The Melaswen Paradox (Read 296,892 times)

[Kpatch]

Seems like Melanie's podwashing may not have been so thorough.

I'm not completely convinced that Elvis is Elvis, especially since Thomas was involved.

[André DiMera]

Chapter 317

HORTON TOWN SQUARE
Ciara, Chase and Theo were walking into the Town Square. Several other teens were there, all of whom were in their Halloween costumes.
CHASE: Whoa! They really did up the Square nice this year.
CIARA: Yep.
THEO: It's mostly the same decorations from last year. Except the balloons are new, and the pumkins have different faces on them. Then again, you two and Claire didn't make it last year.
CIARA: But, we're glad to be here this year.
Trix walked over.
TRIX: Heya. How're you goin'?
CIARA: All right. You?
TRIX: Good. Happy Halloween.
CIARA: You too.
TRIX: So, what're you lot supposed to be?
CIARA: Let's see, Chase is the Man in Black from Stephen King's Dark Tower.
THEO: I'm dressed as Michael Jackson. Specficially, from the Thriller video.
CIARA: And I'm Katniss.
TRIX: Who?
CIARA: Katniss Everdeen. You know, from The Hunger Games.
Ciara gestured to the bow around her shoulder and the arrows sticking out of her backpack.
TRIX: Oh, yeah.
CIARA: You've never seen or read The Hunger Games, have you?
TRIX: No.
CIARA: Well, you will soon. So, what are you dressed as.
TRIX: One of my idols: Bindi Irwin.
CHASE: Who's that?
THEO: The daughter of Steve Irwin. He used to do a television series about wild animals. He went by the nickname the Crocodile Hunter.
CIARA: Ah, cool. I like your costume.
TRIX: Thanks, yours too. Especially the bow and arrows.
CHASE: I wonder where Joey and Claire are?
Theo pointed to the left.
THEO: Well, Joey is right there.
Joey walked up.
JOEY: Hey, guys. The name's Bond. James Bond.
Joey did a James Bond pose with a squirt gun. Ciara laughed.
TRIX: That's brilliant, mate.
JOEY: Thanks. You guys haven't seen Noelle, have you?
TRIX: Not yet. Sorry, mate.
CIARA: You're still hanging out with her?
JOEY: She's just a friend.
Ciara rolled her eyes. Then, the group heard some music.
CIARA: That sounds like it's coming from the middle of the Square.
THEO: It is. There's a stage and microphone set up for those who want to sing.
CHASE: Let's go check it out.
As they got closer, they could hear the voice of a woman singing.
VOICE (singing): All your life, you've never seen a woman taken by the wind. Would you stay if she promised you heaven? Will you ever win...?
The group got to the center of the Square and saw Claire onstage in a black dress with matching hat, singing.
CLAIRE (singing): Once in a million years, a lady like her rises. “Oh no, Rhiannon,” you cried, but she's gone and your life knows no answers. Your life knows no answers.
Click here to listen to the full version of the song she's singing:

CIARA: She's doing Stevie Nicks.
CHASE: More than that, she's doing Rhiannon.
The group listened as Claire finished the song. There was a round of applause. Claire jumped down from the stage, ran to her friends and hugged Chase.
CLAIRE: You guys made it just in time!
CHASE: Of course we did. When you said you were planning a surprise, I didn't think it would be this.
CLAIRE: You liked it?
CHASE: I loved it. I always like hearing you sing, my lovely songbird.
Claire and Chase kissed.
TRIX: Seriously, though, that was beautiful! And I love your dress!
CLAIRE: Thanks. Stevie Nicks is one of my idols, so it only felt right to go as her this year.
CIARA: That really was great, Claire.
CLAIRE: Thanks. So, what's up with all the red balloons? They're all over the Square.
CHASE: It's part of the Halloween decorations.
CIARA: Probably to promote that movie, It.
CLAIRE: The one about the clown?
Claire shuddered slightly. Chase put an arm around her.
TRIX: Yeah, but thankfully, no one's dressed like one.
CLAIRE: Thank goodness.
JOEY: Yeah.
CHASE: So, you guys wanna go get some cider and look around at the rest of the Square?
CIARA: For sure.
The six walked off together and got some apple cider.
CIARA: Well, one thing's for sure, this is one of the coolest Halloweens we've had in a while.
CLAIRE: It is. Happy Halloween, everybody!

