Chapter 4

It was a sunny day back in the Glyme Kingdom, baby Alexandra was playing with one of the girls near the lake while their fathers fished.

"Alexandra?"

"Yes Destiny?"

"Why is your skin like that?"

"Why is my skin like what?" Alex asked catching his father's attention.

"Your skin is different from everybody's," Alex's father was quick to snatch her before she could reply to the question.

"Uh... Sweetie? Don't you want water?" He asked noticing the shocked look on Alex's and Destiny's faces

"No daddy. I have to answer Dest..."

"Mom is sick. She need us back home," he cut her off. He said his goodbyes to the other fishermen and walked away from them with his almost empty basket and his fishing tools in hand.

"Mama! Mama!" Alex was close to tears when her mother didn't reply as she ran inside the house and into the bedroom.

"Alex sweetie," her father started but she still paid no heed as the only person she wanted at that moment was her mother.

"Daddy where is mommy?" Her tears fell involuntary.

"She is outside. Talking with Mrs. Wilson," once that left her father's lips, she was out of the house and ran directly to her mother who was standing with the other ladies gossiping as usual.

"Mama!" She yelled and hugged her mother's feet.

"What is wrong honey?" Her mother asked and she wiped her tears but they still fell.

"I thought you left me mama," she cried some more.

"I am not going anywhere honey," her mother assured her before kissing the top of her head.

The other ladies started gossiping amongst themselves while walking away from Alex and her mother.

James watched her wife and kid talking like old friends. And wondered what he did in his past life to deserve such people in his life.

His wife still looked ten years younger and even more attractive than when he meet her.

Then his eyes travelled to Alex, her dark skin was shining under the sun and the waterfall in her eyes seemed to have dried up already.

"Who is helping me cook dinner tonight?" Marian asked and watched as his husband's eyes went wide and walked hurriedly to the back of the house.

"Where is daddy going mommy?" Alex asked her mother while her hands tried to braid her mother's hair.

"He is going to do something. Now, how about you help me cook dinner?" She smiled when her daughter gave her a toothy smile and nodded her head.

They prepared dinner which consisted of fish soup, masala beans and some spinach.

At the dinner table, the family of three talked about how their day went. The conversation was smooth until Alex asked, "Why is my skin different?"

Her father spat out the water he was drinking while her mother almost choked on her peas.

"Huh? What... What makes you um... think your skin is different?"

"Destiny asked me today and she was telling the truth. My skin is not like yours nor dad's," she shrugged and looked at her father and mother's shocked faces.

"Sweetheart, you have high melanin," her mother thought quicker and her husband nodded to show support.

"Melon..."

"No honey, melanin. Say meh."

"Meh."

"Lah."

"Lah."

"Neen. Now say it faster."

"Mehlahneen. Melanin!" James clapped and poured some of his peas on her plate.

"Promise me you'll stop asking your mother such questions."

"I promise daddy." The dinner continued smoothly between the family of three and they went to bed soon after that.

                           *A Year Later*

"Mommy, Destiny won't play with me again," Alex cried entering the house. The news had spread that Alex was found on the river.

"It's okay sweetie..."

"No it's not!"

"I will play with you."

"It is not the the same!"

"It is the same. And top yelling or..."

"I want my daddy!"

"I said stop yel..."

"I want my daddy now!" That earned her a slap from her mother who gasped afterwards.

"Alex baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

"I hate you!" Alex yelled and ran to the bedroom. She started crying while mumbling her cries with the pillow.

"Sweetheart?" Marian walked in the bedroom and sat on the bed next to the crying Alex.

"Don't touch me!"

"Sweetie. Mommy is sowwy."

"I'm going to tell daddy," she cried more and buried her face deeper into the pillow.

"I apologised baby," Marian rubbed Alex's shoulders.

"Do you love me mommy?"

"More than anything honey."

"Will you play with me tomorrow?"

"Yes. Absolutely," Alex turned around and threw her arms around her mother.

"I love you mommy."

"I love you too sweetie."

Fee minutes later, Alex's soft snores were heard. Marian shifted and placed get gently on the bed and used a towel to cover her. She kissed her forehead and left the room.

"Honey....!"

"Shhh," Marian hushed James who was almost close to finishing his sentence.

"What's going on?"

"No one wants to play with Alex. She was throwing tantrums and I ended up slapping her."

"What!?" James whisper yelled with his veins almost popping out of his forehead.

"I did not mean to..."

"Darn it," he ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry," James hugged his wife when he saw she was close to tears.

An hour later, Alex came out of the bedroom and into the living room.

"Hey honey," once she heard her father's voice, he jumped on the couch and three her arms around her father's neck.

"Where is mommy?"

"I heard that she slapped you. Please forgive her hon..."

"No she didn't," Alex started shaking her head vigorously.

"She didn't?"

"Mhm," she got off her father's lap and ran out of the house and to the garden where her mother was flowering the roses.

"Mommy!"

"Oh. You're up?" She placed the watering can on the ground and picked Alex up.

"Who is that," she pointed to the men who were called to protect the kingdom since the wars might start soon.

"That is warrior."

"Why is he holding a huge knife?"

"He use it to protect everyone."

"That huge knife is called a sword honey. It is used to kill enemies when they want to hurt our families and friends."

"I want to have one too."

"You don't just get it. You work for it."

"Then I want to work for it."

"Sweetheart, do you want to have a sword?" Her mother asked.

"No."

"Oh..."

"I want to be a warrior with huge knives. I mean a sword."

"Why?"

"So that I can protect you and daddy. And Destiny will play with me when I have a sword."

"What?" Her father asked this time. It was new news to his ears that Destiny does not want to play with Alex.

"Yes."

"Why won't Destiny play with you?"

"Because I am... I am... I have too much mela..."

"Melanin."

"Yes," this came as a shock to James and Marian.

"Let's go inside. I will bake some cookies for you," they all went inside the house with James and Marian whispering amongst themselves.

Who refuse to play with you just because you have high melanin?