Ahh, it makes me sad to think that this is the second to last chapter of this book.
Hope you enjoy this! I think this is my favorite chapter so far.
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♪ Chapter 6 ♫
For the rest of the day, I stayed in my room, going over the material for my second chance at a first day.
When the sun began to set and hues of light violet and pick shone on the blank white walls, Elizabeth and Nicole knocked on my door.
I looked up from the literature book I had been skimming through just as Elizabeth strut through the door with Nicole following behind her.
Nicole had her fringe pulled back with her glasses perched on her head so her heart-shaped face and her emerald eyes were in view. Nicole was wearing a baggy t-shirt with a picture of huge chunky glasses on them with baggy pajama pants.
Elizabeth had her hair pinned up on her head messily with strands falling out every which way. Her large dark brown eyes were narrowed as she stared at me, which had me flinching back and pulling into myself. She was dressed in more casual clothes with a large off the shoulder baggy tee and shorts. She had her hands on her hips.
“Where were you today, missy? Huh? We were waiting for you for over half-an-hour at lunch before we figured out you weren’t there.” Elizabeth asked me.
Nicole stood at her side, her cheeks flushed, staring at the ground as she obviously awaited my answer.
I took a deep breath before answering. “I went to first period but because of an unfortunate event, I had to leave.” I hardened my wall and stared straight at Elizabeth, daring her to ask me more.
Elizabeth huffed at me, displeased.
“Are you alright?”
My eyes drifted over to see Nicole’s emerald eyes shining with concern. My wall softened a bit at the look.
“Yes, I’m fine now. Thanks Nicole.”
Elizabeth huffed again and stomped out of the room.
Nicole rolled her eyes delicately and stepped closer to my cluttered bed.
“Elizabeth means well, I promise. She is just not used to having someone withhold information from her. You know Elizabeth, the Gossip Girl.”
I smiled up at her.
Nicole nodded at the bed where I had ten different textbooks spread out with my borrowed violin and bow by my feet and notes and a tape recorder surrounding me.
“You need some help?”
I smiled, a little embarrassed, as I nodded.
Nicole giggled and picked up all of the books and set them aside. She laid the violin and the bow across the stack of books and picked up the tape recorder.
Nicole tossed it to me and said, “Here, you’re going to need that.” she winked at me.
For another three hours, Nicole went over everything I needed to know for my second “first day of school”.
The next day, I was prepared. I found myself in Adam’s class early the next morning.
When I pushed open the door to the classroom, Adam threw me a smile.
Soon the class began to fill with students that all stopped to stare at me for a moment before continuing to their seats.
After a few minutes, Daniel walked through the door and his eyes met mine.
For the first time since I had met Daniel, a blinding smile graced his lips. I smiled back and waited for him to join me in the back of the classroom.
This time, my first day of school went off without a hitch.
After a handful of weeks, I got used to going to this school.
Everyone was surprised at how quickly I was able to pass through the levels. I joined the classes and with surprising ease passed each and every one behind.
News had got out that the Muse Academy had found it’s latest prodigy and Artie had taken all the credit for finding me. The news articles that circulated about me were ridiculous. Many people were impressed at my level while others were just curious of where I had been hiding for so many years. I had ignored it all, focusing solely on my school work and my violin.
By the beginning of June, I was preparing for the Summer Concert.
At the Muse Academy, they host a Summer Concert at the end of the year where all of the students perform and show the teachers and Headmaster Thomas how much they have improved their performing skills.
Every student was preparing and practicing for the Summer Concert. It counted as half of your grade for the school year.
Max had promised me the last slot of the night because of my name in the press. Everyone was curious about the girl who seemed to appear out of nowhere with impeccable skill. Max had assigned me Bohm’s Perpetuum Mobile in C, Op. 187 No. 4 to perform. It was a level six piece that was practically considered a level seven.
I stayed up late everyday, playing for hours until the melody was ingrained in my mind. I memorized every pause in the piece, sudden shift, and angle needed to play it. I was prepared.
When the night arrived, it was nearing the end of June.
The sun was just beginning to set when I arrived in the auditorium. Most of the students were already backstage.
The soft noise of whispered chatter and the clang of instruments leaving their cases echoed in the quiet back room. I stared jealously at the other students who held their instruments without a care.
Yesterday, Max had taken back the borrowed violin and told me not to worry as he would have one ready for me before my turn at the concert.
