In Storybrooke, today was a very special and important day for a certain someone. The students were getting ready for school while the adults were getting ready for work as it was a weekday, but this was a weekday unlike any other.
Melody was fast asleep until she heard her alarm going off and she soon yawned and stretched before she shut off her alarm and smiled as she sat up in her bed. "Well, Birthday Girl, better get ready for the day today," she then said. "Even if Evie promised to be here... Hopefully it's all right day just the same though..." she then sniffed the air and licked her lips. "Mm... Something smells very good." she then said as she got out of bed to get dressed and ready for the day in her uniform and began to brush her hair down and to tie it into a ponytail.
In the dining hall of the Summerfield residence, there appeared to be the making of homemade waffles of all things, despite it being a weekday and usually a harder worked on breakfast was reserved for the weekends.
"Grandpa...?" Melody called wearily as she rubbed one of her sapphire eyes. "Are you making breakfast on a school day?"
"Why, yes... Yes, I am, my dear," Mr. Summerfield replied with a small smile. "Good morning and Happy Birthday, Melody."
"Oh. Thank you, Grandpa," Melody smiled back. "You didn't have to do this though. We could've gone to Granny's Diner or call Louis or something though."
"Yes, I know, but I wanted to because you're my special girl," Mr. Summerfield reassured and nodded to his granddaughter. "Besides, this is a very special day for you and I have an even better surprise planned for later."
"Is it a party?" Melody guessed as she smirked and raised an eyebrow suddenly.
"Oh... I guess you're too smart for me," Mr. Summerfield chuckled in response while helping his granddaughter have a very special breakfast on her special day. "You're turning 16 after all like all of your friends in school. A girl's 16th birthday is very nice and special."
"I'm glad that you think so," Melody said softly. "I just wish that Mom and Daddy could be here to celebrate with us."
"I know, dear... I know..." Kenneth said with a bit of a sharp sigh. "This time of year does remind me a lot of them, especially your mother."
Melody frowned a bit as due to The Dark Curse not just affecting the adults in Storybrooke, it also affected some of the younger residents, such as Nicholas and Ava who used to be Hansel and Gretel, but especially her. She was born and grew up not knowing her parents or what had ever happened to them and wanted to learn more about them someday, but she was worried it would hurt her grandfather or have him burst into tears to even talk about her parents, especially her mother, so she never found the right time or place to even ask him more about them. She just wished that Evie were here to probably make it easier because even though Evie was the daughter of The Evil Queen, Evie was a very kind, sweet, and intelligent soul who anyone would be lucky to be friends with.
"Enjoying your homemade breakfast at least?" Kenneth soon asked his granddaughter kindly.
"Oh, yes... It's very nice, Grandpa," Melody nodded. "I can definitely taste the ingredient of love sprinkled in there."
"Well, you know about our Summerfield family secret ingredient." Kenneth reminded as he chuckled and winked at his granddaughter in response.
Melody smiled warmly and laughed a little too with her grandfather. Kenneth smiled back as he continued to eat his breakfast with his granddaughter until they would both be finished so that she could head off to school for the day.
"So, any other special surprises this morning, Grandpa?" Melody soon asked as she wiped her mouth after finishing up breakfast with him.
"Well... I decided that there's something we should talk about..." Kenneth soon said, sounding a bit soft suddenly in tone. "Something we should've talked about probably a long time ago."
"Oh?" Melody asked softly as she began to look soft and hopeful, thinking maybe he would talk about her parents.
"Yes... I believe that you're older now, but... Here it is," Kenneth said before he brought out an envelope. "Happy Birthday, Melody."
"Oh..." Melody said softly, trying not to sound too disappointed that she didn't get the topic that she wanted to discuss. "T-Thank you, Grandpa." she then opened up the card and decided to see what was inside.
Kenneth smiled softly, waiting to see how she would react once she would see was inside the card. Melody opened up the envelope and took out a card that seemed to have a picture of a pink-haired girl with a starfish headband and a dress that made her look like a mermaid before the girl then opened it up and saw a message written inside that made her smile a bit tearfully before some money slid out of the card after it was opened up.
"'Sail for adventure for a Sweet 16th Birthday, you can see all of your friends from school and I'm sorry about Evie, but I love you no matter what, my little princess'," Melody read aloud before gushing excitedly as Kenneth turned on the TV while getting ready to get settled for the day while his granddaughter would come back home from school. "Aww! Thanks, Grandpa!"
"You're very welcome, Melody," Kenneth smiled warmly. "I just hope that note isn't too 'uncool' with the other kids from school."
"Even if they did, I wouldn't let it stop me from loving you." Melody said before she then hugged her grandfather warmly.
"Aww... Glad I could make your birthday extra special, Princess," Kenneth smiled as he hugged Melody back. "And look! There's something special and extra just for you."
"Oh, money... Nice..." Melody said before she took a look and saw that there was a 50 dollar bill inside. "Oh... Wow... $50 just for me? That's a bit extra just to get milk from the cafeteria line, isn't it?"
Kenneth chuckled a bit. "It's not for lunch, my dear. It's for you to buy and pick out a little present for yourself," he then explained. "I think you should spend it any way you like."
"Oh. Thank you again, Grandpa," Melody smiled and nodded before looking thoughtful. "Hmm... I wonder what I should buy?"
"Well, buy whatever you'd like to buy," Kenneth replied as he stood up and was about to head upstairs. "It's your birthday after all. I'm going to arrange things for your party for later after school. Just remember to come back home before it gets too dark. Again, I'm sorry that Evie can't show up, I know how important she is to you."
"She really is, Grandpa," Melody nodded as she pocketed the money. "I'll see you after school. Just remember to take care of Sebastian while I'm gone."
"I will, dear. Sebastian is part of this family too after all," Kenneth chuckled and nodded sincerely as he headed upstairs. "Have a good day, Melody."
