Little Miss Wingless
Chapter 10: Return

Melanie and Kyro were finalising a snowman with stick arms and horns when Kerbahn finally returned. Well, it was half snowman and half dirtman as the snow was not yet deep enough to make the classic white temporary statue.

Kerbahn tilted his head trying to comprehend what he was looking at.

What is it?” he asked Kyro.

“It’s a man made of snow,” Kyro answered him. “Mel says making them is an activity people in her world do when it snows.”

Few words were exchanged as Kerbahn dismissed his older son and Naul, who had just been sitting and supervising the young duo as they built their masterpiece.

Melanie felt an uneasy feeling in her stomach as the teenagers obediently made their way back to the castle grounds. Naul gave Melanie his classic grin and a small wave as he noticed her looking in their direction before he turned his attention back to chatting with Tabastian.

King Kerbahn brushed some damp dirt free from his Kyro’s hair, then held his cheeks in his hands.

“We need to head back to the castle now, Kyro.” Kerbahn told his young son.

“Already?” was Kyro’s disappointed reply despite having already been playing outside for several hours, and the sun now setting into the late afternoon. “It’s not dinnertime yet, is it?”

“No, Kyro. Tancred has arrived.”

The children giggled together as Bik bounced about on Kyro’s bed covers. She found joy in the rustling sounds her movements caused against the soft fabric. As the bedroom door burst open the little erzata let out a loud squeak and bolted for the open door. She ran between King Kerbahn’s legs and then darted down one of the many long castle hallways. The king rolled his eyes and he gave his son a disapproving look.

An older man with many lines on his forehead and under his eyes followed closely behind the king of Karada. His hair was tied into a loose ponytail that sat delicately on one shoulder. His horns grew fairly far backwards before they started spiralling, unique from the usual male residents of Karada.

As he stepped forward, he had a strange expression that caused his eyebrows to knit together and his fingers to grip the diary in his hand especially tight. Melanie recognised said diary as the same one that initially magically plonked her into Kyro’s life.

She frowned at it. Kyro had also noticed the journal and he clung onto Melanie’s arm as despair crept onto his face.

“Tancred,” Kerbahn addressed the man. “Are you sure you want to go ahead this way? I thought the king of Sameer-”

“-The King of Sameer will approve of my decision.” Tancred’s hoarse voice cut the king off as he approached the wary children. The clothing he wore was long in length, but fluttered much more freely than typical Karada clothes did. The combination of colours was a mix of blues, grey and white.

“It must be returned along with the girl, sending it back with her will not result in complications. I assure it.”

Tancred eyed Kyro desperately clinging to Melanie as he approached closer.

“Hello Melanie,” he greeted her as his attention shifted. “I have heard much about you.”

When Melanie didn’t respond, the old man continued.

“Do you recognise this?” He held up the diary. It trembled slightly in his grip.

“Yes,” Melanie answered honestly in a soft voice. “It’s my mum’s. When I read out the symbols in it, I fell, and then I was here.”

“Symbols? Do you mean the writings? Do you understand them?” Tancred pressed.

“No. Kind of. I can read it, but I don’t know what it says.”

“The way you speak H’traen is also very fluent. Did someone teach you?”

Melanie shook her head, causing her brown ponytails to whip against her cheeks. “I don’t get what you mean. I can only speak English.”

Tancred looked perplexed.“You must be missing your parents. And they missing you.”

“Maybe just a little. I had a fight with my mum.”

“Oh dear. And your father?”

Melanie’s thoughts travelled to her new stepfather and her expression soured.

“I don’t have a dad.” She replied with a frown.

Tancred flinched at her answer. His expression dropped warily and was quiet for a moment, lightly drumming his fingertips against the diary’s cover before he spoke again.

“This book once belonged to me. And I passed it on to my son. He did something very noble, but very foolish. He is missing and I don’t think he can get home with it.”

Melanie blinked. “Your son is lost?

Tancred nodded as he fought back a grief-stricken expression. “I think he very well might be.”

“But I found the weird book in my mother’s things.” She answered as Melanie recalled it tumbling out of her mother’s moving boxes.

“Then perhaps she will be the one to give it back to him. My son is very smart. I’m sure he will replace it. Can you take it back for me?”