After weeks of spending every night with my violin in hand, I had felt empty last night without it.
I paced about the room with nothing to do before I found myself standing in front of a mirror.
I gazed at the girl on the other side. She had my fiery hair and green eyes but she seemed so different from the girl I had seen six weeks ago.
The girl’s mossy green eyes were shining in excitement and full of life instead of the dull, dead eyes that I had hated for so many years. Her fiery red hair was healthy and fell to her waist in large loose curls. Instead of baggy and worn clothing, she wore a floor-length light green dress that brought out her eyes. She just seemed so much more alive.
Before long, the concert had started and people flooded the stage. A majority of the students went up in groups and the more daring ones performed solos, but that was only a small part of the student population .
Soon, I started to feel nervousness pool in my abdomen. It felt like vultures were attacking my stomach, not butterflies.
“Charlotte!” a voice whispered behind me.
I turned around and gasped.
“Max! Hi!” I said.
Max hugged me quickly and I stiffened slightly. I still was not comfortable with people touching me.
Max stepped back after a second and smiled at me.
“I brought you something.” Max pulled out a violin case from behind his back and I smiled.
“Is that the violin?” I asked, nervously. Max had promised to get me a special violin for the concert.
Max nodded and handed me the case.
“I thought it would be a good “Welcome to the School” gift but it got here a little late.”
I nodded and looked down at the case curiously.
“Go ahead,” Max said, nodding at the case. “Open it. I got to get back to my seat before you go on. Break a leg.” Max smiled at me before he turned around and left.
I turned around and rested the case on the table in front of the mirror.
I opened the case and gasped at the beautiful violin.
The violin was the color of obsidian and shimmered mysteriously in the low light. It had bright golden strings that contrasted beautifully. Max had the violin hand painted so that along the edges, “For the Love of Music” was written. That quote was one of the first things I had learned from Adam. Take whatever chance you can, for the love of music.
I hugged it to my chest.
“Did Max finally give you the violin?”
I spun around and saw Daniel leaning against the wall.
Daniel was wearing a dark gray button up shirt, that made his eyes almost glow in the low light, with a pair of black slacks. His usual messy hair was combed and parted to the side, leaving his face in view.
I nodded and proudly held up the violin, staring at it lovingly.
“Do you like it?” Daniel asked as he started over to me.
I brought the violin back to my chest and hugged it. “Like it? I love it so much! It’s absolutely beautiful and I love the quote. It’s really me.” I told him.
I saw him smile. “Good, I gave Max the design about three weeks ago and he thought it was perfect for you.”
I stared up at Daniel, suddenly aware of how close we had gotten. “You designed this? For me?”
Daniel rolled his eyes and smiled that brilliant smile at me again.
“Thought it would be best if you had your own violin for the concert.”
“Thank you, it’s beautiful.” I tried to put as much honesty in my voice as possible.
“Of course it’s beautiful, I was inspired by you. Although it doesn’t even compare to you, I tried to make it beautiful as possible for you.”
I was speechless.
“I-I -- thank you. I mean- ”
Daniel leaned down and brushed his lips against mine, silencing me.
“I just came to wish you good luck but you won’t need it. You’ll be great.” Daniel turned and left after throwing me a smile over his shoulder.
For the first time in years, the smile on my face was so big that my cheeks actually hurt.
The stage manager ran around the corner that Daniel had just walked away from and walked briskly toward me.
“Charlotte Grey, you are on in two minutes! Come on, come on! Get to the stage.” the stage manager ushered me to the edge of the stage just as Nicole, Elizabeth, and their friend, Amelia, walk off. They had performed a violin concerto in a group.
The girls were all wearing matching flowing red dresses.
Nicole stepped away from the group with flushed cheeks and a huge smile.
“Charlotte! Good luck out there!” Nicole reached over and gave me a hug. I stiffened but I attempted to hug her back.
I pulled back after a second and smiled at her, “Thanks, Nicole. From what I heard, you were amazing out there.”
Nicole smiled shyly at the ground and said, “I might have been good but you are about to knock the audience’s socks off. Go on!” Nicole pushed me to the edge of the stage again when my name was announced over head.
I took a deep breath and walked onto the stage.
Author's Note:
So the next chapter is the last one. It will be Charlotte's last performance. Im really sad to see this story go. I fell in love with each character (especially Daniel) and now it's really hard to see them go.
Until next time,
No matter what they say, never change who you are.
-Becca <3