It's just a river. See?" She flew over the river, just out of Goth's reach when he tried to make a grab for her.
"Get back over here, now!" Goth growled in a strained voice. His patience with Melody was growing thin.
"Make me, scaredy bat." Melody stuck out her tongue at him. She flew over to a floating log in the middle of the river and laid back on it. She waved at Goth who was fuming. "You can just stay there if you want. I'm going to go and find my friends. Hasta la vista, baby!" She chuckled and she closed her eyes as she rested on the log. Man, if this was all it took to get rid of Goth, she would have done so long ago.
Goth cursed and he flew along the shore, glaring angrily at Melody. That little minx was proving to be more of a thorn in his side than he had expected. If she hoped that this was enough to get rid of him, then she had another thing coming.
Phoenix followed them both, her eyes murderously dark. She kept in the shadows, using the trees to shield her from sight. She had to find some way to get rid of that pesky little girl. But how- she couldn't even touch her. But then the she-demon noticed that the river was splitting into a fork. The log that Melody was on was drifting carelessly towards the calm side of the river, but the other side… Phoenix knew exactly what waited on the other side.
Phoenix grinned maliciously and her yellow eyes glowed red. With the flap of her crimson wings, Phoenix's body shifted into black smoke and dove into the river. With impressive speed, her incorporeal form shot towards the log. Once she was right under it, she shifted back into her physical form and dug her claws into the wood.
Melody blinked her eyes open for a moment, feeling the log sway slightly, did she bump something? She searched the water with her eyes, but she didn't see a rock or anything. It was too dark to see what was beneath the surface anyway. Shrugging, she laid back down and stared up at the night sky. The moon wasn't out this particular night.
She didn't notice that the log began to slowly change direction. Instead of heading towards the calmer waters, she began to float down the other path. A quarter of an hour passed and Melody sensed that something wasn't right. The river's gentle flow became unsteady and as soon as Melody began to sit up to investigate, the log dipped. Melody yelped and she clutched the wood with her claws, belly down. Water splashed over her and the log bounced back up. She shook the water out of her hair and looked up. Melody gasped. She was heading towards the rapids! She had to abandon ship.
Melody got to her feet and readied her wings, but the log rolled out from beneath her. Melody could only let out a startled scream before she was forced under. Bubbles and foam impared her vision as she hung on tightly to the log. As quickly as she could, Melody tried to climb her way back up. But the log only rolled her back down, keeping her beneath the surface.
Goth grumbled to himself as he flew beneath the trees, barely keeping any attention to Melody or the river. He was too busy cursing her out. "If I ever get my hands on that little girl, I'll show her the meaning of true fear! I fear nothing. A king like me is above such nonsense. Who does she think I am?"
A short scream pulled Goth out of his thoughts. His head snapped up and he flew out of the trees to fly closer to the river. His eyes widened and he gasped when he saw the raging water. He saw the log being tossed around like a feeble twig but where was Melody? She wasn't on it.
Melody grunted and tiny air bubbles escaped the corners of her mouth. She needed air! Finding no choice but to let go of the log, she used her wings to swim upwards. Melody's head burst out of the water and she let out a loud gasp. Melody coughed and she tried to see through her limp bangs.
This was bad. She couldn't fly out of the water! She had to get out somehow! Melody saw the log in front of her and she struggled to swim towards it. She had to somehow get back on so she could get into the air. It wasn't easy for the waves kept crashing over her head, as if determined to pull her under. Melody fought against the water as she kept trying to keep her head above the surface. It was tiring and Melody felt herself grow steadily weaker. "Hel-" she tried before another wave fell over her, cutting off her cry for help.
'Crap…' Melody thought as she struggled for air again. 'Goth was right… I should have listened…'
Using all her strength to reach the log, she managed to grab one of the branches that protruded from the side. Melody coughed and pulled herself up, clinging to the thick branch with her upper body. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw that she was rapidly approaching an onslaught of sharp rocks. At the speed that she was going, it would hardly take much to have her be crushed to death.
"Goth!" She screamed, knowing that he was the only one that could possibly hear her. She tried to pull herself by the branch and higher onto the log. Her arms were shaking so much, weakened from the swimming. Could she even fly? "Goth! Help!"
Goth raced after the log but still staying close to the bank. He couldn't see Melody at all. Was she pulled under? Did she drown? Goth grit his teeth with irritation. Out of all times, now wasn't the time for her to be killed! Not when he found out how important she could be for Zotz's return. "Curse her to Zotz and back!" He roared. He ignored his instincts that were demanding for him to stay away and flew over the river. He searched the surface of the water for her.
"Goth!"
Goth's ears perked up when he heard Melody's voice scream his name. He followed her voice and found her clinging helplessly to the log's branch. She was still alive though visibly exhausted. Goth raced after the log and landed atop it. He clung to the wood with his claws and reached out for Melody with his hand. "Grab on!" He yelled at her.
Melody looked up to see Goth reaching for her and she shakily reached to grab his hand. Before she could stretch her arm out enough, the log crashed into a rock, cracking into two. The branch that Melody was on, splintered off the log and Melody was forced under again. She gripped the branch with all her might as she was spun about.