[heroicmuse]

Happy Halloween! I loved everyone's costumes. Claire singing was a bonus too.

Claire and Chase are so sweet together.

Loved Joey's Bond costume. Nice cultural exchange with Trix and her friends not recognizing each other's costumes.

Great chapter André DiMera!

[Kpatch]

Loved the chapter. You make me wish I lived in Salem. I liked the mention of Steve Irwin's daughter.

Great song choice. I missed your radio show yesterday. Was it Halloween related?

[André DiMera]

It was, indeed, Kpatch. I'll be posting some info about it in the Random Thoughts thread shortly.

[mae00]

Happy Halloween! Just got caught up. So glad the kids are having a better halloween this year.

[André DiMera]

Chapter 318

ALAMAIN MANSION
After the party ended, Ciara changed back into normal clothes, and she and Trix went to Trix's house.
CIARA: Whoa! This place is huge!
TRIX: It sure is.
CIARA: This is, like, as big as my Grandpa Victor's house!
TRIX: Apparently my dad had it rebuilt to how it was when he was a kid and lived here with his dad and aunt.
CIARA: Nice!
Carly walked down the stairs.
CARLY: There you two are.
Carly hugged Trix.
CARLY: How was the party?
TRIX: It was awesome!
CARLY: That's good.
TRIX: Yeah, so gran, there's someone I wanted you to meet. This is Ciara...
CARLY: Ciara Brady. We've met.

DIMERA MANSION
Thinking quickly, André braced himself as Melanie lunged towards him. He blocked her attack and soon had her by the wrists.
ANDRE: Calm down! Just, calm down!
Melanie snarled as she tried to get herself free.
ANDRE: She's got some fight, I'll say that.
Dr. Rolf walked over and whispered into Melanie's ear.
ROLF (whispering): You will stop resisting.
Melanie put her hands down. André let go of her and chuckled slightly.
ANDRE: Well, as I said, our young guest certainly has some fight in her.
Melanie looked around the room.
ANDRE: Don't be frightened, my dear.
Melanie looked back at André.
ANDRE: Don't worry. You're quite safe.
Melanie looked from André to Rolf and back to André.
MELANIE: Where?
Her voice was rough, as if she hadn't spoken in quite a while.
ANDRE: You're in Salem. You had quite a nasty accident. But don't worry, Dr. Rolf and I are taking good care of you.
MELANIE: Salem?
ANDRE: Yes. You may find it hard to remember the town, at first. I fear that your memories have been affected by the accident. They shall return in time.
Melanie looked around more.
ANDRE: Do you recall your name?
Melanie looked at André. She blinked.
MELANIE: Name?
ANDRE: Yes. Your name, my dear.
Melanie blinked again.
ANDRE: Your name is Melanie.
MELANIE: Melanie.
ANDRE: That's right.
MELANIE: Tired.
ANDRE: I see. Of course you are. Rolf, show our guest to her sleeping quarters.
ROLF: Of course. Please follow me.
Melanie looked from Rolf to André.
ANDRE: It's all right. He is your doctor. You can trust him.
Melanie nodded and looked at Rolf.
ROLF: This way.
Rolf led Melanie out of the room. A few minutes later, he came back.
ANDRE: What the hell was that? I thought you said she was ready, Rolf.
ROLF: She is.
ANDRE: Then why did she try to attack me?
ROLF: She has just awoken from weeks of a very intense regiment of tests. Rewriting a person's entire personality is not easy. Because her state of mind is so fresh, she was acting on pure animal instinct. However, that will be corrected now that she is awake.
ANDRE: And her speech?
ROLF: That shall improve, as well. But it will take time. Personally, I am impressed that she was able to do so much this soon after waking up. The others are not nearly that ready yet.
ANDRE: Yes, well, now that one of our guests is awake, hopefully the others will follow suit.
ROLF: They will, André, but it will take time. Just be glad that one of them already is.
André nodded.

