As Melody made her way past groups of meandering Seattle natives, she clutched her guitar at her side. With the amount of time she spent lugging it back and forth between her apartment and Roni's, part of her was half considering investing in a second one. Her right arm ached. But the text she'd gotten from Roni an hour previous forced her to put plans of expanding her musical investment on hold.

"Meet at the bar at 9:30 if you're still in on this Rebel Alliance."

She shouldered her way through another small group, her tiny smirk growing as she did so. It had been nearly a week since they'd decided to do whatever they could to thwart Victoria Belfrey in Hyperion Heights. Now on her day off, the one she'd planned to spend busking, had finally seen development in their rebellion. A good start to a hopefully even better day.

Roni's didn't open until ten. As she came to stand in front of the door, she adjusted her backpack and guitar case. Then she knocked. The shades of the window in the door opened and Roni's brown eyes stared back into her own.

"You're the first one here," Roni said, opening the door. "Take a seat."

"Good morning to you too," she joked.

But Roni just flashed a tiny smile and shook her head, pulling the door closed as Melody moved further into the room. "You know I hate mornings."

Her boots made the wood floor creak as she walked into the unnaturally quiet bar. Dropping her backpack and guitar case beside the brown leather armchair, she just smiled. That was true. Roni really did hate mornings. That's why she ran a bar, or so she liked to say.

Another knock, and both women glanced over at the door. As Melody helped herself to a glass of ice water behind the bar, Roni let in their next accomplice. Rogers walked in, nodding to Roni and then to Melody. She offered him a smile.

"Morning, detective," she said. After a sip of water, Melody stuck her left hand in her brown jacket pocket and rounded the bar back to their table and chairs.

He nodded. "Good morning to both of you." After unzipping his black coat, he went around the green wooden half wall and took the end of the couch near the window, next to her armchair. "Henry here yet?"

"Nope," Roni said. "I swear, if that kid is late-"

Melody laughed. "Hopefully you're more a morning person than Roni, Rogers. Because I'm not sure I can handle another grumpy human this early in the day."

"Hey!"

But Rogers just laughed. He nodded. "Morning's not my favorite time of day, but I can handle it."

"I can handle it," Roni protested. But as Melody just laughed and Rogers started shaking his head, another knocked at the door pulled her away.

Melody sat in the chair adjacent to Rogers. She sipped at her water again, before gesturing his way. "So, Weaver have you doing any more crazy stuff lately?"

"You mean since he punched Henry in the face?" As Melody just snickered at his statement, he smiled and shook his head. "No, it's been pretty quiet. Lots of time to set up the office."

Before she could respond, Roni interrupted them with a question for their new arrival. "What's that?"

They looked over at Roni and Henry, his hands full with a pink take-out box. At her question, he just smiled and moved to join them on the couch. "Wasn't sure what was appropriate for a gathering like this, so I picked up some donuts." He opened the box and showed it to Rogers and Melody.

"Right, 'cause the key to bringing down Victoria Belfrey is a bear claw." Roni followed him to the table, taking up the second of the two standalone chairs.

Rogers leaned to look into the box as it was set onto the table. He just shook his head at Roni's attitude. "Much appreciated, mate. And you'll excuse Roni... she's a bit ornery."

Melody let out a sharp laugh, and leaned to look at the donuts too. She found a chocolate glazed and picked it out with a grin. It melted in her mouth.

Roni just glanced at the two of them before turning to Henry. "Yeah, well, you're new around here, Henry, so soon, you'll be ornery, too. Just give it time." She sent a point stare at Rogers to end.

"You brought us together because you said you had something," Rogers said.

Roni nodded. "Yes. Last night, I had a customer who works for the building commission. Got pretty drunk. Started spouting off about how he was going to make some real money off Belfrey. She needed him to do her a favor. Heard him say that they were meeting this afternoon in Hyperion Plaza, across from Belfrey Towers."

Melody could see Rogers' brain go into overdrive as she ended her story. With a small nod, he bit his cheek. The floor near the bar became fascinating.

But Henry had a different reaction. He folded his hands, sitting up straighter in the sienna brown leather couch. "Bribes, public officials, redeveloping the neighborhood at the expense of the new guy... this is good. This is really good!"

Melody choked out a laugh, trying desperately to stifle it behind her hand and a tight cough. The writer's instinct was strong. She knew it well. But Roni and Rogers didn't say anything. They just stared at each other and the floor.

