Follow the Music {open}

[Freya Reeves]

Light and hesitant footsteps trailed behind a more confident pair. Freya clung to the student in front of her, keeping hold of the sleeve of her blazer, for guidance as they made their way to the auditorium. She hated when she had to hold onto people. She felt like a toddler clinging to their parent while they’re in a huge store. However, it was necessary, just like the toddler, so that she didn’t wander off and get lost. Now that she was in a whole new school with a new lay out and basically new everything, it would be even harder for her to get around without getting lost.

So far, Freya had gotten the hand of the wing that the girl’s dorms were in. Pretty insignificant when compared to the rest of the school but, hey, it was a start, right? Right. Now, she just needed help getting everywhere else. Just like at the moment she was hoping to go to the auditorium. She had heard that there was a piano on stage. The minute she had heard that the ache to play was nearly undeniable. Thankfully, a student in her class was nice enough to offer to lead her there. Maybe the students here weren’t all terrible.

“Here we are,” The student said. Freya could heard the sound of a palm smacking against wood and the creek of hinges of a heavy door. “Thanks!” Freya said, a giant smile spreading across her face as she looked in the general direction of the student’s voice, her pale eyes beaming. “I’ve got it from here.” Freya stepped inside, her hands trailing the opposite door. She paused for a moment and waited to hear the rush of air that the large door was sure to make as it swung shut. Satisfied that she was alone, she created a glass cane. A sad smile crossed her features as she used it to make her way over to an isle between the chairs.

Once she made it to the stage, the cool wood pressing against her chest, she left the cane fade from existence. She pulled herself up on the stage with a little struggle. Once, she was standing steadily on her feet she created a long class pole. She made a small circle with it until she heard and felt it hit something, she let the second pole disappear with ease. Hoping that something was a piano she walked towards it slowly. Freya didn’t know to stop until she felt her shin ram into a small wooden seat, bench she supposed. “Ow…” She murmured, taking a seat and feeling the edges of the piano.

After a moment she opened the lid to the keys, her hands sliding across the cool surface. It only took a minute before she was testing out the keys, a smile on her face. Once she found the key she was looking for she began a few practice exercises. Freya hadn’t played for a few weeks but it was coming back to her. “Alright… let’s see if I can remember you,” She spoke softly, and as she did her fingers began to dance across the keys. A soft song began to take shape around her. The sound flooding her mind and body. While she may not be able to see it, she most certainly could still enjoy the sound that her favorite instrument produced.

[Lucas Moore]

        This was quite a project that was going on here. Lucas hadn't been here long, but he could tell the school was pretty well equipped for dealing with the students. Then again, as a prison, if it wasn't well equipped, they'd be doing something wrong. But this was just Lucas' inner thoughts on the place. Aside from the idea of what the place was designed for, there was a rather interestingly functioning society forming here. With constant food, medical supplies, and other necessary materials, the place was able to mostly maintain a stable economy and structure, save for the obvious war that had been going on.

        Now, he was added to the chessboard that was the infighting on the island. Not a major player, by far, but that was to be soon rectified. However, by no means did he plan to do so alone. Allying with one of the two factions seemed the most appropriate thing to do in order for him to be safe, and it just so happened that the Battlefront offered him the allies he needed. The kind of allies that let him roam about the island and not feel isolated. Hence, that was exactly what he was doing now. The more he roamed about, the more accustomed he was to the environment, which meant better maneuverability and access to the island's utilities.

        As it just so happened, Lucas had been looking for the auditorium today as he made his usual rounds about the hallways. It didn't take him long to find it, though he didn't quite barge in as, when he approached, he heard a melody being played already. Quite an exquisite choice in music, really. And he was loathe to disturb the person playing. However, his curiosity got the better of him, so he decided to slowly slip in and view the playing. He watched intently as he listened to the girl on stage playing the piano, not having found someone with quite the choice in music this girl obviously had. He continued to listen in until the very end, to which he gave a soft clap of applause, speaking in his firm but gentle tone.

        "I must say, you played that very well. Might I know the name of the one who picked such a beautiful song to play? And, before I lose my manners, my own name is Lucas Moore. Both a pleasure and a honor, miss."

[Freya Reeves]

Soft yet powerful notes drifted around Freya’s thin form. The notes shrouded her in her own small world, enveloping her in the only thing she truly cared about on this island. Music. Ever since she was little music had stolen her attention, her ambition, and her heart. It was the only thing she absolutely adored no matter her mood or what havoc her siblings were causing. It was the only thing she could claim as her own and she was proud of every single note that poured from her fingers. It managed to bring the darkest part of her soul to the light and release all her tension with just the smallest movements of her fingers. To her, it truly was magic.