"Thanks, Grandpa! You too. I'll see you at the party," Melody smiled and waved to he grandfather as she took a look at the birthday money he got for her. "Hmm... I wonder what I should get myself for my birthday?" she then wondered to herself.
And then, as though to answer her question for her, the TV soon started to show a certain commercial while Good Morning, Storybrooke went on a commercial break for a certain location in town with an eerily familiar voice that could frighten anyone in town by the sound of it.
"You know me, you know my shop, but when was the last time you stopped by? Have you been in since you remembered who you are? You might be surprised to discover I have your life. From the glinting baubles that hung from your crib when you were a babe, to the terrifying people puppets that your parents were transformed into until two other more deserving people received their punishment. They're petrified now of course, but they're here! Among glass coffin shards, muffets, tuffets, even your favorite recipes for curds and whey. Free parking with validation! Yes, here you will find every sword you've ever drawn, if you lived it, I have it. And be sure to ask my specials on poisons and curses and if you don't buy them, your name is might. And is that really a chance you want to take? Gold's Shop: I wheel and I deal. See you soon, dear~"
"Hmm..." Melody paused thoughtfully as she began to head out the front doors to get to school, but decided to take a certain stop elsewhere on the way. She wasn't sure if Mr. Gold would be officially able to tell her a lot about her parents, but perhaps he could help her find something that once belonged to at least one of them as she walked on out the door.
Eventually, a certain boy was shown to be walking down the street himself with his own backpack. "Well, hello there, Melody. Happy Birthday... You look very nice today," he started to practice saying to himself, holding his prized possession which was a flute. "Say... If you'd like, I could carry your books for you, and... Well... Maybe we could share a drink... Or two... Or three... Or... F-Five...?" he then looked down into his pocket.
A mouse appeared to be there who was chittering and shaking its head at Piper.
"You're right... That's too awkward," Piper said to the mouse who was his pet. "Uh... Hey, Melody! Happy Birthday... What if I carried your books for you? They look so heavy and since I'm a big strong boy, I could lift them up and maybe I'll even lift you...?" he then tried again.
The mouse seemed to suddenly hide in his pocket, not liking that either.
"You're right... That's even worse and kinda sexist..." Piper then said. "I wish I could just say something stupidly simple and easy like-"
"Hi, Piper!" A voice suddenly said right behind the boy.
"Augh!" Piper yelped suddenly and jumped before turning around before grinning bashfully. "Oh... Uh... Hey, Melody... I didn't see ya there." he then said as he hid his pet mouse deep inside his pocket.
"Well, I didn't think you would, I was right behind you." Melody chuckled a bit.
"Yeah... Hi, Melody..." Piper said in a raspy, squeaky voice before he then cleared his throat. "Erm... Happy Birthday."
"Thank you, Piper," Melody smiled. "Uh... Would you like to walk to school together?" she then offered.
"I love you~" Piper replied before blushing and shaking his head a little. "I-I-I m-m-mean... I'd love to." he then quickly corrected himself.
"Great... I'd definitely love the company especially since Grandpa's too busy back home to take me to school, plus... Well... You heard about Evie, right?" Melody replied as she then walked down the street with Piper's company.
"Who didn't hear about that? Jordan Glass printed all over her school newspaper," Piper replied. "At least that's actually newsworthy than just stalking other students like asking for the juicy gossip."
"Yeah... Like who's going to prom or whatever?" Melody chuckled in agreement.
"There are a lot more important and urgent issues going on anyway, especially once we all woke up and realized we were the descendants of fairy tale characters," Piper said as they walked off together. "Like... It's like our lives have to change just because of who our parents are suddenly."
"Tell me about it..." Melody agreed with him a bit softly. "Though I'm not sure what that means for me... Since I don't know anything about my parents."
Piper suddenly winced nervously. "Oh... M-Melody, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to offend you when I was talking about our parents..." he then said nervously.
"No, no, it's okay, Piper. You didn't do anything wrong," Melody reassured. "It's just that it's my birthday... A pretty big one this year, I'm finally 16 like the rest of you, but... I could never find the courage to ask my grandfather more about them or what even happened to them. Among other personal things... But I think I'm gonna find out a little more this time around."
Piper looked relieved that he didn't offend Melody about her long-lost parents, though he began to look curious. "Oh?" he then asked about the last part of her sentence. "How do you think you're gonna do that?"
"I'm gonna go into Mr. Gold's pawnshop," Melody decided. "He's supposed to know everything about everybody."
"M-Mr. Gold?" Piper asked shyly. "Well... If you think that's a good idea."
"I believe so... Surely he has something," Melody nodded before she took out her birthday money. "And besides, Grandpa gave me some birthday money to spend any way I'd like, so I think I'll go in and ask him. Hopefully he can give me some answers because I need to find out what's really going on in my life. Do you know much about your parents ever since this Dark Curse ended?" she then asked.
"Well... Just that my father is linked to music, which is especially why I have this flute," Piper explained before he showed off his favorite musical instrument. "I'm even gonna try out for the school marching band."
"Wow... You play a mean flute... It's like your calling." Melody smiled and nodded.
"Yeah... Like swimming is your calling," Piper replied. "You should really try out for the school swim team or something. Maybe your parents were mermaids or from Atlantis or something."
Melody looked a little distant suddenly.
"What's wrong?" Piper frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No, Piper... It's okay," Melody said softly. "It's just... My grandfather doesn't like it when I go in the water."
Piper raised an eyebrow. "But I sometimes see you swimming in the water all the time after school at Storybrooke Harbor?" he then reminded out of confusion. "...Melody, are you doing this in secret?"
Melody looked around to make sure no one else was listening to them before she nodded. "Yes," she then whispered. "I'd love to try out for swimming, but my grandfather wouldn't approve. He hates the water?"
"How come?" Piper asked.