"I-I mean, it's... bad. It's bad. It's a good story." Henry tried to back-peddle. "It's a bad... thing."

"Well said." With a tiny, tight smile, Rogers just shook his head. "I'll go and stake it out. If I can get to the guy, maybe I can get him to give us info on everything Belfrey has her dirty little hands-on."

"Like your missing girl case," Roni said.

"Aye, love."

Henry's face lit up. Undeterred by his fumble earlier, he turned to Rogers. "A stakeout, huh? That sounds... pretty cool. Always kind of wondered what one of those was like. Mind if I, uh, tag along with you?"

Rogers shook his head. "Sorry, mate. I think I'll be less conspicuous alone. Why don't you stick to your expertise and try and do a little research? Figure out who our target is."

Henry frowned, his whole body deflating as he sat back a bit in the couch. "So, I'm research guy. Fun."

"Baby steps." Roni snickered. Then she turned back to Rogers. "I'll keep pouring drinks and make to keep sure my ears open."

As Rogers reached into the box of donuts and went to leave, Melody spoke up. "I'll go with you."

"Hey!" Henry put his hands up. "Shouldn't you be Research Girl? You're as much a writer as I am."

Rogers nodded. "I have to agree with the lad on this one, love."

But Melody just laughed. She reached into the box too and took another donut. "I'll have you know, I've done this sort of thing before."

They all turned to her. Rogers, chewing on the bite of the bear claw he'd grabbed, just slowed his motions and stopped getting up. "You have?"

"What do you mean?" Roni asked.

Melody shrugged. "Well, Detective Weaver and I have a bit of an understanding," she admitted. "It's a street performer thing. No one notices me out there unless they're looking for a little bit of entertainment." She turned to Rogers. "Detective Weaver sends a bit of cash my way as long as I keep an eye on things while I'm playing."

"You're serious?" Roni asked.

"Hyperion Plaza is one of my regular spots," she said, ignoring Roni. "I'll go with you, set up for the day. I can keep an eye on things from another angle."

Rogers sighed. He looked at her on the couch, no one saying anything for a few moments. But she didn't leave it up for debate. Melody stood off the leather chair, brushing a few of the crumbs from her black shirt onto the floor as she did so.

"Fine," Rogers agreed. He stood up, too. Breaking into a smile as Henry let out a dramatic sigh, he tapped the man on the shoulder. "Cheer up, mate."

"You picked some great donuts," Melody added.

"I need to stop into the precinct," Rogers told her. He stood by the half wall as she pulled back on her jacket. "You should head over. Do whatever it is you usually do. Don't arouse suspicion."

Melody nodded. "Right." She locked the door behind him as he stepped out, then turned back inside. Roni just watched her with a tiny smile and shake of her head. "What?" Melody asked.

"Nothing."

But Roni continued to smirk, rounding the bar to start getting ready for opening. With a small roll of her eyes, Melody pulled on her hat by the couch. Henry pulled out his laptop, muttering under this breath.

She patted him on the arm. "Cheer up, Henry."

He rolled his eyes. Scowling at her, he muttered, "Research guy, while you get to go to a stakeout."

She couldn't help but laugh. Chewing on her second donut, Melody just grabbed her guitar and set out to the plaza. She still had a few hours to enjoy performing before she had to be on the lookout, and she intended to make the most of it.

With the Lumineers blasting in her ears and the wind of late October whipping her hair into her face, she made her way through Hyperion Heights. It had been nice, recent days, having friends. Ever since Henry Mills had walked into Hyperion Heights, she hadn't felt so alone. She'd had Rogers, Henry himself, even more time with Jacinda and Sabine. The women had been popping into the bar more.

Sabine had always liked to grab lunch there when they were on shift at Louie's. Since Henry's arrival, Jacinda had joined in more. Whether it was because of the arrival of the writer or just a coincidence, Melody couldn't tell. Jacinda had lost Lucy to Belfrey. All her effort was on trying to win her daughter back. But she'd seen the way the woman had looked at Henry that first night in the bar.

Melody set up shop within view of Belfrey Towers. Unpacking her guitar, she let it lie against the red brick of the Hyperion Theater while she spread out the case and her little cardboard thank you sign. Passersby spared her single glances. Only the kids gave her more time, the little boys and girls curious as she tuned her instrument and let her mind wander.

She didn't like when her mind wandered. She preferred it full of rebellious musings against Belfrey, or straying thoughts about Detective Rogers, an all too familiar train of thought in the past week and a half. But she forced it away. She forced her mind to focus on the wooden neck of the guitar and the weight of the brown and white shoulder strap that held it up.

