Chapter Twenty-Seven

While everyone was home for the holidays, a couple of the dormitories flooded, but the only one the janitor couldn't get to was Aldrich, because the basement had been locked. So shortly after Melody and her friends returned from their very eventful Christmas break, Melody herself couldn't help but notice the janitor disappearing from view. She'd never been to this part of the dorm before. Peering down the stairs with her curious eyes, she saw him using a pair of bolt cutters on a rusty old padlock. There was a humming noise as he switched on all the lights, but she couldn't see much from her vantage point. Nevertheless, her curiosity was piqued.
"Chester," Melody said, tapping him on the shoulder, "do you know anything about a secret basement, here in the dorm?"
Chester turned away from his programming project, peering at her through the thick lenses of his glasses. "Secret basement? he asked, shaking his head. "No, not really, why do you ask?"
"Well, I think I might have found one," she replied, "but I need your help with the lock."
Chester grinned. "Picking locks is my specialty," he said, pulling open his desk drawer and bringing out a small tin box.
"I thought it was computers," retorted Melody, pointing at the screen of text.
Chester shot back, "Aha, you're not the only multi faceted one here," which forced a wry smile out of Melody. "Okay, boss, just tell me where it is and I'll see what I can do."
They reached the bottom of the stairs, where a bright shiny new padlock was in place. After a quick inspection, Chester opened the tin box and brought out a tiny little pick. "Can you pick it?" Melody asked, waiting nervously.
"It's a standard hard steel combination padlock," Chester replied, "easy as pie, nothing to it at all."
The busy sounds of dorm life above them seemed muffled as the two co-conspirators set to work on this padlock. Melody's heart leapt as the padlock snapped open, echoing in the narrow vestibule. She was certain that someone had heard and she held her breath. But no one appeared at the top of the stairs.
With a loud groan, the door swung open. Feeling for a light switch, Chester groped around in the dark. "Damn," he muttered, "I wish I'd have brought a torch now." His fingers finally found the switch and he snapped it on.
The whole room flooded with light as Melody and Chester gasped. Dusty and draped with cobwebs, their eyes feasted on a disused laboratory.
While Melody straightened up around the place, Chester tinkered with the equipment. "Look at this stuff!" he exclaimed. "There's a veritable pharmacy down here. A medicine making apparatus, a chocolate making machine, and god knows what else."
As Melody brushed away a thick layer of dust, she came across a file. The leaves were brittle and yellowing, but what intrigued her were the carefully handwritten notes inside. Someone had taken a lot of care and attention, jotting down every minute detail, supported by beautiful handwritten sketches. Her heart gave a jolt as she skimmed the first page and saw the elegant signature on the bottom -- Victor Alexander Goth.
From her textbooks, she knew exactly who he'd been -- the founder of a lengthy line of Goth scientists, the most prominent brains in all of Sim Nation.
Apparently, on reading these notes, Victor Goth had been working on a secret project. He'd unsuccessfully attempted to splice the DNA of a bovine and assimilate it into the cell structure of many plants. Every attempt was a failure -- until he discovered one plant that was compatible, the Venus flytrap.
They could not believe such an enormous secret had been hidden in the basement right below them. Here were the origins of the ubiquitous and infamous cow plant. "Hey," suggested Melody, "maybe we could use these instructions to try to grow one ourselves."
"I'm game," replied Chester, grinning, "and then we can report the results of our experiments to Dr. Straight, the biology dean."
Melody shook her head. "Maybe we don't need to tell Dr. Straight about this -- not yet. Not until we're done."
Chester pulled Melody closer. "Not a word of this to anyone, Melody Tinker, you understand?"
Melody laughed softly, careful not to let anyone hear her. "I know how to keep secrets, Chester Gieke," she said deviously, with a twinkle in her eye as she walked away from him. "Do you?"
Chester shook his head in disbelief. "Dang -- that close."
Meanwhile, back in Bluewater Village, two employees were in the Tinkers' toy shop -- one was making jack-in-the-boxes while the other was at the register -- when Wanda spotted a woman wearing a low-cut red dress heading toward the shed. What's she doing wanting to buy a toy? Wanda wondered, peering outside through a window.
Trying to put this out of her mind, Wanda hurriedly called the local childcare service, told them she wanted someone to keep an eye on Harmony while she tended to business in the shop.
As soon as the elderly woman arrived, Wanda ran as fast as she could to the shed, only to discover the suspicious-looking woman in the red dress was searching around. "May I help you?" Wanda asked in her sweetest voice.
"Yes," Elise Livingston asked, "I was actually looking for your twirl, spin, and wobbles."
Wanda smiled. "Well, my employees are making some now, and as soon as they're done, I'll have them put them out on the shelf."
"Thank you," Elise said as she whipped out her notepad.
Wanda thought about it. What is she doing with a notepad? she wondered. She narrowed her eyes at this brazen woman. But she kept a fixed smile on her face, hoping this was enough to mask her suspicions. "We can preorder one for you if you wish," she said, gently guiding Elise out of the workshop. "Can I take your name and address?"
Elise stiffened slightly. Wanda realized she could be rumbled at any time, so she had to think fast on her feet, as did Elise. "Oh, don't worry," Wanda assured her, "it's standard procedure. We do that to everybody."
While Wanda pretended to search for a pen and a slip of paper, Elise had a chance to scan the rest of the shop. At the far end of the building was a door. Elise assumed it was an office. If she could distract Wanda long enough, she could sneak in there.
But Wanda was sharp. Within minutes she'd located a pen and a notepad and looked hopefully at Elise. "Now, then, what's your first name?" she asked.
Elise promptly gave Wanda a fake name and address and left the toy shop empty handed.
After Wanda closed the shop that night, she decided to use the home computer. Luckily for her, those computer classes she'd been taking had come in handy as she checked out the name and address Elise had given her.
She picked up the phone and dialed Florence's number. "Hi Wanda," Florence said, her soft voice soothing to Wanda's ears, "what's on your mind?"
It was eerie, the connection between them. Florence always seemed to know when something was wrong.
"I had a strange woman come into the shop today," said Wanda, fixing the collar on her sweater. She proceeded to give Florence a fairly accurate description of Elise.
Florence smiled. "That's Elise Livingston, the local snoop," she replied. "She's paid to check out all the businesses in the area."
"Oh," Wanda said, not quite letting go of her suspicions.
Continued Florence, "And she's been spotted coming out of Malcolm Landgraab's mansion."
Wanda's heart skipped a beat. "How do you know?" she breathed.
"I saw them myself while I was tending to my nursery." Florence's voice became more urgent. "I think you've got to be super careful. If this Elise character is tied to Malcolm Landgraab as I suspect, you and Melody could be in a world of hurt."
A chill ran down Wanda's spine at Florence's last words.
Dr. Joseph Young, dean of the mathematics department at Le Tour, approached Chester as he was walking from his class. "We're trying to put together a math team for the annual William Lloyd Wright Math Competition."
Chester was befuddled. "What's that?"
"It's an annual national collegiate mathematics competition, where students from all over compete for cash prizes and notoriety. There are individual and team competitions. We used to win these contests a lot in the past. We've had a lot of turnover on our math teams recently, and we'd like to establish some continuity."
"What are you trying to say?"
"What I'm trying to say, Chester, is I'd like you to captain our math team this year."
Chester was stunned. "But Dr. Young -- I'm a physics major."
"Yes I know this, Gieke. But you're a good student and I've chosen you as our captain. I'm sure you'll do a good job putting together a team. Now you need two others to fill out your team."
Chester gave Dr. Young a sly grin. He knew just who to ask.
Melody, Edwin, and Marla were eating macaroni and cheese in the dorm cafeteria when they got involved in a spirited political discussion. "The Simocrats are now in control of Congress," began Melody. "I can't say I'm sure how I feel about that."
"Well, it probably means some of the legislation that's been pushed back by the Simpublicans may finally go through."
"I'm not so sure about that, either, Edwin," replied Melody. "The Simocrats filibuster as much as the Simpublicans do. It's a fact of life."
"Yeah, I suppose that's true. I guess it's a lesser of two evils kind of thing."
Marla, who'd been listening, and waiting patiently for her turn to talk, finally did. She volunteered that she'd been raised in a conservative, Simpublican farm household.
"My parents weren't very political, they could care less about politics," Melody added, "but I was. I read up on everything, including about the presidents and their policies."
"You too?" said Edwin. "I had committed the names, birthdates, death dates, and important milestones of each president to memory."
Just then Chester came in from his night class. He had been spending most of his time recently at the dorm, even though he had an apartment on campus. "Dr. Young talked to me today," Chester announced, "and he's made me captain of Le Tour's math team."
