Darkness Will Come to Light [1]

XXXVII. Loki and Melaina

On Thursday, Edward sat with Bella at lunch as his family watched in disapproval. Mel took Edward's place at the Cullens' lunch table, at Alice's insistence.

"Do you think anyone would notice if you got a tray full of only cookies?" Mel asked Emmett as he sat down beside her with a tray of assorted foods that would end up in the trash.

"Why would I do that?" Emmett said.

"Because you love me," Mel said in a duh tone.

"Do I?" Emmett rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know, baby sis. You're quite a nuisance."

"You used a fifty-cent word, Em. Congrats," Mel mocked. She swiped the fudge brownie from Jasper's tray. He could have stopped her with ease, but it wasn't like he had better plans for the gooey dessert.

"At least Jasper loves me." She took a bite of the brownie and moaned in content. "He's my favorite brother now."

Jasper cocked an eyebrow at her. "I thought I was always your favorite brother." His words wrapped in his soft Southern accent were teasing.

"Both favorites," Mel decided. She finished the brownie before Rosalie arrived at their exclusive table in the corner of the noisy lunchroom.

"Where were you?"

"The idiot Erikson let us out late."

"A queen is never late," Melaina quoted Princess Diaries. "Everyone else is simply early."

~*~ ~*~

"So, Mel," Alice started. She leaned in towards her sister like they were trading secrets across the round table. "How would you like to go shopping in Paris tonight?"

Melaina's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Paris?" she echoed breathlessly.

"Yeah--me, you, and Rosalie. I know you want to go, and I know that I need some new clothes. What do you say?"

Mel looked over at Rosalie, who only arched a perfect eyebrow as she picked at her tray of food. "Carlisle said I had to wait until graduation, though. Did he change his mind?" Mel asked.

Alice shrugged her shoulders delicately. "I can be convincing." Jasper laughed at her words, which earned him a playful scowl from his wife.

"Well, I would love to. What's the occasion?"

"No occasion. Just thought we could use some sisterly bonding time."

Mel smiled happily and thought nothing of ulterior motives.

~*~ ~*~

"Incoming at three o'clock," Melaina stage-whispered to her family as she caught sight of Edward making his way over to them.

The copper-haired vampire stopped by his usual table after Bella left early for biology. Mel stood up so they could walk to their next class together, but the mind-reader's words stopped her: "I'm skipping biology class today."

Melaina furrowed her brows at her foster brother. "Why?"

Alice answered instead. "Blood-testing. Esme is coming to pick you up, Mel."

Melaina turned towards her pixie-like sister. "I can handle myself," she said with a frown.

"There is a possibility that the blood is a trigger for you, and we don't want to risk it."

"You all are seriously overreacting." Mel laughed without humor. "I'm not like you; a little blood won't drive me crazy."

"Melaina." Jasper did not look amused by her vampire remark. "This is for your own good."

"How do you know what's good for me?" Mel was fed up with the Cullens thinking that they knew what was best for her. Sure, Carlisle was a doctor, Edward could read her mind, Alice could see her future, and Jasper could sense her emotions, but they were vampires and she was human. Melaina had a human life to live--her way.

The Cullens were changing her fate, and Mel couldn't say that she was completely okay with it.

"Melaina." It was Edward saying her name this time. With a sigh through her nose, she slowly turned her green-grey eyes to meet his golden ones. "'Your way' would have ended in your death," he reminded her in a hard voice.

"That wasn't guaranteed," Mel argued. "Alice's visions are subject to change. A few cuts doesn't mean that I wanted to die."

"Whether you wanted to intentionally harm yourself too deeply or not, it could have happened. Your death was in your hands."

And Carlisle took it away.

Mel bit her lip at the thought that slipped. Her hands started to shake. She didn't like confrontation, and she especially did not like to talk about her self-harm addiction.

"Go home with Esme," Alice said gently. "You're upset as it is and going to your next class won't help calm you down any. Please."

"I wasn't upset before! I would have been fine!" Tears welled up in Melaina's eyes. She fell right into their trap and proved that she was incapable of participating in a simple blood-testing lab.

Without another word, Mel stormed off to her locker in the back hall. An announcement was made over the intercom for Melaina Jackson to report to the main office. She sullenly walked to the office and let Esme take her home.

~*~ ~*~

Melaina sulked on the couch in the Cullens' open living room. The Avengers was playing on the TV, but Mel wasn't in the mood. The Hulk slammed Loki across the floor on one side to the other. She empathized with Loki; her head was throbbing like she was just knocked across the floor a couple times too.

Rosalie, Alice, Emmett, and Jasper piled in through the front door with soaked clothes and glistening hair from the treacherous downpour. Mel didn't even take comfort in Rosalie looking like a drowned cat. She just sighed and stuffed more extra buttery popcorn into her mouth.

Melaina Jackson was feeling betrayed, angry, and frustrated. Her day was going great until her siblings decided to interfere with her future. She thought it was a rule that the future couldn't be messed with, or was it just the past? Mel contemplated that while the others dispersed around the house to do what vampires do.

She was upset enough to refuse to leave with Alice when she tried to bring up shopping. Mel realized that she had only been sucking up and it was all a played-out rouse, so Mel wouldn't be mad about them controlling her life.

Too bad. She was mad.