The first notes to fill the air caused everyone nearby to turn. Some gazes lingered, a couple with matching black leather jackets and combat boots moving a bit closer as she continued into one of her favorites, Zombie by the Cranberries. Seattle always loved their '90s rock.

The words spilled from her lips without even a second thought. She knew those lyrics. She knew them like she knew her family. Or how she had known them. Her family was gone. Her mother, dead. Her father, nonexistent. Her sorority sisters, dead or abandoned. But other than her father, she remembered every detail of her family's faces.

She remembered Urselina's thick, black hair in beaded braids, and beautiful dark eyes that had almost shone with excitement when she dragged them to her astronomy club meetings. She remembered Cleo's reddened cheeks, her body glistening with sweat that one time she'd let Melody sneak into her archeology dig over summer break. Polly's wide, toothy grin framed by curly red hair that bounced when she jumped up and down begging their family to attend just one church service with her flashed before Melody's eyes as she strummed chord after chord.

As Melody began to strum Of Monsters and Men's hit Mountain Sound, she remembered the way Tara had danced to it on the Lawn. Her brown hair had whipped about her as she twirled. And as she strummed, letting the music flow through her and out into the world, she forgot about the coins landing in her guitar case. She only had eyes for memories long past.

When she came to halt, throat hurting from lack of water and an overabundance of emotions, she gasped for breath. Seattle continued on by, leaving her stuck in her memories. Car engines revved and horns sounded through the streets. Conversations wound their way to her ears as men and women strolled by with lattes and hot chocolates. Melody didn't have an appetite, even as she looked at the time on her phone. Just about one.

She took the opportunity to sip from her water bottle and take a look around. her hands shook, though, causing the water to spill just a bit at her first sip. It cooled her down. The shaking from her painful memories began to subside. She needed to focus. To concentrate, to be the eyes and ears of Detective Rogers.

Their little rebel alliance needed her.

She could see Belfrey Towers there, raising into the sky like some sort of columnless temple to modernity. Melody frowned. All windows, marble, and metal, it lacked any sort of the charm that the dilapidated Hyperion Theater to her right had with its colored lightbulb signs, or the fading red brick building behind her. The wide, pale sidewalks reflected light and stark paleness, not homey joy.

The central square had three benches. The one that faced across from Belfrey Towers now sat occupied. Rogers, his dark hair and dark clothes starkly contrasting the white sidewalks and two potted planters beside him, looked at a newspaper seemingly without a care in the world. She couldn't help but smile.

Melody started up another song. Maybe a little Disney would be welcome by the citizens of Seattle. She started playing I See the Light from Tangled, not singing, just allowing the guitar to speak for itself. As a few children ran over with a handful of crumpled dollar bills, Melody broke into a grin. She thanked them.

Soon she was playing songs from the Brave soundtrack, and a few more dollars ended up on the soft, brown guitar case interior. She glanced over at Rogers again. He flipped the page of his newspaper. Melody started to sing, Into the Open Air being one of her favorites, a song she couldn't resist vocals for. Looking across the street, she watched for anything out of the ordinary.

Then came songs by Sleeping at Last. When she began to sing Mercury, she noticed Rogers glance over. Melody offered him a small smile and a nod. Hopefully, that would encourage him. And that's when she, and Rogers, saw them.

Victoria Belfrey walked down the sidewalk, unmistakable with her perfectly straight, shoulder-length dark hair highlighted blonde towards the tips and swagger. She stalked towards a lone man in a dark suit on the street corner. Belfrey reached into her purse before she even got him. The manila envelope of cash was exchanged in under a minute.

It took all her concentration not to falter in her playing as she watched the retreating form of Victoria Belfrey until she disappeared behind glass doors. Rogers had taken out his phone. She watched him place a call, and after a quick glance her way, started down the street a decent distance behind his mark with the money.

When they went around a corner, she focused on her playing again. Though Numb by Linkin Park filled the air, no lyrics necessary as the notes spoke for themselves. She tried to forget about Rogers and the man with the money. She tried to forget about wanting to run after and help. He could handle himself. He could certainly handle himself better than Melody could. So eyes and ears on the street it was.

"You working for someone else now?"

Melody startled into focus at the voice from her left. Detective Weaver, brown jacket unbuttoned and layered on slightly frayed denim jeans, watched her from the shadow of an awning. He had his hands in his pockets, the bulged of his pistol just visible under his coat. She turned his way. "What do you mean?"

