Twenty-three year old Melody Johnston stood there in the blazing heat of the TF 141's secret base outside of Afghanistan. Her long brown hair that usually hung long and loose down her shoulders now was tied together on the back of her sweaty head in a rubber band. She wore her usual training wear. A surprisingly bright white tank top and shorts. She popped in her headphones and began to listen to an old familiar rap song. She mouthed the words while releasing her anger upon the dummy in front of her. She finally got word from her father. Well, actually it was just her letter sent back to her. Why did her own father hate her? She nearly punched someone in the face as she felt a hand touch her shoulder. Her captain, MacTavish, caught her fist as he ducked from her anger. She took out her headphones and made a face.
"God, MacTavish. Don't do that!" She said putting the song on pause.
"C'mon Mells, you know you're happy to see me." He said giving her a smile.
"Yeah, sure." She joked crossing her arms over her chest, smiling. "Was there something you wanted or did you just felt like getting hit?" She asked giving him a cocky look.
"Price said to gear up. We're heading out." He said rubbing his neck.
"Heading out? Where are we going?" She asked suddenly interested.
"A neighborhood somewhere in Chicago. If our Intel is any good, Makarov was spotted entering and leaving the home. The house was burnt after he left. "MacTavish said leaning against the punching dummy with his shoulder pressed against the dummy's.
"There wasn't a family inside there, right?" She asked arching an eyebrow warily.
He didn't say anything. He just gave her a look. She knew that look.
"Ok. When are we leaving?" She asked taking off her gloves and tossing them towards a member of her squad.
"Tonight." He said glancing at the private who stared a little bit longer than necessary at his commander, Melody.
She looked back at the private. "Private, I suggest you keep your eyes on someone else. Now get busy, and I'm telling all of my squad, get prepared. Hope you guys like the windy city." She said grinning at them. MacTavish smirked.
MacTavish and Melody had been friends for a while. It had been almost a year since Melody first agreed to join Price and his, then small team in search of Makarov. Price had known Melody ever since she was just a toddler. He knew of her hard childhood, harsh and cruel father and her mother dying just months after she had Krista Ann, Melody's younger sister. Melody's father, Gen. Johnston, left both her and her mother and sister. He wanted a son. Someone he could train to be some kind of "super solider". He was very much disappointed in the results when he had two daughters. But, in hopes that General's traits had been passed on still, he sent for Melody. At the age of four, she was sent to a training facility run by none other than her father. She could still remember everything,
Melody shivered in her tan fur boots as she trudged alongside a tall, quiet man. He seemed pretty old and wore dark sunglasses. Making it completely impossible to see his eyes, especially in this dark hallway. It was freezing inside the facility. Melody didn't know why she was her except that she was going to be with her father now. She honestly was scared to live with him now. All she could remember then of her father was the constant yelling at her mother of their never-ending fights and the shamed look on his face if she messed up or did something embarrassing to him. All she wanted was the approval of him, to know that he loved her. But she didn't think she would ever see that. She thought that maybe, just maybe, she would win his approval and love from him if she did the best here at her new home. She was practically drug by the tall distant man to the door at the end of the hallway, leading to her father's office. Her big brown eyes took in everything around her. The faded green walls, and leather couches sat beside doors. Depressed children and young men sat there staring at the newest "victim" of the facility. Melody was terrified of becoming one of them, but she did her best to not think about it. Her long salmon pink coat hung over one shoulder, still wet because it was in the middle of being washed when she was pulled from her previous home. It was a chilly autumn evening also, so that made her boots wet as she stepped through puddles from outside and hissing through her teeth at the sudden chill soaking through her socks touching her toes. Her hair was wet because her nanny, Drew, had tried to make her look nice when she met her father, but they came earlier than expected so her hair still dripped from her bath and she was dressed in her pajama bottoms and favorite blue T-shirt reading, "Hello, my name is Trouble" in glittered words. They finally made it to her father's office. The man knocked on the door and Melody could hear her father's muffled voice from the other side, telling them to come in. She wiped her frozen nose on her sleeve as she entered the room. The man left as soon as Melody sat on the small couch in the office, staring at her father's back as he continued to stare out the window.
"Hi, daddy." Melody said shyly.
"Melody, from now on, you will call me General or sir. There is no room for any school girl talk around here. What happened to you? Doesn't that nanny of yours ever dress you properly? You look terrible." He scolded at her appearance.
She hung her head. "I'm sorry, Da- I mean, sir." She said correcting herself.
"Where's your mother? She needs to be present at this time." He said taking a seat at his desk, shaking off her sad apology.
She felt the pain of losing her mother a second time. She could feel the tears begin to well up in her eyes. "She's….she's." She began, unable to continue.
"Well, spit it out, Melody. Speak properly." General Johnston said with an annoyed tone in his voice.
"She's dead, sir." She said, tears running down her cheeks. She wiped them away quickly before her could see.
From the corner of her eye, she could see an almost shocked and, what was that? A sad look? Melody was surprised to see it on his face.
"Oh, I see." He just said turning away from her and pressing a button on the phone next to him. A woman's voice came from the other end. "Margaret, take Melody to her room. Now." He ordered.
"Yes, sir. Right on it." The woman, Margaret, answered.
Before Melody left, General gave her a suitcase. It was full of uniforms and boots in her size. She arched an eyebrow at the contents.
He looked at her. "What is it?" He asked seeing her eye it suspiciously.
