Chapter 13: Chapter 13 - Melody

Agent Black stood beneath the branches of a tree covered in pink leaves as she waited for her new boss to answer the phone. The ground was covered in the same pink leaves that adorned the trees, giving the forest a pink glow. She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but the leaves seemed to be getting brighter as the sun dipped lower beneath the horizon.

“Burns here,” her boss finally answered in a distracted tone, her voice conveying her desire to not be on the phone. Agent Black wasn’t sure how the NSA had become the agency responsible for making contact with Rhapsody. True, they had created a new department with a mix of CIA, DIA, FBI, and NSA experts to deal with the Rhapsody situation, but due to the core intelligence leadership muddying the waters with their belief that Rhapsody was a demon, the command structure had been woefully inadequate to support her and Agent Monroe. They were essentially handpicked by the Vice President to make contact. What should have been a massive support network monitoring their every move had turned into a mom and pop kind of organization that had limited resources and reluctant management.

Her current boss, Special Agent Burns, had been roped in from the FBI. She had been very vocal about her dissatisfaction with the poor and uncoordinated response from the US intelligence agencies, and even more critical of having a couple of analysts from the NSA being handpicked to make contact with Rhapsody instead of someone from the FBI or CIA.

“This is Agent Black checking in,” she informed the woman, trying to keep her voice professional. It was difficult when she was surrounded by so much beauty and so many fantastical creatures. She had seen a unicorn in the distance when she first entered the pink forest, it’s horn flaring with arcing red and green light.

“You’re late,” Special Agent Burns snapped irritably. “You were due to check in two hours ago.”

“Our phones didn’t work inside the ring until Rhapsody did something to exclude them from the EM field,” Agent Black replied defensively.

“Wait, you’re inside the ring?” Special Agent Burns demanded, all sense of disinterest gone. “Tell me everything.”

Agent Black recounted their last few hours after making contact with Rhapsody, including the resurrection of Melody and the party they had been invited to attend.

“How likely is it that this is really Melody and not just someone they are claiming to have resurrected?” Special Agent Burns asked doubtfully.

“After what I’ve seen her do today, I find it very likely that it is the original Melody,” Agent Black answered, unable to keep the awe out of her voice. “We’re dealing with godlike powers, from everything I’ve witnessed. She talked about ridding the world of nuclear weapons like it would be a Sunday outing.”

Burns was silent for several seconds as she processed all of the information that Agent Black had related.

“Ma’am, did the President really plan to nuke the ring?” Agent Black asked hesitantly. The idea that their government would drop a nuke on US soil in an act of aggression had upset her more than she thought it would.

“That’s above both our paygrades, Black,” Burns replied curtly. “What is your read on Rhapsody? What kind of person is she?”

Agent Black let out a sigh, wondering where to even begin. She was cognizant that everything she said would be heard by Rhapsody. She glanced at her partner briefly as she tried to form the words to describe the enigmatic and playful fairy.

“On the surface she seems to be a caring and protective person,” Agent Black began slowly. “She doesn’t seem worried about humans at all and even refers to the Vice President by her first name. She knew our names immediately after meeting us. I’m pretty sure she can hear our thoughts. Most of her interest is in the humans that joined her. She claims she is in a relationship with Mystery and Harmony. There have been several times when they seemed to be talking about former lives where they were more than friends. There’s something else they’ve been alluding to that I can’t get a read on. Something happened about twenty-five years ago, which is around the time Harmony would have been born. Rhapsody seems to have undergone some kind of personality change around that time, from what I’ve been able to gather from the other magical creatures we’ve talked to.”

“If she did become hostile, how would you place our odds of survival,” Burns asked carefully.

“At zero, ma’am,” Agent Black responded without hesitation. “But I should stress that I don’t think that will happen. Even if there was something we did to provoke her, I believe she would focus on the people responsible, rather than humanity as a whole. She appears to know what is going on everywhere on the planet. Even if she wasn’t able to view our activities through whatever technology she has that can monitor everyone on Earth, there is the leveling interface that I would imagine can listen in on any conversation.”

“What about these other magical creatures you mentioned?” Burns asked pensively. “What are they like? Do they seem hostile at all?”