[heroicmuse]

I wonder who else Rolf has brainwashed. I also wonder if it really is working or not.

Oh yes, I forgot about Ciara's war against Carly when she was with Bo. LOL

Great chapter André DiMera.

[Kpatch]

I'm guessing Melanie wasn't really in an accident. I'm so curious as to what's going on!

Trix's gran was married to Ciara's father! Or at least engaged to. But she was definitely once married to Ciara's grandfather. Oh the tangled webs!

[André DiMera]

Chapter 319

DIMERA ENTERPRISES
Tony and Chad were in the office they shared together. Tony had just finished filling in Chad about the situtation with E.J.
CHAD: He's not serious?
TONY: I'm afraid he is. And I'm certain that, if he hasn't already, he's going to hire a lawyer and have him proven legally alive again.
CHAD: Well, he is.
TONY: I am aware. However, once he is legally alive, he gets a share in the company.
CHAD: Yeah, but it's not like he can just kick us out, right? I mean, we're the CEOs.
TONY: Knowing what I know about Elvis, I wouldn't put it past him to try. Especially because, the last time that he was in town, mere months ago, he was on André's side. I have no doubt that he still is.
CHAD: It is very convenient that André's been so quiet lately, since that horrible dinner a month or so ago. Now, suddenly E.J. shows up again. So, what now?
TONY: We keep a very close eye on him. I've currently got him distracted looking over the income and output since he's been away.
CHAD: That's at least three years worth of information, so it should keep him fairly busy.
TONY: For a while, anyway.
CHAD: Tony, you don't think he can actually pull it off, do you? Kicking us out of this company and claiming himself as the true heir to DiMera?
TONY: I don't think there's anything Elvis wouldn't do to get control of this company.

ALAMAIN MANSION
TRIX: Wait, you guys know each other?
CARLY: We do. It was a long time ago. I'm not sure you'll remember.
CIARA: I do.
TRIX: How do you guys know each other?
CARLY: I was...a very close friend of her father.
CIARA (under her breath): That's one way to put it.
TRIX: Ah, I see.
CARLY: Ciara, I'm very sorry about...you know.
CIARA: Yeah. Thanks.
CARLY: I would have come, but...I couldn't.
Ciara nodded.
CARLY: How's your mother?
CIARA: Good. She's getting married in a month and a half.
CARLY: Really? That's wonderful!
CIARA: Yeah, it is.
There was an awkward silence.
CARLY: Well, I'm going to see how soon dinner will be ready. Beatrix, if you want, you could show Ciara around.
TRIX: Sounds good to me. Come on, I'll show you my room.
CIARA: Okay.
Trix and Ciara went upstairs and into Trix's room.
TRIX: Is everything okay?
CIARA: Yeah, totally.
TRIX: Really? 'Cause you were looking at my gran pretty hard, there.
CIARA: Okay, I guess not. It's just...your grandma has a complicated history with my parents and me. Plus, I'm kinda sensitive about the subject of my dad and it kinda threw me that your grandma is Dr. Manning.
TRIX: Gotcha.
CIARA: I'm sorry. I guess I was kinda rude back there.
Trix put a hand on Ciara's shoulder.
TRIX: It's okay.
CIARA: No, it's not. I should have handled it better.
Trix stroked Ciara's hair.
TRIX: Hey. I'm sorry to hear about whatever happened. You wanna talk about it?
CIARA: Maybe later, like after dinner.
TRIX: Okay.
Ciara and Trix hugged.

[heroicmuse]

It will be interesting to see how Ciara and Carly manage this new relationship in Trix's life.

Tony is right that EJ is trouble. I wonder what EJ's plan is.