"Um, it's just that there are no toys. I can't sleep without my teddy bear. Drew made sure that it was sent with me. Can I have it, please?" She asked, her brown eyes practically begging him. She was terrified to be here. She at least wanted one thing from home. And her mother gave her that bear when she was just a baby. It was the last thing she had. Well, besides her charm bracelet.
"I got rid of it. You don't need that silly bear. You will be fine. Now, go with Margaret. Dinner will be at seven sharp. If you're late, then you're not eating. And for you being young, lights out and in bed by eight thirty. Is that understood?"
Melody didn't really pay attention of what he said. She was more concerned about her bear. "But my momma gave me that bear! Why did you get rid of it! I want my bear!" She screamed at him. She thought it would get her her bear. Her mother used to scream at him to leave and he always did. She thought that he just did what she said when she screamed. Instead of the welcoming softness of her bear in her arms, she felt his hand slap her mouth. She fell back onto the couch, completely shocked that he hit her.
"If you can't learn to show some respect around those in charge then you will go without both dinner tonight and breakfast. I better not hear you act so childishly again, do you hear me?" He said leaning closer to her.
She could still feel his stinging hand across her mouth and she began to cry.
"Do you understand?" He demanded again.
"Yes." She finally said through sobs. Tears ran down her cheeks. She already hated it here. She wanted to go home. She wanted her nanny Drew to take her away from this awful place and take her back to her home and her old comfy bed and sing to her. Melody wasn't expecting to find that here. The woman came in the room. She seemed nice. By the way she tried to make Melody welcomed and happy.
"Margaret. Don't spoil the child. She needs to learn that she can't expect everything to go her way. It's the only way she'll learn." Mr. Johnston said rubbing his temple as he watched her speak kindly and tell her everything was going to be fine.
"Yes, sir." She said and led me out the door then added under her breath. "Only way she'll learn my foot" annoyed.
After a couple of minutes of silence, Melody looked up at the tall blonde woman above her. "Ma'am? Can I ask a question, please?" Melody asked in her small child voice.
Hearing Melody's voice interrupted Margaret's thoughts. She looked down at the child with a smile. "Yes, Melody." She said.
"Do you think he'll ever love me?" She asked. A sad look twinkled in her eyes.
Margaret couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor little girl. Most of the children here were either orphans or those who needed discipline. Margaret could already tell that Melody wasn't both. But the girl's question unnerved her some. She didn't know what to tell her. She wanted to say yes and calm the frightened girl's thoughts just as much as she did with any other child here. But that would be lying.
"I don't know sweetie." She just said wrapping an arm around the shivering girl's shoulder comforting her.
Once inside Melody's new room, Margaret stood there watching her look around. She was the youngest "recruit" they have ever had here. She was innocent. This girl deserved much more than she was going to be given here. Margaret hated it here. She grew up in the same place also. Just some years older than Melody.
"Stay here." Margaret quickly said then turned and walked away.
"Woof." Melody said putting up her hands like a begging dog.
Melody ran her hands on the scratchy purple blanket. She frowned. Nothing like Drew's quilts. Margaret came back in, hands behind her back with a smile planted on her lips. Melody arched an eyebrow.
"What is it, Miss. Margaret?" She asked sitting on the bed.
"You can call me Margaret. And I think you do need this." She said revealing her old tan teddy bear.
Her mouth widened. She jumped off the bed and dashed over to her, wrapping her arms around her waist.
"Thank you, Margaret!" She squealed.
She laughed. "You're welcome sweetie!" She said stroking the child's now damp hair.
Though Margaret knew that General Johnston was going to be furious with her, she didn't care. She wanted to help this poor kid. That night at dinner, Margaret sat with her. Making sure that she ate enough and that she was warm. Just like a mother would do. Bedtime came and Melody sat under her blankets looking up at Margaret as she straightened the sheets and tucked her in.
"Margaret? Can you sing me my lullaby?" Melody asked clutching her bear.
Margaret stopped then looked slowly over to the girl. "I don't know what your lullaby is, sweetie?" She said sitting on the edge of the bed.
"It's easy. Here, I'll start it out and you write it down." She said with a smile and grabbed the woman's laptop on her dresser.
"Ok." Margaret said with a chuckle.
Melody cleared her throat and in her small childish voice began to sing.
"A la nanita nana nanita ella nanita ella
Mi niña tiene sueno bandito sea, bandito sea
A la nanita nana nanita ella nanita ella
Mi niña tiene sueno bendito sea, bendito sea.
Fuentecita que corre clara y sonora
Ruiseñor que en la selva cantando llora
Calla mientras la cuna se balansea
A la nanita nana, nanita ella
A la nanita nana nanita ella nanita ella
Mi niña tiene sueno bendito sea, bendito sea.
Fuentecita que corre clara y sonora
Ruiseñor que en la selva cantando llora
Calla mientras la cuna se balansea
A la nanita nana, nanita ella."
Instead of typing it down, she used her webcam to record her singing it in hopes that she might learn it.
"Ok, sweetie. I'll try to learn this for you. But for now, you need to sleep. You're getting up at 5:30. Good night." She said tucking her in again and kissing her forehead.
"Ok, Miss. Margaret." She said yawning.
Margaret smiled. She felt so protective of this child. As if she was her own. But she wasn't. She was the General's. She might as well have been hers. As she walked down the cold empty hall, all that could be heard was her heels as they stepped on the wooden floor.