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This is a scene from my YA called Melody's Song. Melody is packing before her big assignment: to help mortal Nathan Peterson find his true career path.
I sat on my bed trying to focus on the checklist I’d scribbled down. Toothbrush? Check. Laptop? Check. Self-doubt that I could actually succeed at this assignment? Double check.
Cassie and Art stood at my open closet. Almost every piece of clothing I owned lay in a heap on the floor at their feet. They were arguing over a buttery yellow sundress.
“Why would she need a dress?” Art asked.
“In case they go out somewhere nice,” Cassie fired back, tossing the dress toward the small pile of clothes they’d agreed upon.
“Like a date?” Art snorted. “This isn’t one of our field trips, Cass. This is an assignment.”
“She might need to cozy up a bit with the Charge.”
I pretended to concentrate on my checklist, letting them fight. My fingers slid under the front flap of Nathan’s folder, pulling out the glossy headshot.
“Cozy up? That is not allowed,” Art hissed between clenched teeth.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, dummy. The rules are a bit grey on flirting, and whatnots.”
I stared at Nathan’s pink lips, thinking about grey areas and whatnots.
“You two are so boy crazy, I swear.”
“What about you? You can’t stop obsessing over Lisa. If I hear one more comment about Lisa, I’ll monkey bite you so hard your arm will be bruised for a month.”
“Oh no, you won’t! Melody will protect me.” Art darted across the room and jumped on the bed. His big arms grabbed me around the waist and pulled me off the bed. In a tangled mess of limbs, we crashed to the floor.
“Get off me, jerk. You deserve a monkey bite!” My fingers formed pinchers and sought out any bare skin I could see. They clamped down, and twisted the wad of flesh caught between them. Art screeched like a girl, and Cass howled with laugher above us.
“Not nice, Mel. Not nice.” Art got up and sat at my computer desk, sulking and rubbing a patch of bright red skin.
Cassie and I ignored him and went back to packing. “Did they give you any instructions on stuff you’d need?”
By “they” she meant the Senate. She hadn’t referred to them as the Senate since I told her about my assignment. “No, not really. They gave me some petty cash. I guess I’ll just buy whatever I need.”
“Are you nervous?”
Why lie? “Yes.”
“You’ll do great.” Cassie gave me an endearing smile. She always had the utmost faith in me.
“Thanks. I just wish I knew what they were thinking. This is big.”
“Huge.”
“Enormous,” Art piped in. “Gigantic”
Cassie giggled. “Mammoth”
“Okay! I get it.” Talk about beating a dead horse.
“Colossal,” Cassie whispered under her breath. I flung a teddy bear at her.
“Ohio U, right?” Art asked, typing away at my computer’s keyboard.
“Yeah.” I glanced over at the screen, watching him navigate around the University’s website. I had to concentrate to stop from throwing up.
“And they didn’t say why they were sending you?” Art turned in the desk chair pinning a curious look at me. Cassie stopped trying to stuff my makeup case into the jam-packed suitcase. Talk about calling out the elephant in the room.
“No.”
“And this is about this guy taking the wrong major or something like that?”
I nodded, keeping my attention focused on my checklist.
“Not exactly Love worthy if you ask me.” Art muttered under his breath.
“Shut up, you idiot. Mel will do great. This is just to get her feet wet. Right, Mel?” Cassie tone was filled with hope.
“Sure. Maybe.” I flung a shoe I didn’t want into the corner. It hit the wall with a thud and landed on a pile of discarded clothes.
“But why you?”
My mind felt like an over-saturated sponge, unable to concentrate on anything. I’d been racking my brain since this afternoon trying to figure out that exact question. I wouldn’t be surprised if ooze started to leak from my ears soon. “I don’t know. They didn’t elaborate.”
“But—”
“I don’t know,” I snapped, cutting Art off before he could ask another question I didn’t have an answer too.
“Mel.” Cassie’s calming voice soothed my frizzled nerves. “We’re only curious.”
My head felt like it was being pinched between the forefinger and thumb of a giant. “Sorry, Art.”
“It’s okay.” Art turned back to the screen, studying the campus’ site. “Hey, did you know they have an on-site bar? Are they giving you a fake I.D.?”
I pulled the Canadian driver’s license I’d been given and flicked it toward him.
“Nineteen? That blows. Twenty-one and you could have drank.”
“Not everyone’s goal in life is to become a lush and toss up in a shrub, Art.” His face reddened at my not so subtle reminder of the end of summer bash. I’d never seen anyone look so ill. His skin literally took on a pale sea-foam green tinge.
A soft knock interrupted whatever response about to form on Art’s lips. My mom stuck her head in the room. “All packed?”
“Almost.” I watched Cassie struggling with the zipper on my bulging suitcase.
“Grandpa is downstairs. He wants to see you.”
“Down in a minute, Mom.”
I waited for her to leave before glancing at Cassie and Art. They both acted weird around my Grandpa. I got that he was Cupid. Yeah, couldn’t exactly forget that fact. But still. “I’ll be back soon.”
My two best friends shared a look, but neither said anything. I gave an exaggerated eye roll and headed downstairs. Maybe Grandpa would be in a less evasive mood then earlier.
****
I hope you enjoyed this section of Melody's Song!
Happy Reading!
Kendal
Once a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just an writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the
Excerpt Monday site! or click on the banner above.