Great chapter André DiMera

[Kpatch]

I'm glad Tony and Chad have their radar up about EJ.

Awkward about Carly.

[André DiMera]

Chapter 320

ALAMAIN MANSION
Ciara and Trix came downstairs.
CARLY: Hi, girls.
TRIX: Hi, gran.
CIARA: Dr. Manning, can I talk to you for a minute?
CARLY: Of course.
TRIX: I'm gonna go find Dad.
Trix walked into another room.
CARLY: What can I help you with, Ciara?
CIARA: I wanted to apologize. I was kinda rude earlier. I guess I wasn't expecting to see you again, and it kinda threw me.
CARLY: I understand. Old wounds take time to heal.
CIARA: Yeah, but it was still uncool of me. I mean, Trix talks about you all the time. We're both important to her, so I'll try to be nicer, for her.
CARLY: I appreciate that.
Ivan walked into the room.
IVAN: Dinner is served.
Carly and Ciara walked into the dining room, sat down and began eating.
CARLY: So, how long have you two known each other?
TRIX: Since I moved here. We met my first day. She showed me to my first class.
CARLY: Well, that's nice.
CIARA: This is really good!
NICHOLAS: Thank you. I'll let the cook know you enjoyed it.
CARLY: So, you say you enjoyed the Halloween party, girls?
TRIX: Yeah, it was great!
CARLY: That's good. What did you dress as, Ciara?
CIARA: Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games.
CARLY: Very good.
There was an awkward silence.
CARLY: So, Nicky, how was work?
NICHOLAS: Fine.
CARLY: Good.
NICHOLAS: I finally got in touch with one of my former investers and managed to convince them to come back.
CARLY: Well, that is good news.
Nicholas nodded.
CARLY: I'm glad to hear that the company's doing well again, since the incident.
Nicholas nodded again.
CARLY: Don't you have anything to say about it?
NICHOLAS: What would you like me to say?
CARLY: I don't know. But, I hate that this has put us at odds with each other. I hate even moreso that it damaged your relationship with Melanie.
NICHOLAS: Mother, we have a guest. Surely, we can have this discussion later. This isn't the time, nor is it the place.
CARLY: All right.
NICHOLAS: Though, I will say, it's nice to have almost half of my company back, after it was essentially destroyed.
TRIX (whispering): Uh-oh.
CIARA (whispering): What?
CARLY (under her breath): Here we go...
NICHOLAS: What? You brought it up, mother. What do you want me to say about it? It's the truth. My whole company was almost destroyed by that data breach, which shouldn't even have happened in the first place.

DIMERA MANSION
André walked into Dr. Rolf's lab.
ANDRE: You wanted to see me?
ROLF: Indeed, I did. I have been looking over the latest brain scans on Melanie Jonas, and have found some interesting results.
ANDRE: Go on.
ROLF: As I had assumed earlier, because of the length of time of her isolation, as well as sensory deprivation, her brain has been completely rewritten. When she awoke, she was in a quasi feral state, causing her to react on pure animal instinct. However, this will be extremely short term. Her propensity for learning is much higher than that of a normal human, and will remain so until she regains all her mental capacities.
ANDRE: But, when that happens, we shall remain in control?
ROLF: Of course. Melanie has been programmed to follow all of our commands. Also, I found something quite fascinating in my studies of her behavior when she first awoke. When she lunged at you, we had originally assumed that she may have seen you as a threat. However, the tests I have run since then, have shown quite the opposite.
ANDRE: Explain.
ROLF: When Miss Jonas first awoke, you were the first voice she heard, as well as the first face she saw. Because she was acting at the most basic animal level at that time, she imprinted on you.

[heroicmuse]

Uh oh. All we need is Melanie thinking Andre is her father.

That really wasn't the time and place for that conversation. But I felt bad for Carly because she's surrounded by people she doesn't get along with. Lol

Great chapter André DiMera. Will there be previews?

[Kpatch]

I don't know what imprinted means in this case.

That is an uncomfortable dinner at the Alamains.

Looking forward to previews.