She barely thought as her fingers glided across the keys, the familiar melody taking over her. For a moment she allowed herself to close her eyes and completely disconnect from the world around her, a soft smile playing on her lips as she did so. Every movement she made flowed with the tune, soft and haunting as it filled the auditorium air. She didn’t notice the disruption of the door opening, letting another soul slip into the room. Not that she would have particularly minded, everyone had a right to listen to music and she more than loved sharing her own.

However, as the song came to an end she was jolted out of her trance by the sound of applause. Jumping a bit, she laughed at herself before she looked in the general direction of the speaker, her gaze landing slightly off to the new person’s left. She assumed he was male by the tone of his voice. Freya made a small mental note that he sounded sure of himself and rather formal for a high school student. Running hand through her hair, she offered up a small smile to him, “Thanks, I haven’t really played for a while so it isn’t my best… My name is Freya Reeves, it’s nice to meet you Lucas."

Her hands fluttered over the keys once more, her soft smile growing into a friendly grin. “You have pretty good taste in music if you liked that. Most people don’t dig piano music, especially high schoolers. Which I really can’t understand why, to me it’s beautiful. But my thoughts aside, color me impressed.” All of what she said was more than true, at least with what she’s found in her old school. Finding people who really appreciated her work on the piano was harder to find than most of the other music she played. However, that did make it all the more enjoyable when she stumbled across one.

[Lucas Moore]

        To Lucas, there was quite the "selection" of people here on the island. He was definitely impressed how far the formation of powers took hold, and every day would amaze him in those regards. Were it not for the blaring fact that they were stuck here against their will, this place would be incredible. Yet, somehow, life went on, mostly due to the inexplicable amount of naivety by the general populace. Obviously, Enhanced Intellect wasn't a standard "power" the gifted had.

        This girl, however, definitely took most of Lucas' attention. she was definitely gifted with music, and she had a pleasant voice as she spoke. It seemed his appearance and appreciation was well received, yet he couldn't help but notice the girl seemed to be looking off to his side for no apparent reason. At that moment, he noticed her eyes. The light grey coloring, though accenting her looks well, relayed the truth of the matter: The girl was blind. Yet, someone with such a drastic alteration in their lives still obviously made a good living from her appearances. Regardless, she most certainly had her talents, possibly tied to her "gifts." As the girl shifted towards the piano again, he caught the faint look of a grin, even a slight one, which was a prelude to her statement of appreciation. Who'd have thought simply enjoying music, and good music at that, would earn such a sign of appreciation? He gave small grin of his own as he clambered slowly towards the stage, sitting down in a nearby chair to get more comfortable.

        "Glad to see my appreciation of the arts is a welcome trait. I can agree, though; The surprising amount of students who are ignorant or even spiteful of piano music is quite a shock. Then again, not everyone will enjoy the same things, but it's still sad to hear."

        He sat calmly as he watched the girl, wondering how he should continue the conversation. He didn't want to directly ask her about her life. No, that was something that should be shared willingly and initiated by the subject in question. In retrospect, sharing his own life wasn't a valid option, for a variety of reasons. It seemed the two's common interest in music was the best choice and, so, he calmly and softly spoke to her.

        "I must say, Ms. Reeves, I am curious about just how far your talents reach. Are you simply a piano person, or do you have more interests in music? I personally don't seem to have much in the way of musical talent, but I at least appreciate others' talents."

[Freya Reeves]

While she spoke, her ears never faltered in listening to her soundings. In the back of her mind she noted the confident strides as the boy, Lucas, moved closer. Then there was the familiar sound of the seat being pushed down and impact of a body resting against the cushioned chair. There was only a slight change in the volume of his voice, so Freya would have to guess that he was only a few rows ahead of where he had been. Most likely he decided to take a seat in one of the first few rows. Without actively acknowledge the sounds processing in her mind, her head adjusted ever so slightly in attempts to look at him while he spoke.

She waited a moment after he finished speaking, it was always helpful to do so since she couldn’t see the body language that implied someone was done speaking, before she offered a nod. “I agree one hundred and ten percent. I think that it’s just so different from the popular music today,” she motioned air quotes around the word popular for a little added emphasis. “I bet if half the kids just sat down and listened to a few different pieces they’d see that isn’t as horrible as they think.” Without turning her face from Lucas’s general direction her hands fluttered over the keys for an upbeat and excitable few seconds of playing, “It can even be fun.”

