Day 98

[from Project Nero]

"So, who's next?" asked Alexis.

"Next, we're going to visit Melody Montrose," said Nero. "She's my… science and technology partner, I guess you could say. She provides various services for me in those fields."

"And those would be…?" prompted Alexis.

"Well, firstly, my sword," said Nero. "It's obsidian-edged, like a surgeon's scalpel, providing expert sharpness and precision. Of course, that cutting edge doesn't last forever; it gets dulled over time, and putting on a new layer of coating is a fiddly science-y thing. So I get Melody to do that instead."

"I see," said Alexis.

Nero nodded. "Yeah. Little details like that are important. Secondly, she's a computer genius. Well… she's a genius, full stop, but her computer skills in particular are unmatched in the whole city. So if something needs hacking, she's the person I turn to. Thirdly…" Conscious of all the people around them on the sidewalk, Nero lowered his voice a little. "She's very good at removing blood stains from clothing, which is rather important in our line of work. Especially when you use a sword."

"Why do you use a sword?" asked Alexis, who had been rather curious about this up until now. "Why not just use guns, like I do? They're cheaper, easier to get, easier to conceal…"

"…inaccurate, capable of jamming, make a lot of noise, need constant maintenance, need a constant supply of ammunition…" countered Nero, rattling off the long list of complaints as though he had rehearsed it a hundred times before. "Not to mention they just feel so… impersonal. I like being able to actually feel the killing blow as I land it."

"I see," said Alexis again. "Well, when you put it like that…"

"Of course, guns have their own advantages," said Nero. "Much longer range, harder to block or dodge an accurate shot… like you said, they're easier to conceal, and easier to get your hands on. But I just prefer my sword."

"Fair enough," said Alexis.

"Now, there's two important things you'll need to know about Melody," said Nero, as they turned onto a residential street. "Firstly: try not to address her as a criminal. She's not one of us. She's merely turned her expertise into a way to pay rent. Secondly, on a related note, she's very sensitive and fragile. As a matter of fact, she suffers from selective mutism, so don't expect her to physically speak at all while we're there."

"Selective mutism?" repeated Alexis. "What's that?"

"Basically, she's so shy around new people, and unfamiliar situations, that she becomes physically unable to speak," Nero explained. "She might actually communicate with us in other ways, like writing things down, but she won't actually say a word the whole time we're there. When there's no-one around, she's a fairly normal teenage girl."

"Huh," said Alexis, nodding vaguely in acknowledgement.

"Oh, and also, don't ask her why she's mute like that," said Nero. "I know it's something to do with a childhood trauma she experienced, but she hasn't even told me the details of that yet, and I thought it best not to ask. I'm sure you can understand that, right?"

Alexis nodded. Though she had been able to tell Nero about the murder of her parents, she was still very reluctant to discuss it. It was a very painful subject for her, and evidently whatever had caused Melody's trauma was a very painful subject for her as well, especially if it would still having such a profound effect on her.

"I'll tell you this, though," said Nero, as the pair started to make their way up Melody's driveway. "When I first knew her, she was just fourteen. Her parents weren't home then and they're not home now."

"How do you know that?" asked Alexis, a second before Nero pointed at the completely empty driveway. There was no garage, and no sign that a car had been parked in front of the house in quite some time. Alexis nodded once more. "So where are they, then?"

Nero merely shrugged. Though the answer seemed fairly obvious to him, he did not want to discuss it while there was a chance Melody might overhear them. "Only one person here knows for sure," he said, "and she isn't talking." The pair of them came to a halt at Melody's front door. "Well then…"

Nero rang the doorbell and stepped back. After a short wait, the door opened a crack, revealing a sliver of a face, a single lavender eye and a tangled black fringe visible in the narrow gap. Nero gave the girl a warm, welcoming smile. "Hey, Melody," he said. "I've brought over a new friend of mine. May we come in?"

There was a brief pause, then Melody nodded and the door opened fully, giving Alexis her first proper look at the girl. She was even younger than Alexis had been expecting, only about fifteen or sixteen, with wavy black hair that seemed a little tangled and unkempt. She wore a pale blue T-shirt with a picture of an anime character on it, and dark jogging pants, though judging from her rather small frame, she did not do much exercising. Her expression was somewhat nervous, her eyes darting back and forth between Nero and Alexis as she stood to one side, allowing the two of them in.

"Nice place you got here," said Alexis, nodding appreciatively as the pair made their way inside. It was indeed a reasonably-sized, well-furnished house. She wondered how much it was costing the girl to live here, in terms of rent, and wondered in turn how much Nero was paying her for her work.

Melody, as she closed and locked the door behind her, blushed a little and gave a small nod. The three of them gathered around Melody's table, and the girl took out a small touch-screen phone that was also equipped with a keypad. This was her primary method of communication, with her throat refusing to work as it should. Her eyes continues to dart back and forth between the two before settling, with some unease, on Alexis.

Nero, sensing Melody's anxiety, decided to ease her into the conversation to make her feel more comfortable. "That's a new T-shirt, isn't it?" he asked her. Melody nodded shyly. "Where's that character from? She looks familiar somehow."

Melody started to type a response on her smartphone. Despite her nervousness, her typing speed was phenomenal, her slender fingers a blur over the keypad. It's Sailor Mercury, she typed. From Sailor Moon.

"I see," said Nero, nodding. "Are you doing well? How's your thesis coming along?"

It's going well, thanks, typed Melody. Are you going to introduce me to your friend, then?

Nero nodded. "Of course. Melody, this is Alexis Moreau. Starting today, she'll be working alongside me. Alexis, this, as you've probably already guessed, is Melody Montrose."

Alexis waved to the girl by way of greeting. "Hey."

Melody forced a smile, returning the wave. The room was silent for a moment before Melody took up her phone and began typing once more. Would you like a cup of tea? she typed.

"Yes please," said Nero, smiling. "Thank you, Melody."

Alexis shook her head. "I'm fine, thank you," she said.

Melody smiled back at Nero, and stoop up to go to the kitchen and make the coffee. "She seems like a really nice girl," Alexis whispers to Nero. "How'd she get mixed up in this kinda shit?"

"Like I said, she's just in it for the money," said Nero. "She needs a place to live, just like you did."