"I don't know... I just don't know how to ask or tell him... Evie's been keeping this secret for me since before I can even remember," Melody replied quietly. "You're the only other person I've told."
"Oh, Melody... I'm so sorry," Piper said softly. "Well, I won't tell him your secret either, but I hate that you have to hide your special talent away from him."
"Me too, Piper, but I just can't risk it," Melody said with a shallow sigh. "Well, I'm going to Mr. Gold's shop. You can come with me if you want though?" she then offered since they were walking to school together after all.
"Okay... I'll go with you," Piper said with a small smile. "It would be very good for both of us anyway."
"Yes, I think it would be too," Melody smiled back. "Come on. Let's go see Mr. Gold."
"Right." Piper nodded.
And at that, the two soon walked off together to head over to a certain pawnshop.
Rumple looked over after hearing that the bells on his door jingled just as he was getting set up for the day. "Ah... My first customer of the day," he then greeted. "I believe you're young Miss Summerfield?"
"Yes, Mr. Gold. My name is Melody." The black-haired girl nodded as she stepped inside.
"Well, good morning, Melody, and Happy Birthday if memory serves me right." Rumple then said to the girl, sounding kind in his very own way.
"Yes... I'm finally 16," Melody smiled as she looked around before she brought out her birthday money. "My grandfather gave me some birthday money and I was wondering if you had anything very special or valuable-"
"Like a princess necklace or something with diamonds and rubies to impress the boys with in school today?" Rumple guessed since Melody was a teenage girl after all.
"Oh... Well... That sounds nice and all, but I was actually wondering if you had anything that belonged to my... Parents?" Melody soon asked.
Rumple shifted only slightly before raising an eyebrow curiously. "...Your parents, dearie?" he then replied, sounding very soft and delicate in tone.
"Yes..." Melody nodded patiently. "If you don't, that's okay... I was just hoping maybe somebody could... Well... Tell me about them... Or at least... A clue or two," she then said. "I've never met them and I'm too shy and nervous to ask my grandfather about whatever happened to them."
"...I see," Rumple said softly. "Actually... I think I might have just the thing for you."
"Really?" Melody asked, a bit wide-eyed at that answer.
"Yes... Please excuse me for just a moment, dearie." Rumple nodded as he soon went into his backroom.
"Uh... Yes, sir." Melody nodded as she waited patiently, waiting at the front as she looked around.
Piper looked around a bit, looking a bit nervous to be in a place like this, but would happily visit if Melody was going to visit too. Melody smiled at him suddenly which made him gasp and flinch before he then smiled back, a bit nervously as he was afraid to touch anything that was in the shop.
"Here we are, dearie..." Rumple soon said as he came back over to the birthday girl and brought out something that looked a bit old, but not too old as it still had a golden shine within it. He then held it out a bit more, holding it out by its string to show that it was a golden locket that resembled a seashell and it had a certain name on it. "It looks like it was made just for you."
"'Melody'? ...What is this?" Melody asked, seeing her name on the locket before she took it in her hands. "My name's on here."
Rumple didn't say anything and just smiled as he stepped by.
"This... Mr. Gold... I would like to buy this for my birthday." Melody soon requested.
"Yes, of course..." Rumple nodded. "That'll be $25 please."
Melody smiled, giving out her 50 dollar bill.
"$50, eh? Interesting," Rumple chuckled, accepting her money, but would of course give her exact change as he might have been cruel, but he wasn't that cruel. "I usually give this amount for Benjamin's allowance."
"No wonder he's so rich on Pizza Day in the cafeteria." Melody chuckled a little to herself.
Rumple rang her up and put the seashell locket back in her hands along with her change. "Here you are, dearie. Happy Birthday," he then said. "Now will there be anything else? I hope not since school should be starting very soon today."
"Well, actually, I was wondering if you probably knew my parents in The Enchanted Forest?" Melody soon asked. "They say you were Rumplestiltskin and you lived so long... You probably know everything about everybody."
"...I do know quite a bit, but I don't think it's in my business to tell you about your parents," Rumple admitted softly as he looked into her eyes as blue as the ocean itself. "I think you should talk to your grandfather about them."
Melody pouted nervously in response to his suggestion for you.
"Now, now, no pouting, dearie," Rumple tutted a bit. "It's none of my business to discuss, but I think it's better that you ask him yourself. You're both family, so I'm sure that he'll understand."
"...Well, all right," Melody said softly before she put the locket in her backpack for right now. "Thank you again, Mr. Gold."
"You're very welcome," Rumple nodded. "Both of you get to school right now. I won't want either of you to be late, especially on one of your birthdays."
"Yes, sir." Melody and Piper replied before they headed out the door.
Rumple watched the two teenagers walk off as he nodded to himself and soon went to get to work while they came to school just as the morning bell rang.
"Say, Piper... I was wondering... Before my birthday party..." Melody soon started to say softly. "If you're still coming of course."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Piper reassured.
Melody smiled and nodded, hiding a bit of a blush in her cheeks as he said that. "Would you like to come swimming with me after school?" she then invited. "Just a quick swim to think about what's been going on lately."
"Oh! Uh... Y-You want me to come along?" Piper asked, surprised and bashful about that. "Us? Alone? Swimming? Together?"
"The bait shop owner sees me there all the time and he's very nice and cool to me," Melody reassured. "Besides, you've been such a very good and nice friend to me lately, especially since I haven't been able to talk to Evie lately. I would be honored for you to come along and go with me."
"Uh... Okay... If you don't think we'll get caught." Piper replied.
"We won't get caught, I just have to be back home before it gets too dark," Melody reassured. "So you'll go swimming after school with me?"
"I'll come along with you," Piper decided before he smiled back at her. "I'd be honored to go swimming with you."
"Oh... Thanks, Piper!" Melody beamed before hugging him right away. "You're the best."
"The best?" Piper whispered and blushed in her hug.
Melody smiled as they soon walked into the hallway together.