“The leprechauns seem to be more interested in playing pranks on the mermaids from what I’ve seen so far,” Agent Black replied, unable to keep a wry note out of her voice. “We only met the Clan Chief of the dragons, Nidhogg. He was very courteous and friendly, though it was a terrifying experience to meet him. He’s big in the way that atoms are small. His eye was more than double my height. I still can’t believe how big he was. He lives in the upper branches of Yggdrasil because he is too big to land on the ground.”

“Are you able to take a picture with your phone and send it to me?” Burns asked intently. “I want to see what this world tree looks like.”

“I think so,” Agent Black replied hesitantly. She was pretty sure Rhapsody would prevent it if she didn’t want any pictures taken. “Would you prefer I just switch to facetime?”

Instead of answering, her phone started ringing as a facetime request from Burns came through. She accepted the call and switched the camera to her front camera. She held it up to capture the view of Yggdrasil, zooming out her lens to wide view. Even on wide view she couldn’t capture the entire base of the tree from as close as she was.

“Wow,” Burns voice came through the phone as Agent Black slowly panned her camera up and down the tree and then side-to-side.

“They claimed the creator of the universe is here in the ring right now, and offered to introduce us to her,” Agent Black revealed, still feeling unsettled at the idea of actually talking to the Creator. “I was a little overwhelmed by everything and declined. I don’t think they were lying. From everything I’ve seen, having the Creator show up wouldn’t seem unusual here.”

“The Creator?” Burns asked in disbelief. “As in, God? And She?”

“Yeah, as in God,” Agent Black confirmed with a shiver. “And yes, apparently it is a She.”

“This just went from technologically superior to something else entirely,” Burns declared pensively as she continued watching the video feed from Agent Black’s phone. “Try to find out more information about this Creator. If it really is the Creator, it would be nice to know if any of the nonsense in religion is true.”

She heard footsteps behind her and turned to find one of the unicorns a dozen feet away, watching her curiously.

“There are unicorns as well?” Burns breathed in amazement.

“Yeah,” Agent Black confirmed unnecessarily. “I wonder what will happen when there are more world trees throughout the world.”

“There will be lots of magic that even humans can use,” Rhapsody answered, appearing next to the unicorn with a large red fruit in her hands. “Right now, magic doesn’t work very far away from one of the circles. After Harmony and the others have finished transitioning, magic will once again be accessible to humans. Hello, Samantha.”

The line went silent for several seconds before Burns... Samantha, spoke up.

“Hello, Rhapsody,” Burns replied in a professional voice that had just enough warmth in it to be considered friendly. “Thank you for allowing Agent Black and Agent Monroe into the ring.”

“Thank you for sending them,” Rhapsody replied with a small smile. “Things get boring for immortals, so the others are always excited to meet new people. Jessica and Shelley are wonderful people too, so I’m glad you chose them.”

Agent Black felt a flush of pleasure at the compliment. She noticed Agent Monroe’s lips quirk into a pleased smile as well.

Rhapsody waved her hand and suddenly there was a large display window in the air with Special Agent Burns suddenly visible, her face surprised as she saw Rhapsody on the other side of the window.

“I should probably mention that your president has authorized a special forces team to try and sneak a pocket nuke over to the circle,” Rhapsody informed Burns with an amused twinkle in her eyes. “I’ve already removed the reaction chamber with the uranium and plutonium, so it’s just a paperweight now. I decided it would be a good idea to do that to the rest of the world arsenals as well, so now nobody has nuclear weapons.”

Burns stared at Rhapsody’s cheerful expression with a slightly sick expression on her own face. “I’m sorry that everyone in our government isn’t on the same page.”

Agent Black felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach at Rhapsody’s words. She and Agent Monroe were inside the ring for god’s sake! If Rhapsody hadn’t been essentially omniscient, they would have been vaporized.

“It’s okay, Shelley, a nuke wouldn’t have affected anything beyond the walls anyway,” Rhapsody assured her with a wry smile. “A comet the size of New York wouldn’t hurt anything inside of the circle. Now, I have some Yuccas Fitter for you. Prepare to have your taste buds explode.”

XXXXX Scene Break XXXXX

“Vice President Adams,” a voice answered brusquely.