"Really?" asked Marla. "Wow, that's great! What an honor, congratulations."
Grinning, Chester shook his head. "Dr. Young wants me to put together a team for the Will Lloyd Wright math competition."
"I've heard of that," Edwin said. "Bunch of college kids have to solve problems."
Chester nodded. "You sound interested already, Edwin."
"Well, I was on my high school's math team. I think I can do it." Edwin then looked at Melody pleadingly. "You're real good at math."
Chester agreed with a nod.
Melody tried to laugh it off. "Guys, I'm flattered, but -- I've got a lot on my plate right now."
"It's not like the math team is going to need you 24-7, Mel," laughed Chester. "We all have tough schedules. The math team is only going to assemble once a week with Dr. Young for practice, and then we'll get ready for the competition, which is in March."
"It sounds interesting," Melody decided, "but I'm not sure if I want to be answering math questions in front of an audience."
Chester had a reassuring tone in his voice. "Well, not every question will be answered in front of an audience, as I understand it. The way Dr. Young explained it to me, there's a written individual examination and the group oral competition."
"Well hopefully I can clear up this crap with the DNA test --"
Chester's eyes popped open. "You asked Dr. Hyden for a DNA test?"
"Yeah. And it seems like he's -- I don't know -- he's really avoiding it for some reason."
Chester decided to change the subject. "Now, about the math team --"
"Well," Melody decided, "since it's in March and hopefully I can get everything straight by then -- I'll do it."
Loud applause rang from the table, followed by hugs and high-fives all around.
A heavy thunderstorm parked itself seemingly right over Academie Le Tour. With frequent lightning and heavy rain, it was the kind of evening most people spent reading or in bed. Marla had done just that -- she hit the sack just after 9 pm, saying she was tired. Edwin did the same about an hour later, which left Melody and Chester milling around Aldrich -- and that could mean only one thing these days.
Melody approached Chester while he was at the pool table bilking money out of a couple of random dormie guys. "Say, it's a dark and stormy night," she whispered, leaning toward his ear, to the astonished glances of her dorm mates. "Let's go downstairs." Chester knew exactly what she meant -- the secret laboratory they'd discovered in the basement of Aldrich Dormitory. Dark and stormy nights were Melody's passion. As a girl she'd run outside on the few summer evenings it rained in eternally sunny Bluewater Village. "Melody!" her mother would cry, "you'll catch your death out there!"
But Melody paid her no mind. Outside she ran, often barefoot, with the faint hope that one day a lightning bolt would strike her. She'd even taken one of her father's kites outside in hopes of replicating the Benjamin Franklin kite experiment.
Wanda shook her head as Melody would return to the house, drenched and cold but worst of all dejected that she didn't get struck. "My dear child," she would say as she took her to get changed and dried. "Why do you do these things?"
Melody and Chester had this unspoken language. Their bond was so complete and so true, they finished each other's thoughts and knew what the other was saying before they even said it.
Chester knew Melody by now -- perhaps better than anyone else, even her mother. He understood her highs and lows, and that when she got interested in something, it wasn't an interest -- it was an obsession.
Chester followed Melody down to the basement like a little puppy dog following its master. The month they'd spent together in Bluewater, with the toy shop and the Tinker family, only strengthened their bond. To tell the truth, he was captivated by every fiber of her being. Her intelligence, her beauty, her inner strength, her quirkiness and obsessive traits -- all deeply appealed to him and his personal sense of partnership. They were two peas in a pod. They could go far, just the two of them. With their high intelligence anything was possible. The world, according to Chester Gieke and Melody Tinker, was quite literally their oyster. In his quest to find the female form, the perfect one in his eyes was right in front of him.
But he knew -- and understood -- his limits. Even if Melody were, in point of fact, the girl of his dreams and fantasies, he believed didn't stand a chance with her -- and there was no way he was ruining his deep friendship with her to take a chance at love.
They got to the basement, where another clap of thunder jolted the equipment but not the fearless pair -- in fact, it seemed to energize them. Sifting through the folder where she'd found Victor Goth's instructions, she walked to one of the beakers and began to read through it. "Okay, so what do we do first?" Chester asked.
Melody grinned. She may have been uncomfortable in the toy store, but here she was in her element. At her core she was a scientist, and she knew it. Even when she was Darren Dreamer's apprentice he used to gently chide her about her scientific approach to art. "Well, here are the DNA charts of the bovine and the Venus flytrap plant."
"Excellent, excellent." As he read the numbers aloud to Melody, she typed them into the computer, where a graphic of a DNA molecule came up. Little did anyone know it except Chester, but Melody was truly cutting her scientific teeth right here, right now. She liked to challenge herself, push herself to her mental limits. Her coursework was not enough for her inquisitive mind. She was always seeking to learn more -- about everything.
Chester realized while he was working with her -- that he was captivated by every fiber of her being. He knew, better than anyone, that she pushed herself far harder than she pushed anyone else or anyone else pushed her.
After they mixed up the DNA, Chester wondered what was next. "Well, I think the seeds have to harden before we can plant them."
Chester let out a deep guttural yawn. "I'm getting sleepy," he said. "I'm going to bed. G'night, see ya tomorrow." He crashed on the dorm sofa on the first floor.
Meanwhile Melody turned out all the lights in the lab and went all the way up to the balcony to stargaze. One of the dormies marveled at her stamina. "Do you ever get tired?" he asked.
"Tired?" Melody asked. "I haven't got time to be tired. It just isn't in my vocabulary."
Malcolm Landgraab was resting comfortably in his mansion when the doorbell rang. "Ah, Elise," he said, greeting her with an affectionate hug. "I trust you've been to the Tinkers?"
"Yes, Malcolm, and they're being particularly evasive about what's going on there."
"Did you see little miss Melody?" Malcolm asked, the evil tone of his voice frighteningly evident.
"No, but I saw her mother. She kept me out of the shop."
Malcolm shook his head. "I wonder what they're hiding over there."

Chapter Twenty-Six

Melody knew after her tirade at the Christmas party that she was no longer completely welcome in her hometown. And that was all right with her. She had burned far too many bridges, made far too many enemies, and had far too many bad memories to go back now. She had said exactly what she wanted to, to whom she wanted to say it, and she didn't care what they thought of her or if they ever spoke to her again.

The month in Bluewater had also strengthened the bonds Melody held with her closest friends, so that now they considered themselves a family in and of itself. They were a tight-knit bunch who would go to the ends of the earth to protect each other.
Wanda and Harmony waved good-bye to Melody and her friends, and Melody to them. "Make us proud," was Wanda's last words to her in the midst of a tearful embrace. If she could just take her mother and sister with her, it would be perfect.
Melody had returned to Academie Le Tour from Bluewater a changed person. That much was clear to most of the people who stayed in her dorm. And it was a lot more than the fact that she'd grown out her hair and the shape and style of her glasses was different. Something monumental had occurred there, even though Melody herself wouldn't tell. But they knew.
She waltzed back to the dorm with her head held high and more confident than ever before. It was a confidence born of struggle and pain and aided by the security of her high intelligence and her new status as the Tinker toy heiress. She happily immersed herself in her coursework and research, and faithfully attended her classes. After facing down the whole of Bluewater and learning she was heiress to a growing toy company, surely facing the esteemed Dr. Hyden was no longer beyond her grasp.

Her growing confidence caused her to one day, after seminar, to walk into Dr. Hyden's office.
"Ah, yes, Melody --" the dean greeted beneath his paperwork, his lips pursing into a sudden smile.
"Dr. Hyden --"
"I know our situation is quite unusual and quite uncomfortable --"
"When are we going to take the DNA test?"
Dr. Hyden sighed. "Melody." He had noticed the changes in her too. No longer shy and awkward, a determined young woman now stood before him, demanding answers.
"When are we going to take the DNA test?" Melody repeated her question, even more forcefully than before.
"I've told you, the astronomers' convention is next week, probably after that."
"I want the test done this week. All you need to do is submit your DNA. It won't take long at all." "Melody, I'm sorry, that's impossible --" Just then the phone rang, and Dr. Hyden answered, disappearing into the world of his telephone call. "I've got to take this."
"I'll be back later," Melody vowed as she walked down the hall to her next class.

The phone rang in Aldrich Dormitory that evening, and Marla answered it. "Hello, may I speak to Melody?" said the female voice on the other end.
Marla was confused. "May I ask who's calling?"
"I'm -- an old friend -- of Melody's. Is she there?"
Marla hesitated. "Yeah, she just walked in from class." She then called Melody to the telephone and walked away.
Melody, walking toward the phone, picked up the receiver. "Hey, Mel, do you know who this is?"
Melody shook her head. She didn't recognize the voice right away.
