On the flight, the stewardess informed us that Moonlight Falls was surrounded by a blizzard, with no planes going in or out for days. Instead, the plane landed in a huge, horribly dirty gray city. All flights to Moonlight Falls for the next few months were booked, and I had quite a few children, so I immediately looked for a place to stay.
Had I been alone, I would have just rented an apartment, but no apartment in the city was nearly large enough for the entire family. Fortunately, I was able to buy an abandoned building that used to be some sort of club, and had enough money to set up a "house" of sorts. Sure, we have to get in using a tunnel in the basement, and there are practically no lights, but it's better than squeezing into a single bedroom.
I claimed the basement for my bedroom and study, since I'll need peace and quiet to get any work done and keep the bills from crashing down on us.
Melody, having voiced that she didn't want to go to boarding school with the others, also has her own bedroom. She spent far more than I had agreed, but I let it slide--she's gone through enough already.
The first few days were . . .
peaceful. At least, they were peaceful compared to my routine in Lunar Lakes! I didn't venture out into the city at all, instead locking myself in the bedroom to work hard on my books while also taking care of the kids.
My pregnancy was confirmed a few days into the move. The doctor didn't ask who the father was, and I didn't volunteer the information. Back in Lunar Lakes, and Moonlight Falls, even, having a child out of wedlock was scandalous. In this city, it was a way of life.
I should have been happy that I wouldn't face the same behavior I did in Lunar Lakes--and I was, really--but at the same time, I worried about Melody. Mist was away at school, so I didn't have to worry about her, but Melody was different. She changes too easily.
I warned her that she wasn't allowed to go out exploring the city on her own, but I fear that being trapped in an abandoned night club with two crying little ones and a reclusive mother tested her too much. After exploring the upper floors--which she wasn't allowed to go to at all, due to structural problems--she took to the streets. And that's where she met Matthew Hamming.
Once she returned home minutes before curfew, all she told me was that she met him, he was nice, and they talked a little. I heard her raving on the phone to Mist about how
handsome and
distinguished and
successful Matthew was, and how she
simply couldn't wait! to see him again.
I know leaving Kristofer in Lunar Lakes really hurt her--she even asked if he could come with us, even though his parents absolutely forbade it. Still, it just seems so unlike her to crush on someone as old as Matthew Hamming! Sure, he's rich and famous, but he's also only a few years younger than I am!
I even tried to set her up with a boy her age, Jett Atkins, who is artsy and seems like a boy she would be interested in. But she came home furious, telling me that my attitude was ridiculous. "I know for a fact that Jett is dating Elspeth Cook, and that he broke up with Elvira Slayer last year. No one here cares, so stop making such a big deal out of everything!" She shouted at me before storming off to her room.
Sighing, I picked up Nardo and hugged him close. "Promise me you'll never fall in love with someone three times your age," I murmured. Nardo giggled and cooed back at me.
Melody continues to ignore me, and goes out to the town every night. I know for a fact that she's driving around with Matthew in his fancy car, taking in the sights of the city and listening to romantic music on the radio.
Other times, Matthew buys her dinner at the fanciest restaurant in town, then takes her to the most exclusive club and they dance the night away. Absolutely sickening, isn't it? I'm very seriously considering locking her inside until her adult birthday, by which time Hamming will be long dead of old age.
I have prevented her from leaving several times, but then she's just giggling over text messages and talking to him on the phone all the time.
The absolute last straw was when I walked into her room to see them both in there with guilty expressions on their faces. I promptly kicked Matthew out (literally--he should have a boot mark on his rear end for a good long time) and sent Melody into the kitchen for a talk.
Needless to say . . .
. . . it did not go well. I grounded her, took away her phone, and sent her to clean out the bathroom with a toothbrush.