“Ma’am, is there a reason you are trying to nuke the ring while we have agents inside of it right now?” Special Agent Burns asked in tightly controlled rage.

“What are you talking about?” Vice President Adams demanded, her tone aghast.

“I just got off a call with two of the agents under my command who are inside the ring,” Burns explained curtly. “Rhapsody showed up and informed me that there was a special forces team trying to sneak a pocket nuke over to the ring. In retaliation, she has removed the plutonium and uranium from every nuclear weapon on the planet.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” the Vice President growled in frustration. “Those assholes actually tried to do it anyway.”

Burns let her anger settle as she realized the Vice President was ignorant of the operation. “Ma’am, I can’t adequately stress just how outmatched we are technologically. If you have any influence over this administration, I suggest you use it to convince them to stop poking the dragon.”

“You actually have agents inside of the ring?” Vice President Adams asked in amazement. “What have we learned?”

“Mainly that we are hopelessly out of our depth, Ma’am,” Burns sighed tiredly. “Miss Donovan's report of the ring was accurate, including the dragon and Yggdrasil. I was on a video call and saw the world tree with my own eyes, along with a unicorn. Despite all of our aggression, she does not seem inclined to return the aggression in kind—if anything, she finds it amusing.”

“What would it take for that to change?” Vice President Adams asked levelly. “How much pushing is she willing to take before it is no longer amusing?”

“I get the feeling that she will personally handle things at the policy-making level,” Burns answered grimly. “You might want to pass that on to the president. My agents are currently attending a resurrection party. Apparently, Rhapsody can bring people back from the dead. She resurrected Harmony’s sister, Melody, who is more than likely going to become a world tree as well.”

There was a much longer pause on the line this time. When she spoke, it was in a voice tight with anxiety. “Just what are we dealing with here? Advanced technology is one thing, but bringing people back from the dead is on a whole other level.”

“My agents were told that the Creator of this universe was currently visiting the ring and were offered an introduction,” Burns informed her uneasily. “They were convinced that She really is the Creator. They declined an introduction due to already being overwhelmed by the encounters they had with the dragon and world tree. I asked them to try and find more information out about this Creator while they are there. I really think someone needs to find a way to reign in the people running this administration. For their own sakes, if nothing else. I received a report just before I called you that Melody, the woman who was resurrected, had a husband in prison for attempted murder. Shortly after her resurrection, David became a paraplegic with no explanation on how it happened. I suggest you share that information with the president so that he has something to look forward to next time he does something... precipitous.”

XXXXX SCENE BREAK XXXXX

Harmony grinned as Nidhogg offered an arm to Melody after inviting her to dance. She looked up at him shyly and looped her arm into his as they moved toward the center of the clearing. Harmony thought her chest would burst from happiness as she watched her sister glow with a radiant life force that she had been missing for most of her life. She was finally getting treated the way she deserved.

There were several leprechauns, fauns, and even elves playing a variety of instruments at one side of the clearing. The ground was illuminated by the softly glowing orbs that floated above them. Small lights zipped through the crowd as the fairies joined the festivities.

The music was amazing. It wasn’t as good as what Rhapsody made, but it was better than anything she had heard outside of the circle. They were currently playing a waltz that had a slowly scaling melody filled with mystery and wonder.

Harmony blinked in surprise when Harnketi appeared with Eileen and a man she assumed was Tyee, along with three children. Rhapsody broke off from a conversation she was having with one of the mermaids and moved over to greet Eileen and her family, her face full of warmth.

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“May I have this dance?” Mystery asked softly, right next to her ear.

Harmony’s heart rate doubled as she looked up into Mystery's large lavender eyes. “Um, I actually have no idea how to dance. Part of being a recluse.”

“I have a feeling you’ll pick it up quickly,” Mystery told her with a mysterious smile, taking her hand and pulling her toward the clearing.

Harmony felt an overwhelming flood of sensations as she watched over a dozen people dancing around the clearing. It was one of the many reasons she had never gone to any dances—her synesthesia would turn her into a twitching mess from the overload.

“Eyes on me,” Mystery ordered softly, reaching out and turning Harmony’s face so that she was staring up into Mystery’s eyes. “That’s better. Now, we’re just going to walk in time to each other.”