"It's me, Sarah. Sarah Rodiek."
Melody took deep breaths in disbelief. On the other end of the phone was the only person on the planet she'd completely, totally surrendered her heart to.
"I can't hear you. You're not saying anything."
"What am I supposed to say, Sarah?" asked Melody.
"A simple, 'hi, how have you been?' would suffice. You haven't changed a bit, have you, Mel?"
Melody was frozen. "I ask again, Sarah, what am I supposed to say? I'm supposed to welcome you with open arms back into my life after you hurt me?"
"Oooh, Mel, touchy!" Sarah said. "But if anyone hurt anybody, you hurt me first."
Melody was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"You stubbornly refused to admit that you loved me, even in the face of overwhelming evidence."
Why does Sarah always do this to me? Melody asked herself, choking back tears.
"That was all I needed you to do, Melody Tinker, was to say you loved me -- the way that I loved you." Sarah's tears were evident on the phone, but she calmed down. "I just started at Sim State. It's okay so far. How's Academie Le Tour?" Sarah asked, careful to enunciate 'Academie Le Tour' in a snotty manner.
"Oh, it's great, wonderful. I've made quite a few new friends."
"Any new girlfriends? What about that chick who answered the phone?"
"She's my suite mate. Sweet girl."
"I see. Well, I'm gonna let you go, we'll keep in touch. Bye."
As Melody hung up the receiver, Marla grilled her. "Who was that?"
"Who was what?"
"That was your old girlfriend, wasn't it, Melody?"
Melody shook her head. It wasn't an accusatory tone in Marla's voice, just matter-of-fact, but it sent uncomfortable tingles through her body. "We -- kissed, but we never went out or anything like that."
Marla was amazed. "You kissed a girl? Wow."
"It was nothing." Melody shrugged it off.
But Marla was emboldened. "What would you do if I kissed you?"
Melody couldn't help but chuckle at this notion. "You?" she asked Marla, amazed. "I never would have thought. I'd have imagined you the wholesome white-picket-fence with a dog, a husband, and 2 kids type of person."
"But you're so beautiful!" Marla cried. "And you don't even know it."
Melody looked at Marla with disgust. "What is it you see in me? I'm skinny, I wear glasses, I'm a geek to my core --"
Marla shook her head. "I'm in awe of you, Melody."
Melody laughed a sarcastic laugh. "You -- in awe of me?"
"Have been since the day we first met. I'm so plain -- and you're gorgeous without even trying. Then there's the fact that you started college at sixteen, and you're into stuff I'd never be able to understand in a million years. I've seen you buried in those quantum physics and calculus books. You gobble them up like candy."
"Believe me, Marla, they're not as easy as they look."
"No, Mel, they're definitely not as easy as you make them look. The point is, you're on the dean's list despite taking 22 credit hours of coursework and some honors courses."
Melody couldn't believe Sarah had contacted her. And she was even more incredulous over the mousy Marla's brazen admission that she was attracted to her. For the second time in her life she found herself the object of another girl's adoration and affection. And like the first time, she wasn't exactly sure how she felt about it.
She hadn't come to college for this type of attention. All she'd wanted to do was learn everything she could, about as much as she could, while she was there.
Melody tried hard to figure out how on earth she'd gotten herself in this mess to begin with. She'd dealt with Sarah in high school, but that was high school -- and this was college. Too much time had passed, too much pain had been inflicted. And then there was Marla. Marla was a sweetheart, Melody thought. But she knew, deep down, that a romantic relationship would make both of them feel incomplete, and they were better off being just friends.
She needed to call someone to help her sort out this complicated situation -- and all of a sudden the answer came to her: her mother.
This was a notion that would have been improbable just a year earlier, but such was the progress the pair had been making on their relationship that nightly chats over the phone were now commonplace.
"Hi, mom," Melody began, walking through the common area in the dorm.
"Hey, sweetie. How are you doing?"
Melody took a deep breath. This was not the kind of thing she wanted to be discussing in the common area of Aldrich Dorm. "I -- I just got off the phone with Sarah."
Heaving a sigh, Wanda shuddered at that name's significance. She knew Melody meant "that" Sarah, the one who had hurt her so badly. What was Sarah doing trying to weasel her way back into her daughter's life all of a sudden?
"She started at Sim State this semester," Melody began.
"That's nice. Glad to hear she's getting her life together."
"She wants to see me again."
"Are you going to let her?"
"I don't know -- I don't feel like dredging up all those memories. But that's not why I'm calling. I'm calling about Marla."
"Marla -- the girl that was here?"
"Yes. Marla just said -- Marla just said she was attracted to me."
Melody could hear Wanda drop the receiver. "Marla?"
"I know, it's a shock to me too. I surely was not expecting that. I didn't know what to say -- and I certainly don't know what to do."
"Well, have you talked to Marla about this?"
"No, she just said it, right after I got off the phone with Sarah."
"Well, first of all, love, you need to sort out how you feel about both Sarah and Marla."
Melody sighed. "That's the problem, I don't know how I feel."
"Well, there are several ways you can interpret Marla's comment. It doesn't have to necessarily mean she's in love with you. She could just mean she admires you."
Melody nodded. "I'll try to talk to Marla and figure out what she means. It's definitely got me confuddled."
"Okay, sweetheart, I'm gonna let you go. I love you."
"I love you, too, mom." Melody tentatively hung up the phone.

Melody returned to Dr. Hyden's office the next day after class. This time, he wasn't as charitable. He pretended to be busy in order not to see her.
Melody decided that this was unusual behavior for him, so she waited for him to look up and see her before she said anything. "Shoot," he muttered to himself amidst his papers.
"You still haven't answered my question," Melody said.
"Not now, you know about the convention. I have to present my findings on black holes."
You're the only black hole I see here, Melody thought to herself.
Dr. Hyden looked up finally, this time with a smile. "Which reminds me, I can take a student representative to the convention. Would you like to go?"
Ordinarily Melody would leap at the chance to attend this convention, and especially with Dr. Hyden, who had been one of her idols growing up. But now, with all she had on her plate, she could only mutter, "I'll think about it," to him.
Dr. Hyden made an attempt to convince Melody to come with him. "It'll be a great opportunity for you to present your research on paranormal activity."
The website, Melody thought. I've been so busy I haven't checked up on it in ages. "I would need to compile all my data before presenting it to anyone."
"Well, when you've thought about it, please tell me so I can prepare accordingly."
Melody still wouldn't budge from her position. "So after the convention we'll do the DNA test, right?"
Dr. Hyden shook his head and sighed. "Well, we'll see, Melody." He tersely returned to his work.

Because of a central heating malfunction in the lecture hall where Melody was supposed to have her class, Melody stayed in the relative warmth and comfort of Aldrich Dormitory with Marla, whose biology class came much later. Melody plucked the glossy magazine, Sim City Living that usually came with the Sunday editions of the Sim City Times, from Marla's hands. "I can't believe you read all this rubbish," she said, shaking her head.
"It's got some really good stories in it," protested Marla, blushing furiously.
"Gossip, more likely," came Melody's tart reply. "Look, if you wanted gossip, you should have lived in Bluewater. The place is teeming with it."
Melody's eyes fell on an article that stood out from the rest. It announced the wedding of actress Emily Livingston, one of the 'in-girls' from her old school. Apparently the man she'd married, Ricky Cormier -- the former school heartthrob no less -- had been caught cheating on her. It had been a messy divorce indeed, complete with a nasty custody battle over their two children. "Hmm," mused Melody, "I guess she had it coming to her after all. She chased after that guy all through school even though she knew about his reputation."
Melody turned to Marla, and without thinking about it, opened up a little bit to the astounded girl. "I was in the seventh grade at Sim City Junior High..."
Melody's mind traveled back. She was peacefully doodling in her sketchbook underneath a shady tree. When she wasn't in the library, art room, or science lab during her lunch and recess breaks, this tree was where she'd be. On most days she'd be alone, but on this day a group of kids with perfect hair, perfect makeup, and perfect clothes encircled her. "What do you want?" she asked them, looking up at them.
"Let us see what's in that notebook, weirdo," asked Meadow Thayer, flinging her shiny blond hair back.
"No!" Melody cried, holding it close to her chest. "I'm not letting you see it!" She showed them the word "private" scrawled on the front of it.
"Oooh, touchy!" whispered Emily Livingston.
"If you don't let us see what's in that notebook," Brittany Lipman threatened, "we'll yank it from you and show it to the entire school."
Melody refused, so the girls ganged up against her. She hadn't yet started working out, so she was hopelessly outnumbered, and her notebook was taken from her. "Hmmph," decided Emily, flipping through the pages, "nothing in here but drawings of ghosts and aliens and machines."