"Oh, wait! What if your grandfather asks where we're going?" Piper suddenly cried out and asked worriedly.
"Just leave it to me," Melody reassured. "I often tell him I go to the library after school to study and he believes me every time."
"Well... All right..." Piper said with a nod.
Melody smiled, then decided to head right for her locker.
"Oh! Uh... Melody..." Piper soon said to stop the girl again suddenly.
"Yes, Piper?" Melody replied as she looked over her shoulder, stopping in her step suddenly.
"I... I... Uh... I..." Piper stammered.
Melody smiled and tried to wait patiently to hear what he would say.
Piper bit his lip and looked down to his pet mouse who was sitting in his pocket, watching expectingly and urgently for his human to say something very important. "Uh... Um... Happy Birthday..." he soon said out of defeat.
"Thank you, Piper," Melody smiled. "I'll see you in class later, okay?"
"Okay!" Piper nodded.
The mouse then seemed to face-paw and chitter at Piper's failure. Melody then went to her locker while Piper had to go down the other way before he sighed to himself.
"Oh, don't judge me... What do you know about girls anyway?" Piper scoffed as his pet mouse seemed to be annoyed with him right now.
Eventually, the day went by a bit smoother in school and it was time for Melody and Piper to get ready to go swimming together as Melody told her grandfather that she just wanted to get some studying done so not to worry about it during her birthday party later that night.
Underneath the Storybrooke docks harbor, Melody was a little sad and was swimming around in the waters below the docks in town. Today was a very special day for her and she was hoping that Evie would be there since they were such good friends as well as with Ben Gold, but everybody already knew about that friendship. However, to take her mind off of things, Piper offered to join Melody in the water even though she was always told by her grandfather to stay out of the water and she never really understood why or how.
Piper kept looking over cautiously as a seagull was watching the two from atop of the docks, luckily being quiet. "Melody, please, I think that you should get out of the water," she said, admittingly nervous. "If your grandfather ever found out you've been swimming out here-" he began to remind her.
"I know, I know. He'd flip." Melody nodded and memorized as she had been hearing that almost her entire life before she stood up on the docks and then jumped right into the water, splashing Piper and the seagull a little.
The seagull called as he ruffled his feathers and was dripping wet a bit.
"Oops! Sorry, Piper. Sorry, Scuttle." Melody said to her friends.
"It's okay..." Piper coughed and sputtered. "Heh... I guess pirates would say that salty sea air would be so thick you can almost taste it."
Melody soon did a backstroke while looking up into the sky as the sun was almos setting since they had been there for a while.
"So... Melody... What does your grandfather have against water anyway?" Piper asked. "I hear that you don't even wanna be on the school swimming team even though you're probably the best swimmer I know."
"I wish that I knew, Piper... Really, I do," Melody said as she looked around, seeing the other sea creatures as they hung out in the water together despite her grandfather's rules. "I mean, how could there be anything wrong with something so wonderful?"
"Guess that's just a classic case," Piper shrugged as he nodded to her. "I mean, I've been playing music since I was young and I don't really know where it came from. I guess you liking swimming despite what your grandfather says is just us kids being kids and whatnot."
Melody soon giggled suddenly.
"Huh?" Piper asked as he looked down at the black-haired girl in the water.
"Let me tell you a secret," Melody said as she swam up toward him and looked around before whispering into his ear. "Sometimes I even pretend I have fins."
Piper looked a bit surprised and wide-eyed. "...You mean like a fish?" he then asked.
"Exactly," Melody giggled and nodded as she continued to swim about. "Sometimes I wish I could be a fish because then my grandfather couldn't order me to not swim. It's only natural, right?"
"Yeah... I suppose it is..." Piper said before he nodded in understanding.
Melody soon looked over to the neighborhood of Storybrooke, mostly looking around where she lived. "I wish I could tell my grandfather how I feel, but he'd never understand," she then said softly before she reached out and gently stroked Scuttle's feathers. "I can talk to crabs and seagulls, but not to him."
"Oh, Melody..." Piper pouted and frowned, feeling so bad for her and wished that he could help her out somehow.
Melody sighed and pouted. "What should I do, Piper?" she then asked wearily.
"Oh... Uh... You're asking me?" Piper asked as he chuckled nervously. "Well... Uh... I don't know, you could tell your grandfather how you really feel?"
Melody then glanced at him, looking rather curious about what he was saying.
"Just waltz right in and tell him you been out here swimming in the ocean!" Piper soon continued as he tried very hard to help out. "We could all just have a big party."
"The party!" Melody then suddenly gasped with wide eyes as that reminded her of something. She then hipped down, diving straight into the water and began to climb up the docks.
"Oh, right! Your birthday party!" Piper realized before he tried to sit up only to fall and splash into the water suddenly by accident. "Whup!"
"Oops..." Melody said sheepishly before she looked down. "You okay, Piper?"
"Yeah... I'll be fine..." Piper sputtered before spitting out water and grunted at the salty taste. "I've been better honestly."
"Come on. We both need to get home and get ready," Melody soon said to him as she helped him back up onto the docks. "I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"
"O-Oh... Okay... Melody..." Piper nodded before he was dripping wet. "Pass me my towel first?"
"Gotcha." Melody nodded as she reached into his backpack before tossing out the towel he claimed for himself in there.
"Thanks." Piper said as he soon began to quickly get dried and ready to head back home to get ready for her party.
"Thanks again for coming over... You're such a good friend," Melody soon said to him as she began to dry herself off too and decided to quickly get her school uniform back on as he did the same, though they didn't think they'd have time to get underwear on, so they just wore their swimsuits underneath. "I'm really lucky to be friends with such a nice boy."
Piper blinked and felt stung on the inside, but tried very hard not to let that bother him. He felt rather hypocrtical for advising Melody to tell her grandfather how she really felt when he was struggling to tell the girl something that had been sitting and weighing on his chest for quite a while now. Eventually, the two found themselves dry enough to go back home without their parents questioning or noticing about the water as they hurried home in time for her party.
