The Eye of the Snake [Draco Malfoy]

o24: Melissa Skylar Stephenson

White crystals were falling gently from the sky, landing lightly on the frozen ground. The rocks near the coast had a thin layer of frost building up, the ocean calm and unmoving. Grey smoke slowly bloomed out of the cobblestone chimney, spilling the smell of burning wood around the surrounding woods. The Penbrooke family sat in silence within the old farm house. Kalvin was staring at Andrea, fully focused on her. Brayden was, once more, staring at the ground twiddling his thumbs. Melissa’s eyes wandered around the room, looking from her parents to Brayden and then back around again.

“Melissa, take Brayden upstairs please,” Andrea said solemnly, her facial expression not showing much of anything. Melissa grabbed Brayden’s hand and ushered him up the stairs quickly, looking back at her mother for a moment before heading into his room, shutting the door behind them.

“What’s her issue?” Melissa said to herself and sat on Brayden’s bed, his bedding covered in different reptiles.

“I don’t want to be a wizard, Missy.” Brayden said as though he could no longer contain himself and Melissa looked at him unsure of where this was all coming from. “Can’t you do some magic and make it go away?” he pleaded and Melissa’s heart slowly began to break.

“No, Brayden, I can’t,” she said slowly, patting the spot beside her. Brayden’s head dropped and he reluctantly walked over and climbed onto the bed, sitting beside Melissa and resting his head on her arm. “Why don’t you want to be a wizard?” she asked, looking down at her sad little brother.

“It makes Mum cry,” said Brayden and Melissa’s eyebrow rose slowly.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Mum always cries when you leave. And she doesn’t stop for a while. I don’t want to make Mum sad like you do, Missy.” Brayden said, shaking his head and covering his face. Melissa’s heart finally fell to pieces, tears in her eyes blurred her vision but she wouldn’t let them fall, not in front of Brayden.

“Melissa,” Andrea called from downstairs. Melissa sighed and headed back down to the family room, ruffling Brayden’s hair before she left his room. As she reached the landing she stopped in front of the stairs, not wanting to go near her mother.

“I need you to go to the bakery to help out. Tell Frankie she’s in charge,” Andrea mumbled and walked into the kitchen. Kalvin walked over to Melissa but she quickly walked to the door, putting on her boots and coat before leaving hastily.

The bakery was bustling with people placing orders for their last minute sweets and pies. Melissa walked into the white building and smiled lightly as the smell of just baked brownies over took her. The walls were off-white was beautiful pictures of cakes and sweets covering the walls. The tables were glass and the seats were all different hues. A large cupcake run covered a good portion of the light wood floors. A pale girl with freckled skin stood behind the counter, taking the orders faster than the other’s in the pink and yellow aprons. She looked up at Melissa and smiled widely, her dark blue eyes shimmering gleefully.

“Missy,” she said, delightedly. Melissa smiled at her cousin and strode over to the counter, placing her coat on the rack in the corner of the shop.