"Drop dead, lesbo," shouted Meadow as she tossed the notebook into one of the muddy puddles.
"Give it back to me!" pleaded Melody, rising in anger against the girls. Later, after the girls left, Melody walked to the puddle to pick up her notebook to try to salvage the pages within.
Returning to the present day, Marla grabbed her hand. "Melody."
Melody hesitated in reciprocating, freezing a bit, but then placed her hand right underneath Marla's. It was difficult for Marla to fathom such incredible isolation, having grown up in a household of five burly brothers plus her father. Marla had gone through her own fair share of teasing in school for being shy, wearing glasses, burying her nose in books, and being overweight, but even her struggles seemingly paled in comparison with Melody's.
What she didn't realize was that at least some of Melody's struggles had been her own doing.

The rain fell down in sheets as Malcolm Landgraab left his mansion to go to the electronics store he'd inherited from his father and grandfather. "So the kid wants to play hardball, eh?" he muttered to himself as he strode to a waiting cab, trying in vain to avoid getting himself wet. "Well, we'll just see about that."
When he reached his shop, a striking woman with brown hair in an upsweep and a red spandex dress that hugged every curve on her body walked in. She introduced herself as Elise Livingston, the consumer affairs editor for the Sim City Times. Coming in the guise of an average customer, Elise had come to review the electronics store.
Malcolm watched and waited as Elise took out her notepad and began writing. Working his considerable charm on her, he broached the subject of Tinker Toys.
"Its owner died last September, right?" asked Elise.
"That's it," replied Malcolm. "I gave the Tinkers a generous buyout offer a few months ago, but Stephen's meddling daughter got in the way of that."
"You're kidding!" Elise exclaimed. "I thought she was just a teenager."
"Apparently this teenager is in charge over there." Malcolm sighed, half in frustration and half in disbelief. "I'm hearing she reopened the toy shop too. Here's what I need you to do. I need you to go down to the Tinkers and find out what you can. I need to know everything that's going on there."
"They would have been wise to take you up on your offer, Malcolm."
"Yes," he agreed, scratching his chin, "and now, they shall have hell to pay. Especially that meddling little Melody."

Chapter Twenty-Five

Malcolm Landgraab IV sat in his cushy mansion overlooking Bluewater Village, going over his books. From his office window he could see the entire neighborhood, including the Tinker house, which rose from prime land right across the way. He was flabbergasted that Wanda Tinker had the gall to refuse his generous buyout offer for Tinker Toys. And it hadn't taken him long to figure out why -- Melody, her oldest daughter.
It had become clear to Malcolm that Melody was now in charge at the Tinker house. Her angry tirade at the village Christmas party was fresh on his mind, but he'd laughed it off and dismissed it as a temper tantrum from a spoiled little brat. He remembered the girl, too. On occasion she wandered into his electronics shop to buy a new video game or to check out the latest gadgetry. She would even ask questions about how some of the machinery worked, to which he'd respond, "Like hell I know how they work? I just sell 'em."
Now, though, she was all grown up. And she was getting in his way. He had to do something to get rid of her. But what?
Malcolm got on the telephone and made several phone calls to his various contacts in different areas of Sim City society -- including the seedier aspects like organized crime. "I need you to find out anything you can on Melody Tinker," he shouted to anyone who would listen. "I don't care if she puts her panties on backwards. I want to know about it!"
Meanwhile, Melody and the boys were spending their days between the backyard toy shop and Inner Child Toys and Gifts, rearranging and redesigning the decor, building a website, arranging mail-order service, and going over the accounts. She realized the boys were at her disposal, willing to do anything and everything to please her. And she was learning to like it.
Marla, meanwhile, had chosen to stay back at the house, helping Wanda with Harmony and listening to Wanda tell childhood stories about Melody. "I signed up to live in the dorms so I could try to meet new people," Marla began. "I was happy, though, when I got assigned to Aldrich, but dreaded finding out who my suite mate was going to be. When I learned her name -- Melody Tinker -- I got all kinds of mental images, constantly wondering what she'd be like. But she's been one surprise after another so far."
Then Wanda reminisced, "We took Melody to the pediatrician one time, she was running a fever. While he was examining her, she peppered him with all kinds of questions. 'How does this work?' 'How does that work?' 'What does this do?' He laughed and told us he'd never had a child like her, and he finally relented and gave her this book to read. Well, she'd finished the book by the time we got home."
"I figured she was like that," Marla said. "When we're at school, she usually has her nose in a book, and it's usually something with physics or math. She keeps a stack of books by her bed."
"We didn't need a maid. There were times when we wondered if we were raising a daughter or a drill sergeant." Wanda laughed, and so did Marla. "Her bed was so neatly made up every morning you could bounce a ball on it!"
"I don't worry too much about cleaning in our suite," Marla said, "not with her around. She pretty much keeps everything spotless."
"We didn't need an alarm clock, either. We knew she would be up at 6 in the morning, every morning, because we could hear the clanging of the weightlifting machine in the exercise room. There was no way we could keep up with her pace. If we stayed up past nine at night we were good. She stayed up all night stargazing and still managed to wake up at 6 am."
"I don't know how she does it either," Marla confessed. "I get tired very easily. The other day she made me go along with her for one of her runs, I got tired before we turned the first corner."
"And we definitely didn't need a mechanic. She took apart everything that had a plug. Clocks, radios, telephones. Even the brand new computer my husband bought for her. Yep, it got taken apart too. I can't tell you how many times I'd come in her room and find her with a screwdriver in her hands. Stephen often complained of his tools 'mysteriously disappearing.'"
Marla laughed. "If something breaks in the dorm we usually call her to fix it. And when she and those boys get together -- I don't understand what they're talking about half of the time, they speak a language I don't recognize.
"You mean those two shaggy-haired boys with the glasses?"
"That's them. Edwin Sharpe and Chester Gieke. Techno heads both. They know all about the latest gadgets."
That evening Melody walked in, with Chester and Edwin following like puppy dogs behind her. Wanda, handing Marla Harmony, walked up to Melody and confronted her, her hands on her hips, glaring purposefully. "What's the big idea?" she asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Mom," replied Melody, flabbergasted. She really thought she and her mother had made a breakthrough, but it looked as though they were back to square one again.
"I saw the lights on in the workshop last night," Wanda replied, dangling the keys in her fingers. "What's going on? I have a right to know. All these years, you've never set foot in the place. Now, all of a sudden, you're interested. Would you care to enlighten me?"
Her questions were fired like bullets, staggering Melody from all angles. "Mom, please, let me explain."
"Explain what? Why are you so interested all of a sudden?" Wanda was trying to make sense of her daughter's perplexing behavior.
Melody took a deep breath. "Can we sit down?" she said, pointing to the chair. "We really need to talk."
Wanda was unconvinced, but sat down anyway.
"I couldn't sleep last night," Melody began, "all I could think about was the workshop..." Her voice trailed off.
Wanda opened her mouth, but Melody raised her hand to silence her.
"I know," she continued, "it's weird, really. I've never given it a single thought....until now. So I decided to take a look around. It was while I was looking at a few blueprints and marvelling at how clever Stephen was -- that I found this."
Handing Wanda a folded sheet of paper, Melody said, "It's Stephen's last will and testament. I think you'd better take a look at it."
While reading, Wanda's eyes fell on a clause near the bottom of the first page. "So he left the toy shop to you after all," she said in disbelief.
"Yeah," Melody thought. "I was stunned. This has come as a complete shock to me too."
"Stephen and I talked about this," Wanda said to no one in particular, "I tried to talk him out of it, and I wasn't sure if he was going to go through with it. Apparently he did."
"I would never have expected him to leave it to me, only to you."
"What are you going to do?" Wanda realized that whatever Melody had decided to do, she had already decided to do it, and it was utterly pointless to stop her from doing it.
Melody hesitated. "I'm not sure yet. I don't exactly have a head for business, Mom."
"You could start by sifting through everything first before you take the plunge. Stephen was always the organized type, so everything should be there at your disposal."
"The boys and I have been down at Inner Child the last couple of days cleaning up and applying fresh coats of paint."
"That's a start." Wanda sighed. "I'm not forcing anything onto you at all, Melody. I learned that a long time ago."
"I know that," Melody smiled. Then, turning serious, she vowed, "I'm not letting Malcolm Landgraab get a single piece of my father's company."
Melody brought in the account book and a lengthy list of back-ordered items, orders that hadn't been filled since Stephen died. She and her friends went in what used to be her bedroom to discuss them. "Here's the deal," Melody announced. "People have ordered handcrafted toys and they haven't gotten them."
"Like I said before," Chester said, "Edwin and I can make the toy bricks, those are pretty easy. Maybe you could get your mom to make some of the other things."