Eventually, the sun had gone down, but the two made it back home. The trouble for Melody was though was that people were getting ready to visit with their presents and presence as Melody's grandfather was making sure all was going all right, trusting his granddaughter to get back home in time for her own birthday party, even inviting a few family friends over to help out. They may not had been as rich as Magda, Scarlet, or Amalie, but they were still a rather rich family with decent luxuries to go around.
Melody peeked around her home before quickly hiding behind a tree just as she heard the barking of one of her pets: Max the Sheepdog. With the loud dog, there was also Melody's grandfather: Kenneth Summerfield. As they passed by, she rushed over to one wall of the house, then saw a luckily open window, though it was a bit high. She soon climbed up it luckily and sighed in relief. Other students from school were shown to be dressed their very best in the other room since Mr. Summerfield recommended casual dress for his granddaughter's birthday party. She soon made it down another way, again without being seen, and now she just had to get to her bedroom undetected. She was soon foiled as she had run into certain students who were there already.
"Whoa!" Melody gasped as she bumped into someone beside her, dropping seaweed on the other girl by accident.
"Oh... Melody..." Mal said before removing the seaweed as she stood with Jay and Carlos.
"Sorry, my fault," Melody grinned nervously as she backed away. "I gotta go. Can't go to the party without shoes." she then backed up against another corridor and hid inside of it, though she overheard Mal, Jay, and Carlos.
"Okay, I know we're here for Evie's sake since Melody is a good friend of hers and can't be here for the party, but if you ask me, she's a little strange." Mal soon said to Jay and Carlos when they thought they were alone.
"I heard she actually talks to fish." Jay remarked.
"You're kidding." Carlos replied.
"It should make for an interesting party." Jay nodded truthfully.
"Yeah! I'd say so!" Mal added.
Melody, feeling hurt as she overheard them, soon walked upstairs a bit slowly and headed right for her bedroom. As she came into her bedroom, she heard glass being tapped on and she looked over to see her pet crab who was in his own cage. "Oh, hello, Sebastian," she then said before going over to let out her pet. "You wanna get some fresh air."
Sebastian blinked at her, though somehow Melody just had a way with talking to animals, especially from the sea such as fish, crabs, and seagulls. Melody opened up the tank and put her hands inside the barrier before letting her crab come on out and stretch his legs quite literally. Melody soon went behind a changing panel and began to get dressed in the outfit that her grandfather picked out for her even if she found it to be a bit strange looking especially due to the color, worried that a lot of the other kids would laugh at how she looked.
Soon, Kenneth stepped outside into the water beside their house and took off his shoes to dip his toes for a bit. Max was barking and running around before sniffing the air as he felt like he caught a familiar scent related to the water somehow.
Kenneth sighed as he looked up as the sun was slowly going down while the seagulls of Storybrooke flew around without a care in the world. "Oh... I miss you, Ariel," he then whispered to himself a bit sadly. "I wish you could be here with us." he then stepped inside of the water, sighing softly and calmly as the water brought back very pleasant and yet a bit tragic memories due to certain circumstances that came with Regina's Dark Curse.
"Grandpa?" Melody's voice soon called from her bedroom window.
Kenneth gasped, feeling caught in the act as he looked toward his granddaughter's bedroom.
"What are you doing?" Melody asked, wearing the dress and had a towel on her head.
"Uh... Nothing!" Kenneth grinned bashfully.
Melody soon went back inside and sighed in relief that she got away with her little after school activity.
"I'll be right up!" Kenneth then added.
Melody then panicked and soon headed right for her closet to pick out a pair of shoes to wear with her brand new dress. Sebastian soon crawled up onto Melody's vanity table, finding a dress ribbon on the mirror and decided to grab it down with his claws to give to her to go with the dress before it suddenly fell on him. Melody then leaned over her table and took the towel off her hair, putting on the shoes as quickly and diligently as possible.
"Melody?" Kenneth soon called from outside the room.
Melody then suddenly took her dress ribbon, accidentally taking Sebastian with it, trying the ribbon around her waist suddenly and tightening the bow before she took out the princess tiara that went with the dress. She then saw her backpack out and decided to push it under her table and looked over, trying to look innocent as her grandfather walked into the room to check on his granddaughter. "I'm ready!" she soon told him before curtsying, though her hair was a mess, so the tiara slid down, covering her eyes with some of her hair.
Kenneth chuckled a bit before Melody sat down in her seat in front of her grandfather. "I might not be a fashion expert, but here. Let me help." he then said.
Melody soon took off her tiara and decided to let her grandfather help her out.
"So... I see we're having a bad hair day," Kenneth said as he picked up the brush to get ready to brush his granddaughter's hair. "Don't let it spoil your birthday though."
"I'll try not to..." Melody said before she then looked into her reflection and sighed a little. "...Grandpa, put down the brush. It's hopeless." she then said, sounding a bit depressed.
"Oh. Come on now... You look beautiful," Kenneth reassured before smiling as he rested his face against hers. "Just like your mother and your grandmother before you."
Melody then sighed before Kenneth continued to brush her hair with care. "Do I have to do this?" she then asked wearily. "Everybody thinks I'm weird."
"Oh, honey... Everyone has trouble fitting in at your age," Kenneth coaxed. "I know your mother did. She was a regular fish out of water."
"Her? No way..." Melody replied before she walked over to her balcony and looked out into the town as it was starting to get dark. "I'm just so afraid I'm gonna make a total fool of myself."
Kenneth looked a bit soft as he began to approach his granddaughter. "Melody... This isn't just about the party, is it?" he then asked knowingly. "Is there something you want to talk about?"
Melody glanced over before she looked back down again.
"You know you can always tell me anything." Kenneth soon said with a small smile.