She turned her body completely and rested her hands in her lap, tilting her head a bit as he spoke once more. A light laugh escaped her lips as he called her Miss. Reeves, it was her mother’s title after all. After another short pause in his speech she lightly shook her head, “You can call me Freya if you want, Miss. Reeves is a tad more formal than I’m used to.” Running her hands lightly through her hair, Freya shrugged slightly as she answered his question, “I dabble in a few things. I can play the bass and trumpet, though piano is my favorite. I’ve also tried the flute and drums but I haven’t explored it much further.”

A thoughtful look came over her face for a moment, a small smile playing on her lips as her eyebrows came together ever so slightly. “But I don’t believe you when you say that you have no talent for it. I think everyone can learn, it just depends on how hard you’re willing to try to learn.” She twisted around on the bench so her feet swung freely under the piano again before them came to rest in the position they had a thousand times before. “I can teach you a little bit right now if you’d be interested.” Freya patted the space on the bench next to her, inviting him if he wanted to give it a go.

[Lucas Moore]

        Already, Lucas could tell Freya was a kind soul from her gentle tone to her appreciative smile. Granted, he had given her no reason to be any other way, but it was still a nice touch to her personality. For the life of him, though, he couldn't help but laugh lightly to the air quotes she gave. The gesture was cutely funny to him, though that didn't make her words any less true."You're certainly right. Sadly, it will probably take a miracle to change there minds long enough to sit them down. One can hope, though." His hands curled together, fingers interlaced as she continued her display. Very talented indeed... he mused to himself.

        This thought continued through the rest of her explanation of her talents. While most of her music skills were probably started before her blindness, assuming she wasn't blind all her life, her continued interest and study of music was a welcome change of pace from the unreasoning, pop-culture music fans he normally came across. With a small nod, more an automatic response than anything, he spoke up softly to her. "I'll remember that Freya. I'll be honest, I'm more accustomed to giving a proper acknowledgement to others that calling someone by their proper name has become second nature to me. But still, it's quite amazing to hear of your accomplishments. You are very talented indeed."

        Right as he finished his statement, a curious look glossed over him, his head tilting as he saw her eyebrows furrow slightly and her smile return. Much to Lucas' surprise, she was offering to teach him how to play, and for once, Lucas was happy to have a teacher on the island. "I would be honored, Freya." He chimed lightly to the girl before he rose to stroll to the bench. To be honest, this wasn't his first time behind a piano, but it was the first time he was legitimately interested in the chance to play. With a small rumble from him clearing his throat, an audible cue to her so she knew he was starting to sit, he lightly slips beside her, hands folding together and resting on the piano top as he smiled back to her out of reflex. Well then... where should we start, teach?" He grinned a little as he finished, the teasing tone of his voice clearly trying to be friendly.

[Freya Reeves]

Miracles were such funny things. People claimed they happened all the time, and at the same time people preferred to only focus on the bad. Unless, of course, they needed a miracle themselves. Then their thoughts were screaming with positivity. Drawing back from her thoughts, she gave Lucas a simple shrug as she turned to face him after her short burst of song. “To be perfectly honest, I’m not even sure that a miracle could get the masses to properly appreciate it all but like you said, there’s always hope.” With her hands in her lap, she gently pat out a rhythm. She never could completely relax them when she was in the mood to play something.

As their conversation continued, Freya couldn’t help a bit of confusion that came. “Teachers are the only people who have called me by my last name. It’s a little funky to hear it from one of my peers. But, if it’s your usual, I won’t be offended if you didn’t give me special treatment.” She ended the last bit on a more teasing joke, running a hand through her hair as she continued, “I’d like to be on a more casual level that permits, if that’s okay. Being friends with you seems like it wouldn’t be half bad.” The more that the pair talked, the more Freya warmed up to him, plus he held the same opinions as her when it came to classical, so that was always a bonus.

“Just so you know, I’m honestly not that talented. Music’s just kinda my release.” She shrugged a bit, a light blush forming on her cheeks at the compliment. She shook it off lightly as she spun around on the bench, excitement bubbling under her skin as he took the offer to learn. She waited quietly for him, her fingers lightly tapping the keys but not applying enough pressure to form any sounds. Freya glanced over to where he sat, grateful for the warning. “So, what all do you know about playing the piano? Scales? White keys verses black keys? The Death Waltz? Nothing?” She questioned, throwing in a joke about the monster known as the Death Waltz, hoping he’d know what it was.[//blockquote]