Melody shook her head. "She hasn't set foot in the shop since Stephen died either."
"She'd have to help at some point, I would think," suggested Edwin. "After all, she's more experienced in this stuff than anyone here."
Marla added, "The kids would be so disappointed that they didn't get their stuff. We have to find some kind of way to get them their things."
After their meeting, the group split up. Marla went downstairs to help Wanda out with Harmony while Melody and the boys went out back to the workshop to fill the back orders.
The Tinkers celebrated a quiet Christmas with the laughter and good cheer that had been missing from the household for far too long. Wanda and Marla got together to cook a fabulous holiday feast rivaling that served by Lisa Ramirez and Denise Jacquet at the village Christmas party, and everyone else exchanged gifts. Wanda even got to work her pipes again while Melody played Christmas carols on the piano, which she hadn't touched in awhile. And when everyone else sang Christmas carols, Melody joined right in instead of balking at it like she had when she was younger.
"Oh, my God, it's snowing!" Marla cried, rushing to the window to look. The rest of the gang followed, even Melody. She'd secretly prayed for snow as a girl -- growing up, Christmases had always been warm enough to wear shorts. Not this year.
"Let's wait for the snow to pile up, we can go out and build snowmen," suggested Chester.
Edwin was reticent. "I -- I don't know. It is kind of cold out there."
"Relax, it'll be fun!" Marla replied, muffling his stringy blond hair.
Sure enough, the snow piled up, and the four of them scurried outside to build snowmen. The snow felt cold on their hands, but as Melody had never seen snow except on television, even frostbitten hands was well worth it.
On the day after Christmas Edwin came up with a suggestion. "Remember that website I helped you make for tracking paranormal activity?"
Melody frowned. "Which reminds me, I've been so busy with the toy store, I've got to check my email for that site. That'll probably be another all-nighter."
"No, I mean a website for Tinker Toys. Does the company have a website?"
Melody shook her head. "I -- I don't think so. Edwin, that's a splendid idea! I don't know why I didn't think of it."
Edwin grinned. "You can't think of everything, Mel." Just like that the pair of them went into her parents' bedroom, spending hours on developing a website for Tinker Toys. "You're going to need to purchase a domain name, too. And maybe do something like a statement from the owner or CEO or something. Gonna need a good professional looking pic."
Melody made a face. "Where am I going to find a camera?" she asked him.
"Well, don't you guys keep an old camera around somewhere?" asked Edwin.
Meanwhile, Chester and Wanda were down in the shop furiously making toys to try to fill some of those last-minute orders. Chester read the daunting list aloud. "Forty clown-in-the-boxes, twenty water wigglers, sixty Little Heroes fire trucks --"
"And that's just for Tower Toys here in Bluewater. The shop downtown is asking for even more items."
"Maybe -- perhaps -- we could hire temporary staff to help out?"
"Wouldn't we have to put out an advertisement?"
"An advertisement would be a great idea. It would show everyone that Tinker Toys is serious about coming back."
The rest of the holiday was filled with trips to Inner Child and assorted delivery runs in the Tinkers' rented van, fulfilling backorders, and general good humor in the household. The boys took turns tossing Harmony in the air, to Wanda's horror. "She'll puke!" the Tinker widow screeched.
Chester laughed. "Harmony likes it. Look, she's laughing!"
Marla kept the house clean and minded Harmony while Wanda found it in her heart to set foot in the shop again, interviewing potential staff members and even, picking up a hammer to carve out a few items. "Let's see if I've forgotten how to do this," she thought to herself.
Melody was right, Wanda mused. Stephen's spirit is all over this place. Wanda stepped to the bench and proceeded to make a twirl, spin, and wobble. After hammering together the handles, she took some tempera paints and lovingly handpainted the ladybug design on it.
Just then Melody joined Wanda in the toy shop, setting foot in the place in Wanda's presence for the first time. "What have you decided to do?" Wanda asked.
"I think we can give this a go, while I'm here," Melody replied.
Wanda unleashed a broad smile. "What are you saying, child -- that you want to reopen the shop?"
Melody smiled nervously. "I -- I think so, while I'm still here on break," she said, bobbing her head yes. "Besides, it's what Daddy would have wanted."
At the Landgraab mansion, Malcolm was 'entertaining' a female companion in his hot tub. She was quite tall, with luscious lips, blond hair, and blue eyes. After entertaining her with good conversation, he plied her with alcohol and they disappeared underneath the bubbling water.
After they emerged, Malcolm said, "You're pretty good -- Barbara."
"It's Brenda," replied the woman. "Brenda Rodiek. But thanks, anyway. You know, I had a pretty good teacher."
"Really?" Malcolm decided to change the subject. "You mentioned your daughter was at Hanover Academy."
"Yes, she's about to graduate. She's talking about trying to get into Academie Le Tour."
"Academie Le Tour, eh?" Malcolm scratched his chin, a devilish train of thought crossing his mind.
"Academie Le Tour. That's where her friend went. Melody Tinker. I think that's why she's trying to get there."
"Melody Tinker eh? So how does your daughter know Melody?"
Brenda wondered about Malcolm's leading questions, but she continued to talk glibly. "She met her at school when they were assigned as roommates. They grew quite close from there."
"How close?"
"Sarah came home to me crying. I asked her why she was crying, and she said it was because she liked this girl Melody at school and Melody refused her affections."
Malcolm was bemused. "So your daughter and Melody Tinker had a thing going on there, eh?"
At six the next morning Melody arose, again before everyone else in the household, and went for a jog around the neighborhood. Then, when no one was looking, she took a cab to the Bluewater post office to pick up packages of toys and supplies she'd ordered from the internet, and walked straight to the workshop to assemble and set them up.
Chester arose awhile later. He spotted the light on in the workshop and woke up Edwin. Rubbing his eyes, Edwin shook his head in disbelief. "Dang," he muttered to himself. He knew full well what that light meant. Melody was fiddling around in there.
Hastily putting on his jeans and hoodie, Edwin ran as fast as he could to the toy shed, and Chester followed him. There, they saw Melody trying to unpack boxes and assemble items, but trying to hide the fact that she was frozen in fear. "You need any help with anything?" Edwin asked.
Melody said nothing, but pointed to several more boxes that needed unpacking.
Chester chuckled. "Yes, boss," he teased as he tore open one of the boxes, and Edwin did so likewise.
At eight in the morning, the Tinkers reopened the doors to the backyard workshop of Tinker Toys for the first time since Stephen's death. And the timing could not have been better for some of its most loyal customers. Melody shuddered a bit when she recognized a couple of raven-haired girls in Hanover uniforms. Even though she didn't know these girls individually, she knew she was glad to be away from there.
The customers wasted little time in arriving, and they gazed in awe at some of the new toys. In addition to the bricks and fire trucks, the old standbys, there were new items, such as rag dolls (courtesy of Marla) and toddler televisions (courtesy of Chester). They'd certainly pulled out all the stops on this one, just in time to complete nearly every back order.
While Chester took to the bench making bricks, Melody went to the register. At first, because there was no one in line, she was fine, she could stand up and intake the scene. But once customers lined up, and she had to look at them and collect money from them, that was when she got nervous. After taking a break and taking stock of things, she returned to the register. But that wasn't to say the rest of the day was easy for her.
It cost Melody a fortune in taxi fares, delivering completed orders to houses, but it was worth it just to see her customers' faces. It made her heart jolt with unexpected pride when they all complimented her on the 'personal touch.'
She took note of this and decided to add home deliveries to the new look agenda.
While checking out the store's annual budget, she noted how carefully Stephen had accounted everything, from the blocks of wood right down to the smallest tacks. Everything had been carefully costed out and there was no room for any mistakes at all. It was going to be tight, but Melody vowed that once she passed her driving test, she would purchase a small van and begin the delivery service. It always had been the little things that mattered with Tinker Toys.
It was while she was traveling back home in the taxi that she came up with the perfect new slogan that defined Tinker Toys' new approach to business -- Bringing Toymaking Into the 21st Century.
As she drifted off to sleep that night, Melody realized how easily she'd slipped into Stephen's shoes as owner/manager of the toy shop. The only thing holding her back was her paralyzing fear of the toys themselves.
When the crew finally packed up to return to Academie Le Tour, Marla discovered, tucked away in the back of a closet, a badly chipped wooden brick. Melody recognized it straight away -- it was Maddy. Her paint was faded, her lips missing and she was well beyond repair. Memories rushed back as she recalled the many nights she cupped Maddy in her hands as she slept.
Now Maddy was a toy she wasn't afraid of at all. So why was she scared out of her wits by the others -- even other toy bricks? Surely it wasn't just that horrible clown-in-a-box that had caused it.