Melody glanced over before she gave a small smile too before she decided to get it off her chest as soon as possible. "Well, okay," she soon said quietly, but still clearly to her grandfather. "I mean, it's kind of crazy and sort of impossible. Now, don't freak, but what I dream about more than anything in the whole world-" she then began to say, feeling brave enough to say something, only to be stopped and interrupted suddenly.
"Master Summerfield? Miss Summerfield? They're waiting for you downstairs." A woman's voice said behind the door with light knocking also heard.
"All right! We're coming!" Kenneth called back.
Soon, the door opened and came a young woman who looked rather friendly enough who then smiled at the sight of the black-haired girl. "Oh, Melody. Is that you?" she then asked warmly. "You look beautiful. Like a princess."
"Thank you, Aunt Carlotta." Melody said softly with a nod.
"She's right," Kenneth soon told his granddaughter. "Now, we'll talk later."
Melody looked over and soon followed her grandfather out of the room with Carlotta who was like a mother figure to her at times. Sebastian was still unfortunately tied to the ribbon, but no one seemed to know or realize it yet.
Soon, music was being played while the boys and girls hung around each other, either having snacks, making small talk, or trying to get the deejay to play certain songs. Piper was dressed in the best suit he could have with a big bow-tie, but probably not as much as Doug's as he looked a little lost being at the party without Evie there.
"Nice bow-tie," Mal snorted and smirked at Piper. "What are you, a 1970's game show host?"
"Nice attitude," Piper began to retort. "What are you, an obedience school drop-out?"
"Watch it," Mal snarled as her eyes flashed green. "You don't know who you're dealing with around here."
Piper flinched and stepped back a bit.
"Come on, Mal. Don't be too cruel," Carlos spoke up. "We should be on decent behavior since we made a promise to Evie and you're trying to be her friend nowadays... Especially since your mother kinda disappeared."
"What happened to her anyway after Emma Swan got her out of the library?" Jay asked curiously and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, isn't it obvious? She's just looking around for a good place for us to live," Mal replied. "I've been wanting to get out of Storybrooke ever since first grade and I'm not gonna let anyone stop us."
"What about the townline thing when Mr. Clark crossed it and forgot that he was Sneezy the Dwarf?" Jay reminded.
"We'll still find a way, one way or another," Mal retorted and defended. "It's just taking her a while and she has to get used to her flight patterns since she was imprisoned for the past 28 years."
Jay and Carlos glanced at each other before shrugging.
"She'll be back... Just you wait..." Mal narrowed her eyes and continued to look around with her hands on her hips.
The music suddenly stopped which caused everybody to look around to find the source. Soon, a spotlight shined down as Melody walked into the room with all eyes on her.
"Wow..." Piper whispered with wide eyes as Melody looked rather amazing to him.
"Ugh... Dramatic entrance, much?" Magda rolled her eyes as she stood with Scarlet and Amalie. "She's acting like she's the princess in this entire room."
"Uh... Well.. It IS her birthday party." Amalie spoke up and clarified.
"Details. Details." Magda just shook her head in dismissal around Amalie's response.
Melody walked further into the room and grinned quietly and nervously to herself. "Oh, yeah. Grandpa's right. I can do this," she then whispered on the way across the dance floor before taking the deejay's mircophone as he offered it to her. "Uh... Hey!"
There was then microphone feedback which the others groan and hold their ears in annoyance.
"S-Sorry! Uh... Um... I just wanted to thank you all for coming out tonight... O-O-On my birthday party... Uh... You didn't have to come, but I just wanna let you guys know that I appreciate it. H-Have fun and hopefully we'll have cake and presents very soon!" Thank you." she then said before giving the deejay the microphone back.
The other kids looked around each other, some were coughing, and there was even weak applause. Carlos was grinning, trying to be polite as he clapped before Mal and Jay both gave him a scolding look which then made him stop and put his hands behind his back shyly. Melody soon leaned against the wall, looking rather shy and nervous, even if this was her birthday party as the music soon continued.
"Man... I could probably deejay a party better than this." Piper scoffed as he crossed his arms at the music choices.
"You... You don't like the music?" Melody asked him in concern.
"Oh! Uh... I'm sure the guy's doing his best..." Piper said nervously, worried that he probably offended her somehow. "I-I mean... If you like the music, you should be able to enjoy it... It's your party after all."
"Oh... It's okay, Piper..." Melody said softly before shrugging. "I guess it is a little old-fashioned... My grandfather is very old-fashioned after all."
"I... I can see that..." Piper said softly before he looked down at her a little. "...I really like your dress at least."
"Oh... You're not just being nice, are you?" Melody replied softly.
"No... Really... It's lovely," Piper reassured. "You look like the bell of a debutante ball."
"Oh... Thank you..." Melody said before blushing a little. "I'm not too crazy about it myself, but my grandfather says that this dress belonged to my mother."
"Well... I really like it on you... Even if the others might not be too crazy about it," Piper soon said shyly. "I mean... The Pinkettes might like it at least."
"Really? The Pinkettes?" Melody asked then.
"Hey, Birthday Girl! Nice ensemble!" Scarlet soon said as she walked by with Magda and Amalie.
Melody's eyes lit up and she suddenly grinned hopefully at their compliment.
"NOT!" Scarlet and Magda then said together before laughing rather haughtily at her.
Melody blinked and then pouted before looking down and twiddling her thumbs, a bit hurt at their words. Amalie frowned a little as she followed behind Scarlet and Magda, though she seemed to mostly be focused on Ben, wondering how Zevon was going to help her about him.
"Aw, what do girls know?" Piper scoffed and rolled his eyes until he caught himself. "Uh! No offense, Melody... I-I didn't mean it like that." he then quickly covered up, worried that he sounded a little sexist.