Kyro’s grip tightened on Melanie’s arm.

“No,” Kyro begged softly. “Can’t you stay here? With me? Please?”

“Kyro...” His father was lost for words as he tried to pull him off of Melanie, but Kyro just gripped even harder.

Tancred looked pitifully at the young boy, the creases in his eyes exaggerating as he understood the despair Kyro was expressing.

“Little prince, you must understand. Melanie cannot stay. She doesn’t belong here. Her kind cannot survive here long term. She will begin to get very frail and ill, and eventually...”

“You’re lying!” He sobbed.

“I am not,” Tancred said softly. “I have seen it myself. That is why your father called for me especially.”

“It’s okay Kyro,” Melanie reassured her friend. “I’ll come back to visit.”

Melanie carefully slipped her bracelet off and then onto Kyro’s equally small arm.

“Here.” She said. “I want you to have this. I made it myself.”

Kyro trailed the beads with his fingers and then cradled the tiny plastic bracelet against his chest.

“Thank you. I will treasure it always.”

Kyro pushed his forehead against Melanie’s. It was a gesture of affection she had seen his father do to him many times.

“Thank you for saving me.” He said in a whisper.

“It’s okay,” Melanie whispered back with a smile. “I told you. I’m a good swimmer.”

Kerbahn plucked his son up while he was distracted and his hold on Melanie was loosened. He let out a cry of sorrow as his father tried to comfort him, explaining he couldn’t be touching Melanie while she activated the spell.

Melanie hesitantly took the cursed diary from Tancred while he stuck a piece of paper, with some strange characters etched into it, over her forehead.

“What’s this for?” Melanie asked.

“Make sure it stays there. It’s... A good luck charm,” was Tancred’s reply. “It will ensure your safe return home.”

“Okay...” Melanie responded unsurely.

“Are you ready?” Tancred asked as he stepped back beside King Kerbahn and Kyro.

Melanie’s heart hurt as she glanced at the profound sadness on Kyro’s face as his father held him back.

“Yes,” she said. Proud that she let her answer out without her voice wobbling.

“Very good. Now read the words out on the page. Clearly, like you did before. There is still plenty of charge in the crystal to push you though. You’ll be transported safely back to the last point it was used on the opposite side.”

Melanie nodded. She stood up on Kyro’s bed and took a big breath before she recited the text in the little journal. The familiar cold eruption of wind and crackle of lights started up. And the last thing she saw before falling into the scary abyss was Kyro’s sobs and flowing tears.

Melanie stared blankly at the ugly wall of her new house. All the new things in her life that she hated was still ripe in her mind. She was so mad. She really wanted things to go back to the way they used to be. But she knew, as much as she wanted it, that wasn’t going to happen.

Frustrated, Melanie wiped at the creases that had formed over her new school uniform. She knew that she would have to apologise for her attitude and that a reprimanding lecture was inevitable.

Sighing, Melanie raised a hand to her head. She frowned as she felt something stuck against her forehead. She pulled the slightly sticky, but totally blank, piece of paper out of her fringe and stared at it quizzically.

Melanie opened one of her mother’s moving boxes and placed the paper inside, along with one of the books she was still holding, then she tentatively dragged her feet out the door she’d ungraciously slammed.

Melanie’s mother stood straight outside said door. A confusing mix of emotions was wrought across her face. Shock, grief relief. Melanie wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking at. Melanie froze, expecting a verbal scolding for her behaviour.

“Melanie!” Her mother practically screamed her name and she was lifted up into an alarmingly tight hug. Confusion and guilt riddled Melanie as her mother began to sob hysterically.

“I’m sorry I was so mad, mum!” Melanie managed to get out between her crushing embrace. “Why are you crying?”

“My baby girl! Where were you?! I was so worried I-” Her mother broke down even harder and Melanie’s confusion grew. “You just disappeared. You can’t disappear, okay? You can’t...”

“Um, mum... Are you okay?” Melanie asked hesitantly, alarmed by her guardian’s babbling and emotional outburst.

“I am, Melanie. Now that you’re back. I am.”

Melanie’s nose wrinkled. The only place she’d been today was school.

“Back?” She repeated. “Back from where?”