Finding Claire

Chapter 6

"Claire?"

"Great! You two know each other! Nathan, this is the student I was telling you that is amazing in the piano. You two are like prodigies in your fields."

"Oh so that's you," Nathan said, directing his attention to me. I looked down with a blush and shrugged.

"I wouldn't say prodigy, but I wouldn't say I can't play. I'm ok I guess."

"Please!" Mr Zee scoffed, "You played a Nutcracker piece by memory and in a rush. You didn't even know you were going to play the piano and you still managed to do that. So don't you say you're ok. You're more than ok."

My blush deepened and I just shrugged again.

"Well I vote to hear her play. Don't you want to hear her play Mr. Zee?"

"Yes. But sadly she doesn't like to play. You have no idea how many times I have asked her to play for me."

"Really? Why not Claire?"

"I just don't like to play in front of people," I whispered a couple of seconds later. "It makes me nervous."

"Well then," he said, grabbing my hand and pulled me towards the piano. Those ten seconds his hand was in mine, I couldn't help but to think on how warm it was. It felt.... nice to be touching someone else and not get insulted by it. He gently plopped me down in the stool and then stood behind me. I eyed him and he just twirled his finger so I would be facing the piano.

"I can sense you, you know?" I said minutes later, understanding what he was trying to do.

"Just pretend I'm not here. Just pretend you are at your house or wherever you play and let the music come to you. Feel the keys underneath your fingertips and just let them fly when your heart tells you to. Think about the music and then surround yourself by it. Don't think of anything else......" His voice was slowly fading away as I took deep breaths. Did I want to play? No. But was I about to play? Maybe.....

I tried to let his words soak into my head while trying to ignore the two souls behind me. I began to hear a piece in my head and I could feel my fingers moving to the keys, but it felt as if I was dislocated from my body and my mind was the one that was controlling me. Before I could really understand what was happening, I began to hear slow, but sweet mournful music in the air and it took me a second to realize that I was the one who was making the noise. I opened my eyes and looked around me for a second before sighing and continued on with the piece.

The original song was looooooong so I cut it short and played what I could. It didn't take that long until I had to start playing my Bass notes up in the Treble notes and I knew I was almost done. It wasn't a hard piece to play, but I just loved the way it sounded.

It was quiet as the last note hung in the air and then I shuddered as I began to feel souls again. But this time, there were three.

"Told you," Mr. Zee huffed proudly and I turned to see Nathan looking at me with his mouth wide open and Mr. Bass  smiling widely at me. I could feel the blush wanting to come out, but I tried to hold it. I knew it shouldn't be something I should be embarrassed about so I shouldn't blush.

Nathan slowly closed his mouth but then morphed it into a smile. He stared at me longer than necessary and then he finally spoke. "Mr. Zee was right. You are a prodigy. I've never heard anyone play like that."

"Well since I played, now you have to play," I suggested quietly and he shrugged.

"Sure. Why not. I won't be as good as you, but I'll try."

"Please!" Mr. Bass scoffed. "You'll be as great as her. You two are our best non-students."

I slowly got up from the bench and followed them out the door and into the guitar room. I stared in awe at the walls covered in guitars and I heard the small chuckle from Mr. Bass.

"Yeah. I forgot you have never entered my class. Gets some time to get used to it."

Nathan plopped himself into one of the twenty chairs and grabbed the guitar Mr. Bass was handing him. He took a few deep breaths, looking down at his hands and slowly began to fill the air with his melody.

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Alrighty! For those who want to know what piece she played, it is called Liebesträum No. 3, Notturno. The exact piece can be found in the piano app "Smule" and it is completely free. You have to earn your way to it, but trust me, it's worth it. There are a bunch of amazing songs in there so go check it out! Nathan's song will be mentioned in the next chapter!!!