Goth barely flew out of harm's way, narrowly avoiding the splinters that flew into the air.
The branch that Melody was holding onto resurfaced and she practically laid atop it. Her eyes were half-lidded and her ears were pressed flatly back against her skull. Her small body seized with coughs as she spat out the water. She was so tired… Tears mixed into her already wet cheeks. "Help…" she whispered, her voice spent.
"Don't you dare give up now, you foolish human!"
Melody could barely lift her head to see Goth flying towards her with furious determination.
"Die and you'll never see your friends again!"
Goth's words filled Melody with a bit of renewed life. No, she didn't want to die here! She reached out her hand once more to him. "No, I want to live!" She yelled as her tears flowed out of her eyes. "I want to live!"
That was what Goth wanted to see and hear- her fighting back. He flew closer, readying himself to pluck her out of the water. But then he saw Melody's eyes widen in fear.
"Look out!" She screamed.
Goth looked back to see that half of the log was about to crash into him. He whirled out of the way, but at a price. The log hit Melody full on- and just like that, she was gone. Goth just flew there in place, staring blankly where she once was. His ears rang with the distressed phantom screams of a young pup who watched his mother be swallowed by the river. Goth squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, snapping himself out of it. He bared his fangs and he dove headfirst into the water.
Melody sank down into the watery depths. She couldn't move or breathe and her head was throbbing. It was pitch darkness and she couldn't even see the surface. It was over… and it was all because of her stupidity. Melody closed her eyes as the bubbles escaped from her lips.
Goth searched for Melody in the water, unable to see anything. This was not how he wanted to spend his night, damn it! He kept pushing forward, using his wings to propel himself downward. Then a glimmer of light caught his eye. It was just a tiny speck but then it began to grow brighter and brighter. Goth's eyes widened when it illuminated the entire area- and in the very center of it was Melody. Her eyes were closed and her hair floated about her gracefully. It was her necklace that emitted the beacon, just like it had done once before when Goth tried to drown Shade in the icy river up north.
Goth furrowed his eyebrows and swam towards Melody. He hooked an arm around her waist and used his free wing to swim back up. They burst out through the surface and Goth gasped for air. The rapids had washed them into calmer waters. Keeping Melody's head above water, Goth pulled her towards the shore. He crawled out of the river and placed Melody on the grass while he leaned over her, breathing heavily. His long wet hair fell over his shoulder, dripping with droplets.
He stared down at Melody. Her necklace had faded back to its original state. He gently took the trinket in his hand and studied it curiously. It had some sort of magic, this he was sure of. What magic it contained exactly, Goth wasn't certain of- but there was one thing that was clear… and that was that Melody wasn't breathing. Goth groaned and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Wake up, senorita."
She didn't respond.
Goth cursed under his breath. "You want to live? Then prove it! Open your eyes!" He shook her but her eyes stayed closed. Blood trickled down her forehead where she got struck by the log. Goth growled. "I don't have time for this…" He pulled her into a sitting position and he bellowed, "Wake up!"
With another rough shake, Melody's eyes shot open. She lurched forward and coughed up water from her lungs. She frantically grabbed onto Goth's arm and pressed herself into his shoulder as she coughed. Melody desperately clung to him like he was her lifeline.
Goth stiffened, feeling her body shake against his. But then he relaxed slightly and allowed her to hold onto him. He let out a relieved sigh. He came too close to losing her.
"Y-you were right…" Melody rasped while her cheek was pressed up against him. "The river was a bad idea…"
Goth chuckled and he placed a wing over her shoulders. "Only if you go swimming in it, senorita. Otherwise, I suppose it can prove useful to find your friends."
Melody closed her eyes as she rested against him. His slow deep breaths soothed her more than she wanted to admit. "You risked your life to save mine… thank you."
Goth's face froze. Yes, he did put his life on the line to save her, didn't he? This meant that his life debt to her was officially over- no matter the terms she had originally made. His promise to keep her safe no longer was a necessity. She was back to being at his mercy. He could take her back to the pyramid with him right now and there was no way she could stop him. He could keep her imprisoned until the solar eclipse arrived and then have her sacrificed rather than continue searching for a hundred lives.
Or… he could continue to play nice. He could pretend to be friendly with Melody until they found Shade and Statue Haven. There had to be at least several hundred bats there. He could have his army capture them all and that way, Goth would have his desired revenge on Shade and the rest of the pesky northern bats.
Sacrifice a hundred hearts and keep this one for himself.
Goth held Melody tighter to him in a hug. She couldn't see the treacherous grin that spread across his face. "It is my pleasure."
A/N: BAH! Another chapter for ya. I hope you guys are happy. I have given you a lot of new information that you can now swim in.
Let me just say that Phoenix is a force that is not to be reckoned with. She is no stranger to murder and she's freaking good at it. If she can't kill Melody directly, she'll use indirect methods.
And I'm letting you know that I have written so many chapters for this story that my memory WILL get mixed up. So my apologies in advance!
… Does this still count as a hiatus anymore? xD Oh yeah!