Harmony’s synesthesia became much more manageable as her tunnel vision shut everything but Mystery out. Mystery’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her up close until their bodies were pressed tightly together. Harmony shuddered with pleasure as she felt her body molded to Mystery’s body from both of their perspectives. She barely noticed her feet moving in time to the waltz as Mystery led them around the clearing, staring down into Harmony’s captivated eyes with a warmth that brought a flush to her cheeks.

“I knew you would be a quick learner,” Mystery murmured with a pleased smile.

Harmony stared at those lips as she spoke, unable to stop the desire from flooding through her system as she imagined her lips touching Mystery’s.

“Rhapsody was right,” Mystery whispered in an amused tone. “You really are insatiable.”

Harmony blushed profusely as she made her eyes move back up to Mystery’s eyes. “Yeah, I am,” she admitted with slow smile. “That’s your fault for being so damn desirable.”

Mystery laughed and Harmony felt the desire glowing brilliantly through their soul bond. She wondered if there was some kind of feedback loop as her breathing came in quick gasps, mirroring Mystery’s heavy breathing.

“Hey, you two,” Rhapsody appeared right next to them, halting their waltz. “Tone it down, would ya? I can’t function with the amount of desire pushing me to the edge. Now behave for a few more hours.”

Rhapsody vanished as soon as she finished speaking, leaving the two of them with sheepish expressions.

Harmony tried to blank her mind of the desire flooding her consciousness, but it was extremely difficult when she could feel every curve of their bodies pressed tightly together.

“What’s the life of an author like?” Mystery asked curiously, obviously trying to give Harmony something to distract herself from the passion fighting to take over her thoughts.

“It’s awesome,” Harmony admitted with a grin. “It’s getting paid to live in a dreamland all the time. Until recently, there wasn’t anything to compare with the level of enjoyment I had enmeshing myself in the lives of my characters. My grandma Dotty used to force me to go to sleep because I just wanted to stay up all night writing. I had to regiment my time a lot more strictly when Aurora and Serenity moved in with me. How about you? What’s it like to fly for a living?”

“That sounds pretty amazing,” Mystery murmured wistfully. “There wasn’t anything as enjoyable as sinking myself into one of your novels and forgetting the real world for a while. I’m glad you wrote so many books—by the time I would finish the last one I was ready to start the first one again. As for flying? It was my way to escape the world and enjoy the feeling of freedom in all three dimensions. I used to wish that the world was bigger or connected to other worlds so that I could explore uncharted lands where nobody had ever been before.”

“That would be amazing,” Harmony said softly as her imagination took off. “You could fly us to new places while I wrote stories during the journey. There would be so much inspiration from high up in the air as we looked down on virgin lands, or into the night sky with no light pollution to block the stars. Did you ever fly at night?”

“Yeah, it was one of my favorite times to fly,” Mystery responded with a fond smile. “I saw the Aurora Borealis all the time during solar maximum. The stars are so much brighter from high up in the air. Sometimes, I would see a brilliant bolide come shooting down out of the sky and light everything up. I flew during the Perseids meteor shower once and saw a ridiculous number of bright meteors. It was magical.”

Harmony felt a glowing warmth building as Mystery spoke. It was more than the naked desire she had felt earlier. There was a familiarity as she listened to Mystery speak, as if she was catching up with an old friend she hadn’t seen in years. It was so comfortable and effortless, totally unlike her conversations with almost anyone else.

She laid her head on Mystery’s shoulder as they continued waltzing around the clearing, feeling a sense of warmth and safety that she had never felt with anyone but Rhapsody. She had no fear that her heart would be broken or tortured with Mystery—there was nothing but complete trust. It was liberating to be able to trust another person so completely. She could let her guard down with no fear of repercussions.

She could feel the reciprocating emotions from Mystery in response to her own. There was such a powerful sense of love and soul-deep acceptance from Mystery that Harmony couldn’t imagine life without the beautiful woman now that she had her. She felt her eyes grow misty with happiness as she slowly moved around the clearing with Mystery in her arms. For the millionth time since meeting Rhapsody, she thanked whatever cosmic forces had aligned to bring Rhapsody and Mystery into her life.

After almost fifteen minutes of dancing in a state of blissful obliviousness she was interrupted as a red head as tall as Mystery stepped in their way.