"No, Piper, it's okay..." Melody said softly. "Look, why don't you go hang out with the other guys? You don't have to stay here with me just because we swam together after school and you lied to my grandfather just to help me."
"No... Really... Melody, I wanna hang out with you," Piper reassured. "Besides... We're friends. We should help each other out."
"Well... Thanks..." Melody sighed. "I just don't know what much you can do to help me. I just wish that Evie were here."
"...I know," Piper said with a small frown. "We could definitely use her bright and shiny face around here to lighten things up, even if we all thought she was a snob due to being Mayor Mills' daughter and all."
"She's a good friend." Melody nodded.
"Say... Uh... Why don't we dance together?" Piper offered.
"Dance? Us? Together? We?" Melody replied while blushing sheepishly.
"Yeah... Come on..." Piper nodded before he decided to bow to her, acting a bit like a prince since she looked like a princess. "It would be my honor to dance with the prettiest girl in the room."
"You think I'm the prettiest girl in the room?" Melody whispered with wide eyes as she blushed even more, nearly matching the color of her dress.
"I always have..." Piper whispered. "So... Princess Melody. May I have this dance?" he then asked aloud as he kept bowing to her while beginning to blush himself.
Melody looked soft before looking over to her grandfather who was watching from afar.
"Go on..." Kenneth whispered urgently to his granddaughter.
Melody looked back from her grandfather before she then looked at Piper again. "Sure. Okay." she then said.
"I won't ditch you like that horrible Alex boy just because you're different," Piper promised before he took Melody's hands. "Since this is an old-fashioned party, maybe you'd like an old-fashioned dance."
"Okay, Piper..." Melody blushed and nodded at him, feeling and looking pretty thankful for his company.
Kenneth looked soft and proud of his granddaughter as he watched her and the other kids. Soon, the deejay saw Piper and Melody going for a slow dance together and then switched the song into a slow song for the two of them, almost like a waltz. The other kids in the room just whispered and looked among each other as Jane sat by herself. Carlos looked over, seeing Jane, then decided to go over and sit with her. Jane smiled at him warmly while Carlos smiled back and pointed at her, then at Piper and Melody, then pointed at himself as though to ask her to dance without using any words. Jane shook her head with a frown before she pointed down to show that she had bandages on her ankle and wouldn't be able to dance. Carlos frowned, but then he just decided to sit next to her and keep her company while almost everybody else in the room decided to dance together until they would cut and eat some birthday cake. Melody couldn't help but look at her feet during the dance, but Piper smiled at her and she soon smiled back at him as they continued to dance together, so far having a good time. Eventually, Piper held Melody close by her waist during the dance, smiling at her as she smiled back at him, though unfortunately for Piper, he was about to be in deep pain.
"Yeow!" Piper yelped after a crunching sound.
Melody bit her lip in concern for that. Piper soon removed his hand from Melody's backside and held out his hand to show that he had been pinched by a certain crab's claws. He then yelped and shook the crab off his hand, stumbling and falling against the punch bowl behind him as Sebastian soon went flying in the air.
"Hey... This party isn't so bad after all." Mal chuckled at the display.
"I'd say Piper is all washed up." Jay added with a smirk.
Melody looked up in concern as a man was soon stepping out from the kitchen, wheeling in the very tall and large pink and white birthday cake with candles at the tippy top of the cake. Some cake splattered onto Melody, but not as much as the family's cook, named Louis, as he was dripping in icing and frosting while Sebastian crawled out of the cake with candles on his head.
"Oh, no!" Melody gasped as she checked on her pet. "I'm so sorry."
"Aw... It's okay... It'll wash out..." Piper said as he came out of the punch bowl, dripping wet, even having lemon slices dripping from him as he walked over toward Melody. "Oh... Is that Sebastian? Heh... You kinda startled me there, buddy."
"Oh... Piper! I-I'm so sorry..." Melody said, seeing what had happened to her dance partner.
"It's all right..." Piper reassured.
Melody smiled before she scooped up her pet in her hands. "Are you okay, Sebastian?" she then cooed.
"I think he's all right," Piper said. "I just hope he isn't too 'steamed' about our dance together." he then added, trying to make a joke.
The others saw Melody talking to Sebastian, so they thought that looked a little absurd to them.
"Who IS she talking to?" Diana asked tauntingly.
"She's talking to a crab!" Chad soon called out before laughing.
Soon, nearly everyone else began to laugh at Melody. Mal normally would've joined in on the laughing, but found herself unable to. As did Jay and Carlos. It was almost like they could tell that Evie wouldn't want them to laugh, but they couldn't help with what happened to the other party guests. This was of course very upsetting to Melody as she soon turned away and ran all the way up to her room as nearly everybody was laughing at her.
"Melody!" Kenneth called out to his granddaughter with a concerned frown.
Melody was soon heard crying upstairs in her bedroom. The most important birthday of her entire life and it was ruined by public humiliation. This was probably the worst birthday of her life. She had taken off her dress at her vanity table and had her shoes spread out in the middle of the floor as she cried into a pillow with her backpack down on the floor in front of her. She then decided to pick up her locket and hold it close as she continued to sob out of heartbreak and embarrassment. The door soon opened and closed and in came a certain family member.
"Oh, sweetheart..." Kenneth spoke softly as he came to sit on his granddaughter's bed and put his arm around her. "I'm so sorry."
Melody sighed and sniffled before she looked over at her grandfather sadly. "What's wrong with me?" she then asked tearfully.
"Oh... Nothing's wrong with you." Kenneth started to say with a small smile.
"Grandpa... I'm the princess of disaster!" Melody insisted and cried out before she put her head back down in sadness.
