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“I don’t think it is in our nature to ignore something so wrong when all it does it feel right.”
“Happy birthday!”
Melanie giggles softly as she walks into the royal dining room, her family around the tables all congratulating her on her eighteen birthday.
Her smile, her soft fake smile lit up the room. She walks down and her brother is the first to hug her. Toby and Melanie have an amazing relationship of always being together. Their bond will always come first.
“Happy birthday, Mel,” her uncle, Klaus, goes to hug her. Melanie was closer to her uncle than anyone. He had taught her everything to mistakes, compassion, forgiveness, and as well as how to hold a sword.
Vita, now a lot older, hugs her daughter, her pride and joy along with her son. She couldn't believe they had grown so fast but now she knew how Victoria felt about Klaus. Vita hoped she could see her son now and Victoria could.
"Stop growing, baby," Roman hugs his daughter, Melanie hugging him back. Melanie is one-hundred percent a daddy's girl. She always backed him up even if it was secretly.
After the hugs and smiles of seeing her small family, she finally saw her cousin if not her best friend, Bonnie Brown. Bonnie is Isabella and Amos' daughter.
"Hey, wife," Bonnie hugs Melanie, and Melanie giggles at the girls' crazy opening, just like her mother. Bonnie and Melanie were close as ever but it got harder as Isabella wouldn't come more often.
"You need to come around," Roman hugs his sister, and Isabelle hugs him back.
"We miss you," Klaus and Roman give her an evil grin before she flips them off.
"You miss bugging the shit out of me."
"Okay!" Bonnie yells, "my wife and I will be back!"
The family shakes their head as well as chuckle as Bonnie takes Melanie away from the attention. Melanie, like her mother, never really liked the attention. She liked staying the back, being alone during group projects and didn't like to party.
Vita and Roman got a bit worried about their daughter's participation in teenager things as Melanie graduated high school a year early. She never went through freshman year, she skipped it.
When Melanie had graduated she didn't go out as much as she used too. She didn't want to and the thought of trying to make friends cause her anxiety. She would panic, not be able to breathe and she still does.
Melanie just walking into the dining room almost caused her to faint, she never liked her birthday but she pretended to enjoy it for her family's sake.
"You ready," Bonnie interrupts Melanie's thoughts.
"For?"
"Your mate."
The whole idea causes Melanie to freeze up. Not liking the interaction of another person especially if they are destined to love her, it just makes her really uncomfortable and Bonnie senses it.
"Mel," she whines, "you have to get ready."
"I know," Melanie whispers, more to herself than Bonnie. Bonnie could sense the sad tension so she shook her head, "well, we won't think about it today, okay? It's your day so what do you want to do?"
Melanie thinks before her eyes light up, "the waterfall?"
"Hell yes."
~~
Melanie, feeling the air throughout her body with only a bathing suit on, feels at peace. Just before she hits the water, she tries to soak in the thought of flying. It always amazed her.