“May I have this dance?” Rhapsody’s voice came out of the tall woman’s mouth.

Harmony snapped out of her trance in surprise and actually looked at the woman. It was Rhapsody, just a lot taller. Rhapsody started laughing as Harmony stared at her uncomprehendingly.

“Did you forget that I’m a shapeshifter already?” Rhapsody asked silkily. “I thought that fact might have been burned into your head by now.”

Harmony felt the roots of her hair grow hot as her face flushed and desire flooded her system.

“Easy tiger,” Rhapsody laughed delightedly. “We still have a couple of hours to go. There’s someone who wants to talk to you, Harmony. I’m going to steal Mystery while you take Harnketi.”

While Harmony was still trying to process anything besides raw desire, Mystery released her and stepped away, an amused smile on her face. Rhapsody immediately stepped in and took Mystery into her arms. The sight flooded her with desire anew, prompting another laugh from the two of them as they looked back at her affectionately.

“Hello, Harmony,” Harnketi greeted her with a breathtaking smile as she stepped up to Harmony invitingly. “May I have this dance?”

Harmony flushed as Harnketi watched her with a knowing smile. “Um, I’ve never really danced before tonight, so I’m not very good.”

Harnketi stepped forward and pulled Harmony into her, wrapping one arm around her waist while clasping their hands with her other arm. “Then we’ll give you some lessons. I saw you dancing earlier, and you were doing just fine.”

Harnketi was wearing a black summer dress that ended at mid-thigh and left a generous amount of cleavage showing. Harmony shivered as her synesthesia informed her of the sensations Harnketi was feeling as their bodies shifted against each other as they began moving around the clearing in a modern two-step. Harmony’s feet seemed to know what to do, even though she had no idea.

“So, I have a proposal for you,” Harnketi announced as they passed Serenity dancing with an elf. “Depending on your answer to my first question, that is.”

“What’s your first question?” Harmony asked curiously. What could Harnketi possibly want from Harmony? She didn’t have anything to offer except a lot of mental baggage.

“Is your sister only into guys, or does she swing both ways?” Harnketi asked intently.

Harmony blinked at the unexpected question. She looked closer at Harnketi as she realized where this conversation was going. Dark eyes stared back at her expectantly, a hopeful light hiding just behind the edges.

“I’ve never really thought about it,” Harmony admitted with a frown. “She’s only dated guys in the past, but every last one of them has been a total jerk. I kept thinking she would give up on guys and try playing for the other team, but she never did. I don’t think she would be opposed to the idea—I just don’t think she’s ever thought about it before.”

Harnketi looked thoughtful as she twirled around the clearing with Harmony. “So not a definite no, but definitely not a yes. I can work with those odds. So... on to my proposal.”

Harmony eyed the gorgeous Native American curiously as she waited for her to continue.

“I need to know more about your sister,” Harnketi stated, pursing her lips as her eyes stared into the distance. “Her likes and dislikes, her hopes and fears, as well as what kind of things are a turnoff for her. If you help me find the answers to those questions, I’ll return the favor and tell you the same things about Rhapsody.”

Harmony felt her heart speed up at the thought of finding more ways to please Rhapsody. She knew she was a complete novice with intimacy and needed all the help she could get. A small worm of doubt had been plaguing her for a few days now about whether she was contributing enough in their relationship. She didn’t want it to be a one-sided arrangement, or just lay there and sweat, as a character in one of her novels had put it.

“Deal,” Harmony agreed, feeling a mixture of hope and embarrassment at what she imagined to be very frank discussions. “If there is even a hint of interest in her chemistry for our side, we’ll get her on board. She really needs someone wonderful in her life after all the bad apples she’s had.”

“What happened with the previous love interests she had?” Harnketi asked as she lowered Harmony into a deep dip and then pulled her back up.

Harmony told her all about the hell she had endured with David, including the abuse of her synesthesia. Harnketi’s face was murderous as Harmony finished.

“And where is this David person right now?” Harnketi asked in an icy voice.

“He’s in a long-term care ward now,” Harmony answered in tones of immense satisfaction. “When Rhapsody found out about the synesthesia abuse, she paid him a visit in prison and turned him into a paraplegic. He’ll spend the rest of his life in the prison of his own head with no ability to communicate to anyone else.”