Kenneth frowned as he tried his hardest to help his granddaughter out. "Being a teenager is hard, and, uh, all kids your age feel awkward," he then started to say while gently stroking her ebony hair. "And--"
Melody soon took out the locket and saw that it could be opened, so she soon tried to do just that. Suddenly, a bright, nearly blinding light shined from inside the locket and there was music playing from it like a music box and it seemed to show a whole new world that was under the sea with plenty of people, only the people had tails and fins like a bunch of fish, much to Melody's amazement. "That song... Where have I heard it?" she soon asked in shock, whispering gently as Kenneth looked pretty shocked himself.
Kenneth sighed sharply. "It's a world called Atlantica," he soon confessed. "With merpeople and everything."
"Atlantica... Wow..." Melody whispered and smiled before she soon looked a bit surprised and curious. "Grandpa, you always said it was just an old fairy tale."
"Yes... I know... But that's not important right now," Kenneth said before closing the locket and taking it from his granddaughter's hands instantly. "Where did you get this?"
"I... I found it." Melody said softly as she looked away briefly.
"...You didn't go into the water today, did you?" Kenneth suddenly asked.
"No, Grandpa!" Melody covered up, though her voice cracked a little since he mentioned the water, but luckily she was telling the truth this time. "Actually, I found it in Mr. Gold's pawnshop and I bought it for myself as my own birthday present," she then whispered something to herself. "Not that you'd even let me in the sea anyway."
Kenneth looked over a little.
"So why does that necklace have my name on it?" Melody soon asked as she looked suspicious of her grandfather. "You're hiding something from me."
Kenneth looked wide-eyed and then sighed in defeat. "Yes... I'm very sorry, but... You're 16 years old now, so I suppose you have a right to know," he soon said. "Melody... Yes. Atlantica is an old fairy tale, but... We live in this fairy tale town after The Evil Queen of the surface world cast a Dark Curse on everybody. Other victims included other people involved in this town... Such as... Your father."
"My father...?" Melody asked softly.
"Yes... It's a very long story, I'll tell you about it sometime whenever you're ready, but you should know this at least," Kenneth said. "My name actually isn't Kenneth Summerfield... My name is Triton."
"As in The King of the Sea like in my old storybooks?" Melody asked.
"Yes, indeed," The elder man nodded truthfully. "I am King Triton, the eldest and only son of Poseidon and Amphitrite."
"No way..." Melody whispered with wide eyes. This began to explain why she liked and enjoyed being in the sea so much, but she just had to wonder why her grandfather would never want her to be in the water if they came from a place like Atlantica.
"Yes, way..." Triton nodded to his granddaughter, feeling glad to get the truth out. It was a bit hard, but at least it was being said. "Your mother, my youngest daughter Ariel, was separated from us during The Dark Curse."
Melody soon gasped and cupped her mouth in concern.
"I have no idea where she is, I'm sorry... I miss her very much and I see her in you every day, like when you smile or laugh," Triton said before smiling rather sadly. "I've been hoping to be reunited with her someday, especially after this Dark Curse was broken by the woman known as Emma Swan."
"You don't think she's... That she's... Could Mom be...?" Melody began to ask.
"I don't know for sure, Melody, but I really hope not," Triton said softly, not wanting to think about one of his daughters being dead. "I already lost your Grandmother Athena, I could bear to lose my little mermaid who was your mother."
"Then what about my father?" Melody soon asked. "What happened to him?"
"He's actually closer than you think," Triton confessed before he brought his arm over Melody's shoulder, bringing her over to the window and then pointed out to the distance at Storybrooke Harbor. "You know that place?"
"Storybrooke Harbor? Yeah, sure I do." Melody nodded, though tried very hard to keep her secret safe about going there to swim a lot of the time after school.
"Your father is down there." Triton then told his granddaughter.
Melody then gasped and looked hopeful. "My dad?" she then asked softly.
"Yes... Eric... He runs the bait shop," Triton nodded which surprised Melody even more because she had visited around there a lot and never realized the man she often saw after school was her own long-lost estranged father. "I haven't seen him in a very long time. I didn't like him very much at first until I saw how happy your mother was with him and I just wanted your mother to be happy. I even tried to give you that locket for your first birthday until something happened in the sea that we had to keep you safe from."
"What happened?" Melody whispered softly.
"Well, when you're ready to meet your father, I think I should tell you then," Triton soon suggested. "That's a lot to talk about in one night, don't you think?"
"Yeah... I guess so..." Melody said softly. "I'm sorry that the locket brought back a lot of memories, Grandpa... I just felt like it was calling to me."
"...Yes, I suppose I can understand that," Triton nodded. "Well, whenever you're ready to meet your father, we'll go down there. Just try not to worry too much about tonight, all right?"
"Even if my friends all made fun of me?" Melody asked softly.
"Real friends don't make fun of real friends," Triton advised warmly. "Do you want to come downstairs and have some birthday cake before you go to bed tonight?"
"Uh... Thanks, Grandpa... I'll be down in a little bit," Melody replied gently. "I feel like I have some thinking to do right now. Alone."
"All right... I'll see you down there very soon." Triton said before kissing her cheek.
"See you soon, Grandpa." Melody smiled and nodded.
Triton smiled back before he soon got up and began to leave his granddaughter alone in her room to think. Melody watched him go before she sighed a little to herself, deep in thought as she looked down to Storybrooke Harbor, close to where the bait shop was and was still amazed to find out that that kind bait shop owner was her father all this time. She just hoped that a family reunion with him would go along decently, but only time would be able to tell for her as Sebastian crawled over and sat in her hands to see her locket.
"Thanks, Sebastian," Melody smiled as she held out her locket to her pet crab. "We'll make our family whole and complete someday. At least I hope so. I just hope that you'll be right there with me too. Are you with me?"
Sebastian looked up at her, swatting at her locket with his one claw before clicking with both claws as though to try and answer her question.
"Yes, I think so too," Melody nodded to her pet crab. "One day though, you and I, and hopefully Grandpa, Mom, and Dad can all return to the sea." she then concluded before hugging him and nuzzling up against him while he tried not to pinch her with his claws as he rather liked her.