She remembered how Maddy had slipped into her possession, too. It was among many toy bricks in a shipment Stephen had made for one of the big toy stores downtown, and somehow it had fallen from the rest of the pack. For some unknown reason, Melody formed an attachment to it, and even though Stephen wanted to take the brick from her, he hadn't had the heart to.
"I can't have my daughter locking herself in her room talking to a toy brick!" Wanda had shouted.
"Wanda, you of all people should know -- you can't take a toy from a child! That's like taking milk from a baby! Let her have her brick, if she feels comfortable with it."
At any rate, Melody, meanwhile, was upstairs in her room, rocking back and forth, clutching Maddy in her hands. Somehow, Maddy had become more than a toy to her. She would confide in Maddy all of her fears and frustrations. It had even gotten to the point where Maddy fit snugly in a special pocket in Melody's school bag.
One day, when Melody was in school, she'd somehow left the bag unattended as she sat underneath her favorite tree, reading a book. Some mean kids had found the special pocket where Melody had kept Maddy. "Put it back!" Melody cried, mostly in vain as one of the kids dangled the brick in front of her and threatened to throw it away.
The girl ran as fast as she could, as far away from Melody as she could. Melody did not return home with the brick, and she had difficulty sleeping that night and several subsequent nights. She had given up hope that she would ever see Maddy again.
Days later, in gym class, Melody wandered into the bleachers and discovered her precious Maddy had been thrown near the top. Reunited with her beloved, she locked herself in the girls' bathroom and promised she would never leave her alone again. That day, Melody decided to lock Maddy away in a safe place and only take her out whenever she felt comfortable -- which was usually in the relative safety of her bedroom.
Just as Melody was preparing to leave, Wanda walked in the toy shop and found her in there, staring once more at the blueprints. For a few seconds, she stood there watching, marveling at the woman her daughter was becoming. Despite her childlike nature, she had a muscular sense of responsibility, drummed in her by her success-oriented parents. "You gotta do what you gotta do," she said finally as Melody, hearing her voice, turned around.
"Yeah. But what about the shop?"
"I can handle the shop." For the first time, Wanda sounded confident and had seemingly developed a belief in herself and her abilities.
But Melody wasn't completely convinced. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yeah, dear. I can handle it." Wanda grabbed Melody's face. "I can't hold on to you much longer, love, as much as I'd like to. You've got your whole new life now. I've got to let you sprout your wings and fly."
The hardest thing for a parent -- is letting their child go.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Author's note: I've been experimenting a little with hair, etc, so if the characters you know and love look different, that's why. :D

Unbeknownst to Wanda, Melody had found the keys to Stephen's toy shed.
After Wanda and Harmony had gone to bed, Melody took the walk from the main house to Stephen's toy shed, which had been locked and untouched since his death. When she looked around, she could feel his spirit all over the place. She saw unfinished toys littering the shed. She saw careful, exact blueprints of toys yet to be made. Picking up one of the diagrams, she marveled at its precision. Angles had to be perfect. So much thought and loving detail had gone into each and every one of his toys. Maybe toymaking isn't as elementary as I thought it was, she wondered as she removed the cobwebs and dust from Stephen's bench.
While locating a hammer, some tempera paints, and a wooden cinder block, she stumbled onto Stephen's account book. Here, too, she was surprised by the amount of detail. As she flipped through it, she realized that in the entire history of Tinker Toys, not one single toy had ever been returned as defective. In that moment she gained a new respect for Stephen Tinker, and in the process realized what it truly meant to be a Tinker.
Suddenly the DNA results didn't matter much anymore, not in the grand scheme of things. Melody had been raised a Tinker, therefore, even if she were only one by association, she was still a Tinker, and to be one meant that she was a part of a longstanding tradition of toymaking excellence. As she hammered away at one of the toy bricks she had watched Stephen make long ago, a memory flashed in her mind...
She was twelve years old, and the Tinkers had just purchased Inner Child Toys and Gifts. To celebrate, the family had planned on going to the shop to officially open it to the public. When they got there, everyone was excited -- but Melody was nearly hyperventilating in fright. All the toys seemed to spin around in a circle, with one thing in mind....
Only one lady, who had been Inner Child's very first customer, seemed to notice. "This child's having a panic attack," she'd told Wanda.
"She wants to go home," Wanda told her, "and I'm not leaving her in the house by herself, that's what she wants." Stephen intervened, taking Melody outside and getting her a drink of water to try to calm her down.
Then, returning to the present day, suddenly, as she picked up the hammer, it happened again. Melody's heart began racing, her breathing became frantic, she wrung her hands and stepped away from the bench.
I thought I was over this, she thought to herself.
Taking off her glasses, she wiped the sweat dripping from her forehead and into her eyes. Okay, Mel, calm down, she told herself, calm down. She walked back outside, sitting on the steps of the toy shed, burying her face in her hands.
Giving herself a pep talk, Melody told herself she could go back inside and finish the brick she was making.
Melody walked back into the living room, where Wanda was watching an old romantic movie. Then Wanda surprised her with a small announcement. "I'm going to Florence's for awhile. Could you keep an eye on Harmony for me?"
"Sure, mom," Melody said with mixed feelings. She was glad her mother had finally decided to get out of the house, but at the same time, she was mortified. She had never spent any significant time with her kid sister. How was she going to relate to a three-year-old?
Melody inhaled deeply as she walked upstairs to her kid sister's bedroom, which used to be the exercise room. There she saw little Harmony happily playing with -- toys! In particular, a see and say-like rabbit that a toddler pushes the ear of and it 'talks' in a mechanical voice and the little dots it had for eyes ran around in circles every time Harmony pushed its ear. She wished deep down that it could be that easy for her. But she knew it wasn't.
"Armi poop," said Harmony, raising her arms to Melody.
"What?" asked Melody, confused.
"Armi poop!" repeated Harmony.
This time Melody's face turned beet red and she started to cry. She wasn't sure what to do!
Wanda spent the afternoon at Florence's place on Lake Meadow Circle. "It's good to see you again, dear," Florence said, reaching for Wanda to give her a hug. "Melody's return sure seems to have done you a lot of good."
"I'm glad to have her back," Wanda admitted, "I wish I could keep her around forever."
"Speaking of which," Florence said, leaning forth conspiratorially, "she sure made quite a big splash at the Christmas party. People in town still can't stop talking about it. Frankly, I can't say I blame her for what happened. It was all boiling over underneath the surface."
"She doesn't really like to talk much about what's bothering her. She never did, really. Always kept everything in. I told her the other night that she can't keep doing that."
Florence had a thought. She grabbed the latest edition of the Sim City Times off the coffee table. "Um, Wanda, dear, I think you'd better take a look at this," she said as she handed the paper to Wanda, who was sitting on the sofa, sipping her chamomile tea.
Casting a quick glance at the open page, Wanda gasped in shock. Printed in bold letters, glaring out at her was this article: WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO TINKER TOYS?
"For years, Tinker Toys has been the pinnacle of Bluewater Village and the surrounding area. But now, its closed doors and halted production line are sparking numerous rumors. Is it possible that this once busy company is at risk of closure, disappointing millions of children nationwide?"
As Wanda read the article, a deep knot developed in her stomach. She knew that she hadn't the heart to maintain the shop or even make more toys since Stephen's death. But Melody's vehement refusal to sell the company remained fresh in her mind. This was a girl, she remembered, who had such a deep and paralyzing fear of all toys that she wouldn't even set foot in the shop. Who knew, Wanda wondered, the workings of her eldest daughter's brain?
"Malcolm Landgraab offered to buy the company," Wanda casually mentioned to Florence.
"And you refused, right?"
"Well, Melody did. She was upset with me for even considering it."
"And she was right. Do you realize who Malcolm Landgraab is? He owns half of Sim City and is constantly looking for more lambs for the slaughter."
"You don't understand why I'm so confused, Florence. This girl wouldn't even set foot in the toy shop. My husband and I begged and pleaded with her to come in and help us but she refused at every turn. And now all of a sudden, now that Stephen is dead, she decides that she doesn't want to sell the company?"
Florence laughed. "The girl has a plan, Wanda."
"If she's got a plan," Wanda wondered, "what?"
Sipping her tea, Florence mused, "Maybe -- maybe she wants to reopen the toy shop."
Wanda shook her head in astonishment. "What? But why? She never showed any interest in toys or toymaking. She was from one project to another --"
"She wants to keep his memory alive, Wanda. Even if he's not her biological father, he raised her, so he's her dad. Reopening the toy shop is her way of paying tribute to him."
Tears began flowing down Wanda's cheeks. "I had no idea she felt this way."