“Good,” Harnketi growled darkly. “I’m glad she didn’t let him off with something as easy as death.”

“She said death would be too easy,” Harmony remembered from the night he had shown up at her house.

“She’s right about that,” Harnketi nodded her agreement as she twirled Harmony around her and then pulled her back in. “You’re a natural at this, Harmony.”

“I guess so,” Harmony agreed in surprise. “It just seems to make sense.”

She noticed Rhapsody and Mystery nearby engaged in a much more complex dance. Mystery spun in and out of Rhapsody’s arms before being lifted into the air and dropped down between her legs and back up again. She felt her heart speed up as she watched the two of them eat up the dance area.

“No focusing on them,” Harnketi commanded her crisply. “Rhapsody warned me to keep you distracted so that you don’t start a feedback loop.”

Harmony laughed through a sudden blush as she turned back to Harnketi. “She knows me too well.”

“She’s known you for a very long time, from the sounds of it,” Harnketi noted wistfully.

“Have you ever been in love with anyone?” Harmony asked curiously.

Harnketi shrugged, avoiding Harmony’s eyes. “Not as such.”

Harmony rewound her thoughts, trying to think of everything she knew of Harnketi and her history in the circle. Was it before she ended up in the circle that she had found love—not as such?

Harnketi noticed her calculating gaze and sighed with a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I’ve been in love with the idea of being in love. I haven’t found anyone that I could be in love with yet. However, there is something about Melody that really makes me want to try.”

Harmony glanced around the clearing until she found Melody. She was laughing delightedly as she tried to keep up in a dance-off with Leesha. Her bright blond hair was flying out of a loose bun, giving her a wild look. She was in a pair of denim cutoffs and a white button-up blouse with a few buttons at the top left open to display her generous cleavage. As Harmony watched, Melody finally fumbled a move and collapsed to the ground, laughing merrily. It was the first time Harmony had seen her sister so full of life and happiness. She exuded life force in waves as she soaked up the festive spirit in the warm night air.

She turned back to see Harnketi watching Melody intently, her face enraptured.

“I have a feeling she’ll be more interested in trying new things now that she’s back to the land of the living,” Harmony told Harnketi encouragingly. “I’m going to go start laying the groundwork. Thanks, Harnketi.’

Harnketi rolled her eyes with a wry smile. “No, thank you, Harmony.”

Harmony released Harnketi and walked over to her laughing sister with a grin on her face.

“Not bad, for an old woman,” Harmony told her with a laugh.

“I’d like to see you do better,” Melody challenged with a wide grin. “Young woman.”

“Not on your life,” Harmony declared, raising her hands up defensively. “Or mine, as it happens.”

“How are you doing?” Melody asked, her eyes alight with happiness.

“I’m happier than I ever thought would be possible,” Harmony told her truthfully. “I feel like the only missing piece is having Grandma Dotty back now.”

“I wish I would have gotten to know her better,” Melody sighed regretfully.

“We both know why you couldn’t,” Harmony told her gently as she knelt on the ground in front of where her sister remained sitting. She took her hand comfortingly. “I wish she could have spent more time getting to know you. I feel so much rage at all the time with you that David robbed us of. But you’re here now, and we’ve got wonderful people all around us. Speaking of which, have you met anyone you fancy?”

Melody shrugged with a small smile. “I like the dragons,” she admitted, her smile growing slightly larger. “They’re all so polite and knowledgeable. I get the feeling that they aren’t human relationship material though.”

“Now that could be a good novel,” Harmony noted thoughtfully as she glanced at Melody with a sly smile. “Human falls in love with dragon who can only change into a mortal one day out of every year.”

“I feel like that trope’s been used a little too often by now,” Melody noted critically.

“Because it works,” Harmony declared pointedly, her mouth turning up at the corners. “Who wouldn’t want to hear about a powerful legendary dragon from antiquity falling in love with a mortal woman, only for the girl to discover that she can only be with her true love for one night out of every year? So much unrequited love and tension building up all year long until the night when their passion can finally overflow in a glorious volcanic eruption of lust and fulfillment.”

“Let’s be realistic,” Melody commented cynically. “That girl isn’t waiting all year to get her needs met.”

