Non Omnis Moriar

Chapter 1 Meeting Melanie

Melanie walked down the center street of Thunder Mesa, humming the haunting tune of her music box. She couldn't get the mesmerizing tune out of her mind as she walked along the horse-beaten road. She was heading to the bookstore as she did every few days. It was one of her favorite places in the whole world, besides her home, of course. Melanie and her parents had moved to the small town of Thunder Mesa nearly ten years ago when Melanie was just a preteen who felt like she never fit in. Now she was a tall, proud adult, knowing the tricks of the trade in life. She knew when to keep her mouth shut during a conversation and just where to place her foot during a waltz.

During her life, Melanie had always been the pride of this little town. She was as stunning on the outside as she was on the inside. As a small child, she would often feed the starving pigeons some of her bread as she went with her mother to the general store. Her mother was not as caring as her daughter was. She would walk ahead of her, acting as if she didn't even know her own daughter, or if someone would ask, "Is that your daughter? She's quite beauti—" "No, she is not my daughter!" her mother would snap back as she hurried on furiously. Her father, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He was a kind, caring father, and a talented woodcarver. In fact, he had been the one to give Melanie the music box for her sixteenth birthday. He was a wonderful man that would make any daughter feel special.

The womenfolk of the town were not as caring. They had grown up with Melanie and had despised her ever since she had first come to Thunder Mesa. In school, they were petty and cruel in how they treated her. For example, they might reach out to one of her ringlets and dip it in their inkwells. She would gasp, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked back to them, and they would always reply, "Accidents happen." Then Melanie would turn back around, and as soon as she did, they would quickly dip one of theirs in and run screaming for the teacher, blaming the whole situation on Melanie, of course. The young boys, now fully-grown young men, had all fallen deeply in love with Melanie. As young boys, they would try and just say "Hello" to her, but get tongue-tied at the last minute, their faces turning the exact shade of a tomato. Now as young men, they almost had the courage to walk up and propose to her, but seeing her react with such surprise when looking up from her book, they would walk away quickly into the crowd. Melanie's favorite love in life had always been books, besides music. It was an indescribable feeling when she read something that could truly captivate her. This was one of the reasons Melanie was heading to the bookshop now. At this bookshop, it didn't matter what the time of day was or the most recent trend in fashion was; as long as Melanie was sucked away from her provincial life, she would be satisfied.

Melanie walked on down the street, and noticed little girls hiding behind their mommies' skirts; hiding from her glance. She couldn't blame them; not many young women her age read about 75 of their day like she did. She did consider herself a bit odd, but she didn't mind one bit. Melanie liked being different; it meant not blending in with the crowd and following the latest trend. She could be her own woman and she didn't care what anyone else thought of that.

"Ah, Melanie! What a joy to see you again!" greeted the bookseller as Melanie pushed open the door to his store. He was a very friendly, jovial man, about near the end of his life. But he was like a grandfather to Melanie, so she cared about him and they had formed a bond as friends.

"Good morning, Mr. Hatchet! I've come to return the book I borrowed. I really enjoyed it!" Melanie exclaimed happily.

"You're finished already? But you just brought it home with you two days ago!" Mr. Hatchet questioned her in astonishment.

"Oh, I really couldn't put it down! It was so wonderful!" Melanie handed Mr. Hatchet back a copy of "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. "Do you have anything new?" Asked Melanie as she started towards the bookshelves on the far side of the far side of the wall.

"Not since two days ago!" Chuckled Mr. Hatchet as he put the book back on a small shelf along the window.

"That's alright!" Beamed Melanie as she looked back at him. "I'll borrow…this one." Said Melanie, picking Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" off the shelf. Mr. Hatchet adjusted his half-moon glasses in astonishment.

"That one? But you've already borrowed it twenty times!" Mr. Hatchet exclaimed. In truth, Melanie had. She was deeply entranced by the sadness and tragedy in the story. The story was all about a misunderstood monster; just like her. Melanie had never thought herself very pretty, though she was the pride and joy of the town.

"But it's my favorite!" exclaimed Melanie happily as she swung backwards from where she was on the ladder. "Far-off places, a misunderstood monster, an inventor with a dream!"

"If you like it so much, I'll gladly give it to you." Beamed Mr. Hatchet.

"But, sir, I couldn't. This is too great an honor; I could never—" started Melanie, looking up at him in surprise as he handed her back the book.

"Melanie, I insist! You love it; I persist you keep it." Mr. Hatchet smiled at her.

"Well, thank you! Thank you very much!" waved Melanie as she walked out of the bookshop and opened to the front page. Just the very word "Frankenstein" sent chills up her spine. Melanie had trained her brain into multi-tasking, or reading and walking at the same time, and not getting a nauseous feeling as she went. Melanie had been a content reader since a very young age. Even her former schoolmasters took notice of her extraordinary reading level. "Her reading is exquisite!" they would exclaim. "Breathtaking!" Melanie had already read many stories out of the Holy Book and is able to understand them better than most people her age.

Suddenly, Chris, a handsome member of the town who was never afraid to show his face to her, jumped down from a tree in front of her. He was more of a "strapping hero" type than anything else, who would make a fine husband one day for any woman. The two of them had known each other for a long while, soon forming a bond as tight friends.

"Hello, Melanie." Greeted Chris to Melanie. She acknowledged him at once.

"Hello, Chris. Always nice to see you." Melanie smiled up into his big, brown eyes. His eyes captivated Melanie in a way she could and would never be able to explain. Chris usually looked bold and confident. Now, for some reason, he looked meek and slightly afraid. He started following her, reading her book over her shoulder. Melanie soon became annoyed.

"Chris, is there something you need?" she asked calmly, turning around to his startled face. Melanie walked down to a nearby bench near them and sat down. Chris got down on one knee. Oh no, Melanie thought. Is he doing what I think he's doing? He took one of Melanie's hands in two of his.

"Melanie?" he asked softly.

"Yes?" she replied in the same tone.

"Will you marry me?" he asked, the biggest tears Melanie had ever seen welling up in Chris's eyes as he prepared for the worst. Melanie smiled softly to him.

"Yes." She whispered to him. The tears began streaming down Chris's face as a huge smile swept across it. Melanie had soon realized after years of being the best of friends that she had, indeed, fallen in love with him. He was one of the nicest people she had ever met and would willingly spend her whole life with him, if she must. Chris pulled out a small box from somewhere in his jacket. He opened it up, and inside was a beautifully crafted diamond ring. Three semi-precious stones sat in a row—one large one in the middle, representing the present, one small stone on the left representing the past, and one small stone on the right, representing their future together. Chris slipped the ring onto her slender finger with the greatest of care. Melanie and Chris stood up, a loving look in each other's eyes. Chris leaned in and kissed Melanie for what felt like an eternity. This was his way of showing her he really cared about her and wanted to spend his life with her. When they broke apart, he walked her back up to her house. When they arrived at the door, after whispering, "I love you" in her ear, a quick kiss and a hug, the two of them parted. Melanie waved at him, her ring glittering in the afternoon sun.

Melanie was barely able to speak after what had just happened. Realizing that she was still outside, she ran back inside to tell her father what had just occurred.

A/N: Okay, this is my first attempt at combining Disney's Phantom Manor and Disney's Beauty and the Beast. It was a bit lovey-dovey today, but trust me. As time goes on, it will get better!

Disclaimer: I do not own either Disneyland Paris' Phantom Manor or Disney's Beauty and the Beast. The Disney company does, of course!