"She may go about things differently than what you're used to, but you've got to admit, her heart's in the right place here."
"Sometimes, Flo," Wanda thought, "I think you understand Melody better than I do."
When Wanda returned home, Harmony leapt over to her and yelled, "Armi poop! Armi poop!"
"Melody! You were supposed to change her diaper!" shouted Wanda as she scooped Harmony up.
"I didn't know I was supposed to change her diaper!" Melody hung her head in embarrassment. "I'm not cut out to be a parent."
Wanda took a deep breath. Instead of launching into a tirade, she lifted Melody's chin and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Neither was I, when you were born. Some things you just can't learn from books, love." She walked upstairs with Harmony in tow.
Melody decided to play a little chess. She hadn't touched a chess board in awhile and needed to refresh her skills.
With Wanda and Harmony both asleep, Melody wandered into her parents' bedroom, searching through her father's records on his computer and through crates of papers. She discovered something she probably should have seen months earlier -- a copy of Stephen's last will and testament.
There it was in black and white. "I, Stephen Ronald Tinker, being of sound mind and body... do, in the event of my death, hereby leave my backyard toy shop and my community lot business, Inner Child Toys and Gifts, both collectively designated as Tinker Toys, to my darling daughter, Melody Autumn Tinker..."
Melody took another gander at the words printed on the page. She wasn't entirely sure she'd read them correctly, so she went over them again. They read the same thing. She had become president and chief executive officer of Tinker Toys immediately upon her father's death. The news was, to put it lightly, a stunner to her, especially since she'd spent much of her young life running from the fact that she was a Tinker.
Melody returned to the backyard toy shop, soaking everything in. It belonged to her now, all of it. The bench, the shelves, the cash register, the record books, even the community-lot business, Inner Child Toys and Gifts -- was hers. And she wasn't exactly sure how to handle this new situation -- and the new responsibilities the situation created.
Walking up to some of Stephen's blueprints, Melody examined them again, and ideas began to churn in her head. With the cell phone Wanda had bought her for Christmas, Melody dialed the one person she knew could help -- her best friend in the world, Chester Gieke.
Chester had decided to stay behind at Le Tour rather than return to Bluewater for the holiday. And boy, she decided, he didn't know what he missed.
"Hey Ches --""Mel!" Chester's jocose voice scratched through the receiver. "Merry Christmas! How's it going?"
"Pretty good -- and you?"
"Bored out of my mind."
Melody laughed. "I told you, you should've come to Bluewater with me. There's been enough entertainment here to fill a year's worth of programming on SBN."
"That wild, huh?"
"Yep." Melody suddenly turned serious. "Something else has happened, too. I found out my father left me the company."
Chester let out a loud gasp. "Your dad left you Tinker Toys?"
"You got it." Melody let out a deep sigh.
"Do you realize you're a bona fide heiress?" Chester joked. "Can I call you Paris Hilton?"
"I thought he would have left it to my mom, but he left it to me instead. I don't know what to do. I can't just leave the company here. And I certainly don't want to leave college. I worked too hard to get there. If I knew my dad was going to die and leave me the company --"
"Mel, I'm on my way there first thing in the morning. And I'm sure I could convince Edwin to come too, and maybe Marla as well."
"You know where my house is, right?"
"Sure I do, it's the yellow two-story one on Eagle Lane."
"Yep, that's it. See ya tomorrow then?"
"We'll try not to get there too early in the morning, maybe ten-ish."
"Don't worry about it, I get up early anyway. And my mom might be up with Harmony." With that Chester hung up the phone, and Melody locked up the toy shop for the evening. She knew the next day was a big day.
Melody had difficulty sleeping that night in anticipation of Chester's arrival. That also meant she would have to introduce her friends to her mother -- her two worlds would now be colliding. How would her mother respond to her friends? Would she like them?
Like she used to do, she rose at precisely six in the morning and put on her workout gear to take a jog around the neighborhood. A fitness freak, she liked to keep herself in shape by lifting weights and running, either on the treadmill or around campus.
While coming back from her jog, she saw a bright yellow cab pull up in front of the house. "Oh my gosh!" Melody exclaimed. "Already?" Sure enough, out of the cab came Chester, Edwin, and Marla. How was she going to explain all this to her mother?
Turns out, she didn't need to -- at least, not for the moment. "You must be Melody's college friends," Wanda said sweetly, greeting the group at the door with Harmony in her arms.
"Mom," Melody breathed, "these are my college roommates, Chester Gieke, Edwin Sharpe, and Marla Biggs."
Wanda smiled. "How do you all do? I'm pleased to meet you."
"I'm happy to meet you, too, Mrs. Tinker," Marla said. "Melody doesn't talk a lot about you, but everything she's said has been good." Marla then gushed over Harmony. "Oh, my goodness, is this cutie Mel's kid sister?"
Meanwhile, the boys followed Melody to the backyard toy shop, and Wanda looked outside in disbelief. "Goodness, what is she up to?" she wondered.
"Gosh, I remember playing with Tinker toys," Chester recalled as the three of them walked to the backyard toy shop. "I had a little red fire truck, it was the Little Heroes --"
"That's it." Melody smiled at the memory. Just then she had a vision, of Stephen back in the shed, working on a Little Heroes fire truck.
Edwin's eyes widened with disbelief. "You're Melody Tinker -- of THOSE Tinkers? The guys who made all the toys? Even the water wiggler my sister and I played with?"
"You got it." For the first time, Melody glowed with pride at being a Tinker.
"Didn't you ever sneak in here, sneak a peek at what was in here?"
"Not really --" Melody said it with a tinge of regret.
"Man, if it were me, I'd have been in here for hours."
"I sneaked in here the other night for the first time."
Chester shook his head in astonishment. "I'd have thought, with your creativity, that this would be right up your alley."
Melody took a deep breath. Little by little she offered the astonished guys a glimpse into her soul. "I'm afraid of toys," she whispered sadly. Then she finally mentioned the jack-in-the-box incident to them.
Seeing her stiffen at the mention of it, Chester and Edwin wrapped their arms around her. They didn't judge her or try to understand why she felt this way.
"Well," Chester suggested, "there are plenty of things you can do in the toy shop besides make toys. You can design them -- I'm sure you have tons of ideas for new products swimming in that cute little head of yours. Designing stuff would be right up your alley, I think. Other people can actually make the toys."
Melody chuckled. "And just who exactly did you have in mind?"
Chester playfully batted his eyelashes in a fake diva pose.
"You -- make toys?" Melody shook her head. "I thought the only toys you messed around with were of the electronic variety. These are made with wood and tempera paints."
"There was a time when I didn't play with electronic toys." Chester grinned.
"Last person to the shed is a rotten egg," Melody called to the boys, knowing full well that in her great physical shape, she would win any footrace. With legs like the wind, her curly ponytail flying, she beat the boys to the toyshop door, leaving Chester muttering and Edwin huffing and puffing.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Wanda stroked Melody's hair and pressed her close to her bosom, cooing softly and rocking her gently. "There, there, love," she said quietly, taking off Melody's glasses and putting them in her pocket. She wiped the tears that had been steadily streaming down her face.
Why had her little girl been so angry with everyone for so long? She didn't understand. If only she could understand.
But now the anger was out, all out. She had said everything she'd wanted to, everything she'd held inside for, apparently, a very long time. It was over now, all over.
"You can't keep doing this to yourself, love. Can't hold things in until you burst."
Pulling away, Wanda grabbed Melody's face in both her hands and smiled widely. "You remind me so much of myself when I was your age. I had a fire too, but I never had any courage to use it. What you did at that party would have made your father just as proud as myself." Wanda let her face go.
Melody stiffened, hearing her mother speak about her father, but Wanda shook her head.
"I'm talking about Stephen," said Wanda. "He may not have been your biological father, but he loved you all the same. And that's what matters most. Now, dry those eyes and let's go into the kitchen for some Santa cookies. You used to love those when you were little."
Wanda handed Melody back her glasses and the pair of them walked, arm in arm, into the kitchen. "I remember when you were little," Wanda began wistfully, "and you were sick and you missed school. You were so depressed because you hated to miss school. I felt bad because you felt bad. So I went to the school to get your assignments."
Melody brightened. "Really?"
"Yeah. All the teachers could rave about was your intelligence and how you were always ahead of the rest of the class. When I got back, I baked you these cookies and you felt better."
Wanda and Melody sat down in front of the fireplace, facing the Christmas tree in the living room, drinking milk and eating Santa cookies. "Sweetheart -- remember back when you were, about eight years old, when you first asked for the easel -- you stayed up all night working on a painting of the solar system. Your dad called me up to see, and it was so beautiful, it looked like Picasso himself had painted it." Wanda took a deep breath. "Have you lost interest in painting, dear?"