"Last I heard, you were my eyes and ears. Now I see you doing side work for my new partner." He moved a bit closer. "You still want my money, right?"

Melody stopped playing. With a sip of water, she moved a bit closer to him, trying not to draw attention to herself among the rest of the Seattle natives. "I don't know what you're implying, Detective."

"Cut the act, Melody. I know you and Rogers are digging into something," he said. "Something you shouldn't. What I don't know, is why the sudden interest in bringing that woman down. Unless it's for the company you're so keen to keep."

She glared at him, dropping her water bottle to the ground before corraling the plastic bottle with her foot. "What are you implying?"

"That maybe your interest in this side project is about more than just a corrupt businesswoman. I've seen you around Rogers-"

Melody scoffed. "I don't want your money so badly that I need to put up with this line of questioning, Weaver."

"Stay out of this pet project." He moved closer to her, pointing straight at her chest. "You should know when to leave something alone. And this, this is that time." Weaver turned away as he put his sunglasses on.

"Are you afraid of her?" Melody asked.

The detective stopped moving. After a brief pause, he spun around, not bothering with his glasses. Instead, he just moved a bit closer. "If you care about this neighborhood, you'll back off." Then he leaned in. "And if you care about Detective Rogers, you'll do it immediately." With a flick of his hand, he dropped a fifty into her guitar case.

She said nothing as he left her by the Hyperion Theater. All desire to play had evaporated, wondering just what Weaver had meant by his threats. She wasn't stupid; Melody knew how dangerous he was. But she also knew she had no intention of not working against Victoria Belfrey.

After grabbing lunch at the McDonald's two streets over, Melody did another few hours of playing. It helped her think, to distract herself from less pleasant business like the corrupt detective who'd hung threats over her head, and think instead of the money slowly growing in her guitar case. She didn't make too much street performing, but it was more money than if she spent her day in her apartment slaving over a notebook of poetry that needed constant revision.

With the sun low in the sky and the wind picking up, she started back towards Roni's. She planned to grab a quick dinner with her employee discount before splurging on a Swyft ride home. She wanted a nap, and a shower, and a bit of the brownie in her fridge for dessert. A commotion as she passed the Community Gardens spoiled her plans, though.

There was a whole crowd. Maybe forty or fifty people, many mulling about chatting, others digging into the empty garden squares. She recognized many of the people, residents of the Hyperion Heights neighborhood. Turning into the Gardens, she looked around in amazement. She had never seen so many people there at a single time, not in years.

"Melody!" Lucy, bounding over in a jacket with a grin as wide as her cheeks could manage, came to a stop in front of her. The little girl grabbed her arm. "Look!"

Melody chuckled, letting her drag her into the Gardens. She soon stood beside Jacinda, Henry, and Sabine. "What's all this?"

"We saved the Gardens!" Lucy told her.

Henry chuckled. "We hope." He leaned over, trying to lower his voice. "The payouts were to begin construction here, tearing them up."

Her eyes widened. As Jacinda explained the petition, passing it over so Melody could sign it, she just smiled. They'd actually succeeded in beating Belfrey at her own game. Or, she hoped they had. The woman had so much pull. But she couldn't have so much pull as to disregard hundreds of signatures against her, could she?

"You know," she said, "this place could make a really great concert venue. Maybe we could organize some events? A poetry reading, a music night, that kind of thing." She looked around at where men, women, and children alike were bending over plots of dirt, planting flowers and little bushes. "Add some lights and this place could work really well."

Sabine grinned. "Sounds like a job for you."

Melody just laughed. She shook her head. "Oh no. No no, that's too much work for me. I've got my street performing and waitressing already."

"And spying." Roni walked over to them, jacket swung over one shoulder a smirk on her face. "Or are the detectives cutting you loose?"

With a scoff, she just shook her head. "That remains to be seen."

Roni shrugged. "Well, I've gotta get back to my bar. I don't trust Remy to run that thing all on his own." She patted Melody on the arm. "What time is your shift tomorrow?"

"Closing with you," Melody told her.

Roni nodded and then left them in the Gardens. It didn't take long for Melody to do the same, exhausted from being on her feet half the day and ready for a break. As the sun began to disappear, the crowd dispersing and flowers planted, she started back to her apartment. But for one of the first times in years, Melody went home and didn't stop smiling. They'd finally gotten one up on Victoria Belfrey.