Harmony dissolved into a fit of giggles as she stared at Melody fondly. When she finally recovered from her mirth, she cleared her throat. “You can’t be realistic when it’s a fantasy novel. That’s one of the only rules of fantasy literature: no realistic expectations. You have to write Sci-Fi for it to require any kind of realistic expectations.”

“Speaking of unrealistic expectations,” Melody said slowly with a speculative look at Harmony. “What’s up with this love triangle you have going? I mean, don’t you get jealous when Rhapsody’s with Mystery instead of you and vice versa?”

“If it was anyone else, I would be insanely jealous,” Harmony admitted with an indulgent smile as she thought of Mystery and Rhapsody. “But not those two. Maybe it is something to do with how long our souls have been together, but when I see them smiling at each other with passion in their eyes, all I feel is a kind of euphoric joy to see them so happy. I feel so much love for both of them that I can’t imagine life with just one of them. I won’t even go into where she can take this body of mine in the bedroom. I’ve turned into an addict. You should try playing for the other team—it’s a lot more fulfilling.

Melody smiled wryly with a rueful shake of her head. “I thought about it, but the idea just seems so awkward after a lifetime of being interested in guys. I’m kind of stuck in my ways and wouldn’t be able to make myself change what I think of as attractive in a sexual way.”

“I think you just need to meet the right person to make that happen,” Harmony told her confidently. “If Miss Right comes along and sweeps you off your feet, I guarantee you won’t have any trouble in the attraction department.”

“I hope you’re right,” Melody sighed with a wry smile. “Cause I feel like I’m burned out on trying to make things work with men.”

“I’m living proof that it can happen,” Harmony declared with a fond smile. “You should have seen me when Rhapsody found me. I had so many mental walls in place to stop anyone from trying to start a relationship with me. She came at me like a wrecking ball and knocked all of my walls down. I can’t tell you how happy I am that she did. I never would have imagined being in a relationship could be so wonderful.”

Melody snorted a laugh, watching Harmony with a kind of wistful happiness. “I’m so happy to see you in such a wonderful relationship. Out of all the people in the world, you deserve to have that kind of happiness more than anyone else.”

“No Melody,” Harmony disagreed, her voice serious. “You deserve this kind of happiness. After what Dad did to us, and then all the asshats you kept ending up with—karma owes you a lot to balance out those scales.”

“You remember about Dad?” Melody asked with a stricken expression.

“Yeah, I remember everything,” Harmony nodded, her expression flickering between regret and anger. “Rhapsody helped me work through the trauma. She took me into a dream world and locked all the memories into a place that had no emotional attachment. I can remember everything, but the emotions that were tied to those experiences are no longer there. Melody, I’m so sorry you didn’t have someone to block those memories for you. Would you like Rhapsody to do for you what she did for me?”

“Yes,” Melody whispered, closing her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks. “That would be wonderful. I have so many nightmares of that place. I’m still so scared that I’ll end up back there again someday, helpless and alone.”

Harmony moved over and knelt behind Melody, wrapping her arms around her. “Rhapsody will fix everything,” she whispered soothingly. “The pain will be gone forever.”

Melody held onto Harmony’s arms as she wept silently. Harmony felt a flash of burning rage for her father as she held her sister comfortingly. She hadn’t wondered where he was at since her memories returned. For the first time since she was a toddler, she wanted to see her father. She wanted to make him suffer the way Melody was suffering, the way Melody had suffered.

Rhapsody was suddenly next to her, laying a hand against Melody’s cheek tenderly. “Why don’t we take care of this right now, Melody.”

Melody opened her eyes, her face suddenly showing hope. “Really?”

“Really,” Rhapsody nodded with a warm smile. A moment later, Melody slumped into unconsciousness in Harmony’s arms.

“This will be easier for her than it was for you,” Rhapsody informed Harmony softly. “She’s been coming to terms with these memories for a long time now. They hit you like a freight train because they appeared out of nowhere. I’ll have her as good as new in about thirty minutes.

Harmony leaned over and kissed Rhapsody’s forehead. “Thank you, Rhapsody. I love you so much.”

Rhapsody smiled over at her with love in her eyes. “I know you do, Harmony. I love you too.”