Melody thought about her mother's question. "No, I haven't lost interest in it, just haven't had time to indulge, really, what with my coursework and all."
"Speaking of which, Melody, you never told me what you're majoring in."
"Astronomy."
Wanda frowned. "Astronomy?" she asked.
"The study of the stars, the planets, and the solar system -- with a concentration in applied mathematics. I have art as a minor."
So much like her father, Wanda thought to herself. "Anyway, dear, why was there such a sudden change of heart? You used to love to paint. Even got that internship with Darren Dreamer."
Melody took a deep breath. "Mom -- can I tell you something?"
"Sure, sweetie."
"Mom -- I -- I was abducted."
"By aliens?"
"Yes."
Wanda was stunned. "What? When did this happen?"
"When I was fourteen. It happened when I was home on my first visit from school."
"What -- I mean -- how long --"
"I was gone about four hours. But you didn't know about it because you were asleep."
"You were gone? Where did you go, honey?"
"I don't know, exactly. There isn't much I remember about that night. All I know was after that happened I was filled with questions -- about the universe, about life, about everything. I just needed to know. I still need to know, to understand. To make sense out of everything."
"Melody --" Wanda whispered.
"I didn't say anything at the time because I was sure nobody would believe me."
"I believe you, darling." Wanda stroked Melody's chin. "Now that I think about it, it was a different Melody after that. You'd changed. I didn't know you anymore."
"I was trying to figure out some things -- I guess I'm still trying to figure out some things."
"Sweetheart -- take as long as you want to figure out as much as you want. I'll be waiting." After they finished their cookies and milk, they walked upstairs. Melody crawled in her mother's bed, the other side of which had been empty since Stephen's death. She opened a book and started to read. However, she never finished what she was reading as she fell asleep in the midst of it.
Coming back to the bedroom, Wanda chuckled silently as she saw Melody fast asleep, her book stretched across her chest, her glasses still on her eyes. The more things change, Wanda thought, the more they stay the same. Carefully Wanda removed Melody's spectacles and book and placed them both on the nightstand beside the bed. Tucking her in, Wanda kissed her on her forehead. "Good night, love. I love you more than you'll ever know."
The next morning Wanda woke up. "Honey, I found this on the floor," Wanda began, pointing at a hardcover copy of the last Harry Potter book.
"You can have it," Melody had said, groggily wiping her eyes, "I don't want it."
Wanda shook her head in disbelief. "But I thought you loved books. I've seen the way you used to treat them. You used to freak out if any of the pages were folded over or if the spines were bent out of shape."
"I have my reasons."
"You can tell me, I'm your mom."
"You won't understand.""Try me."
Melody sighed, plucking the book out of her mother's hand. An electric jolt passed through her at its significance. "It's from Sarah."
There was a deafening silence as Wanda wracked her brain over who this Sarah character was. The name sounded somewhat familiar. As Wanda looked directly at her daughter, she could see Melody trying to avoid her gaze, looking down at the book as bitter tears clouded her vision. "Melody, honey?" she asked sweetly as she lifted her daughter's chin and forced Melody to look at her. "Was Sarah that girl -- that girl you kissed?"
Immediately Melody's defenses sprang into action. "I don't want to talk about it!" she shouted.
Wanda nodded. "I understand." She stood up, reaching forward and squeezing her daughter's shoulder gently. "I'm making a cup of coffee now, would you like one?"
Melody nodded, surprised at her mother's calmness. She half-expected her to rise up like a monstrous bull, raging and snorting, ready to go on a rampage.
After filling the coffee pot up, Wanda turned to Melody. "Sweetheart, you know you can always talk to me," she said.
Melody looked at her, unsure how to handle this new scenario.
Wanda sensed her silence, but continued. "After your father, I mean Stephen's, untimely death, I've had time to reflect. And life's far too short for anger and frustration."
The coffeepot percolated and Wanda poured out two cups of decaffeinated coffee, with a spoonful of creamer in Melody's just the way she liked it. Putting both cups on the table, she gently took the book from Melody's hand and opened it up to the first page. "Let me know when you're ready."
As she put the book down on the table, Wanda remembered she had to go and check on Harmony. Squeezing Melody's shoulder again, she stood up and walked away.
Melody couldn't help but notice how much slower her mother walked now, her shoulders slumped, her sprightly step now a slow gait. "Mom?"
Wanda paused and turned. Springing out of her seat, Melody ran to her mother and hugged her tightly. "Thanks," she whispered.
"No, honey, thank you," Wanda replied, "for showing me the way. For letting me see what a truly wonderful daughter I have."
Melody smiled broadly, not quite believing the fulsome compliments her mother, with whom she'd fought for so long, was now paying her.
But Wanda suddenly turned serious. "You still have feelings for this Sarah, don't you, sweetheart?"
Melody's sudden silence and bubbling tears were all Wanda needed to see to confirm her maternal suspicion.
"And she's hurt you deeply."
Again Melody looked away, the tears in her eyes beginning to overflow.
"Do you know where she lives?"
"I -- I haven't heard from her in a couple years, that was, till she sent me this book." Melody gazed again at the Harry Potter volume.
Wanda cradled Melody's head on her chest, all the while trying to make sense of her daughter's pain and confusion. "I know you hurt, love, and I want so badly to heal every one of your wounds. I want even badder to shield you from getting hurt ever again, because when you hurt, I hurt." Wanda wanted to know more about this Sarah who had hurt her daughter so -- this Sarah who Melody obviously still cared deeply about. But she didn't want to press, now that she had an idea of the depths of Melody's pain. She hadn't forgotten that despite being a freshman in college, her Melody had only barely turned seventeen. "Tell me more about Sarah. Her background, where she's from."
Melody hesitated. "She -- she was -- she was from the city."
"From Sim City?"
Melody nodded. "She lived downtown. She had short blond hair and big blue eyes. But I don't think I was attracted to her looks."
"Honey, falling in love for the first time isn't easy, for anyone. If we understood the way love works we'd all be rich and wise beyond our wildest dreams." Wanda then waxed rhapsodic on her late husband. "Stephen and I grew up together. Our parents lived next door to each other and they were friends and it was kind of a fated thing that we'd get together. We were best friends as kids, high school sweethearts as teenagers, and we went to college together where Stephen was one of the llama mascots for the Sim State football team. Then I met Dr. Hyden and my whole world turned upside down. He was so smart and charismatic and unbelievably charming. He literally swept me off my feet."
Melody nodded. "What about -- what happened between the two of you?"
"Everything was a blur. The night after Marcel and I went out, Steve proposed to me. I didn't think about anything, I just said yes."
"I guess it was the same way when I met Sarah. She was so ebullient, so full of life, and before I knew it I was kissing her. And I was dreaming constantly about just being with her. I really didn't understand what was happening, and I couldn't figure out for the life of me why it was happening."
"You were in love with her," Wanda said, wiping a loose tear from Melody's eye. "You're still in love with her, after all this time."
"I couldn't say any of these things to you or Dad. I didn't want to disappoint either of you guys, with me -- you know, liking a girl."
"You could never disappoint me, love," Wanda smiled. "So that was why you all of a sudden clammed up after you'd told me. That was why you ran away that night, too."
"What night?"
"That night you disappeared. I was so worried about you, I didn't know where you'd gone."
"I took a walk," Melody said. "A long, solitary walk. Thought about some things. I came back in after midnight." She heaved a deep sigh. "So much time has passed."
"And so much pain, too, love." Melody nodded at this comment, knowing in her heart that it was absolutely correct. "The day you were born, I told my mom that you were the prettiest, sweetest looking child I'd ever seen in my life. When I held you in my arms for the first time, looked inside those big brown eyes, I just lost it. I think I was doing more crying than you were. The midwife took you away from me for awhile, gave you your bath and your diaper, and handed you back to me. When she handed you back to me, I cried some more, wondering what on earth I did to deserve this little miracle. Then I watched you grow, and kept wondering what I did to deserve this perfect child -- so well-behaved and smart. Then I watched helplessly as those big cheery brown eyes became cold and angry. You became a total stranger, someone I didn't even know. You weren't Melody. You were -- someone else. I didn't know why it happened, but I knew I wanted it to stop."
After Wanda wiped away her tears, she changed her subject to a much happier one. "Hey, I saw what you did to Gilbert Jacquet."
Melody giggled. A deep, guttural, hearty giggle. Wanda was glad to hear it -- a sound she hadn't heard in a long time, music to her ears. "He deserved it," she whispered conspiratorially, leaning closer to Wanda's ear.
"Yeah, he did." Wanda was glowing all over. She was glad to have her daughter back.