The Music of Souls, page 15
“Are you listening to the melodies?” Sebastian asked after a few moments of silence.
“Yes,” I replied and smiled, opening my eyes. They were looking at me with curiosity, almost as if they had very many questions on the tips of their tongues to ask me.
“Do you like them?” Sebastian asked.
I nodded. “Yes, they sound beautiful.”
He removed his arm from Ryan’s waist and leaned on the kitchen counter, looking at me.
“Tell me more about it, please,” he said. His honest interest made me feel shy for a moment. I had never really spoken to someone about their own melody in any detail. I had mentioned them to Andrew, but that was about it.
“Your two melodies are harmonising together really well. When Andrew is around, he naturally just fits in with you guys too. It’s really fascinating,” I said.
“Have you heard anything like that before?” he asked, and I shook my head.
“No, not before I met you,” I answered.
“Can you sing it for me?” Sebastian asked. I felt taken aback by that. I don’t like to sing, I honestly believed I couldn’t even sing well in the first place. And singing their melody right in front of them? It felt weird.
“Don’t feel pressured by him. He is just a really curious person,” Ryan said, probably realising my discomfort. Sebastian pouted and was about to defend himself when I started humming their melody. I stopped when the melody started to repeat itself and waited for their reaction with anticipation.
“Well, we sound nice for sure,” Sebastian said and grinned. I chuckled and shook my head.
“Are you feeling better?” I heard Andrew say from behind me and I turned around. I felt guilty for being so carefree and happy, even though his fiancée was feeling so bad. He was smiling, but his eyes looked tired. He looked really tired altogether. I had not seen him in that state before. He usually looked full of energy, like nothing could push him to the ground. Right now, it felt as if he would fall to the ground with the next gust of wind.
“Is Laura asleep?” Ryan asked before I could answer Andrew’s question and I was glad about it.
“Yes, the medicine is working fast,” Andrew said, pointing at the cup in Ryan’s hand. Sebastian reacted and started to boil more water for Andrew.
“I am sorry about what happened,” I said.
“No, it’s not your fault. It’s mine, I should have warned you,” Andrew said and pushed some hair out of his face. He sighed deeply.
Sebastian handed him a cup of tea and Andrew took it with a smile.
“In some aspects Laura and you have more in common than you might believe,” Andrew started, and that sounded pretty unrealistic to my ears already.
“I know that you have your problems coming to terms with your talent, but you love music,” he said. He wasn’t wrong about that. I might have loved it more before Maddy died, but it was still a big part of me.
“Laura loved music as well. She especially loved playing the piano,” Andrew said.
“Oh no,” I whispered, already feeling awful for her.
“She has been a very talented pianist since she was a little girl. Won multiple competitions, was meant to play on the biggest stages of the world,” Andrew said, sounding proud.
“It was her one and only dream. It was what she lived for. And she did live for it until four years ago,” he said.
“What happened?” I asked. I already felt stunned; I knew that what he was going to say was probably bad. Of course it was, otherwise Laura wouldn’t suffer like this.
“They were on their way to a competition. It was dark and rainy. Laura was sitting in the back of the car, preparing for the performance. Everything was fine, until a truck drove into their car. The impact was so strong, her uncle who was driving probably died instantly. The car behind them couldn’t react fast enough and hit theirs almost with full speed. That’s what caused most of Laura’s injuries. She severely hurt her head and she smashed her hand on the window, suffering multiple breaks in three of her fingers. Ultimately, she was lucky to survive at all. The wreck looked dreadful, almost unimaginable that anyone got out of there alive, not to mention with just a few broken bones. Her aunt, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, died in the hospital. Laura was the only one to survive,” Andrew said, sounding shaken up now. It must be horrible for him to relive that dreadful incident. He must have been out of his mind hearing about it, afraid that she might die.
“She was in a coma for a few weeks, but she recovered quickly. No one assumed that she would have long-lasting complications, considering how well she was doing. But when she woke up, we realised that she couldn’t hear anymore. It was probably a trauma to the eardrums, caused by the explosion of the airbags and the loud crash, in combination with brain damage. The doctors were as surprised as we were,” he continued.
I felt quite helpless for a moment. If music was her life and all she ever did, how devastating must it have been for her to realise that she would never hear again. Just like that, from one day to the next. It hadn’t been a process, something to prepare for. Just silence, all of a sudden.
“At first they assumed it might get better with time. Laura was freaking out completely, so that thought calmed her nerves a little. But after a few weeks, she still couldn’t hear anything. Her hand got better; her bones all healed perfectly. And yet her hearing wouldn’t come back. We all felt lost with it; we all knew about her big dreams. And when she lost that, we really didn’t know what to do for her,” Andrew said.
I still wasn’t able to as much as form a sentence. For the first time in my life I was scared to death of losing my hearing through an accident. Afraid that I might lose my talent too, even though I always thought I hated and even blamed it for my difficult life and all my problems.
“It took her years to stabilise and find something else to do. She found peace in other art forms. She likes to paint now and to decorate the house. But she still can’t break free from the piano. That’s why we hid it under a cover. Whenever she saw it, she got triggered. But I didn’t want to get rid of it. I know that she really wanted me to take it away, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. It was my grandmother’s piano after all. And at some point, she was able to deal with it, and it was all fine since no one ever used it,” Andrew said.
“Until I did,” I said and looked at him. He had a sad smile on his face again and nodded.
“She could feel it. Don’t ask me how and why, but she felt the piano being played, she could feel the vibrations or something. Then she saw you playing the piano and it triggered her. She felt thrown back into the past, to the moment when she thought she would become a famous pianist. And in that moment, she probably detested you for doing something she had always loved to do and couldn’t anymore,” he said. I felt a stab through my chest when he said that she might have detested me. But when she was coming at me, she really looked like she intended to throw me out of the window.
“Don’t worry though, whenever she gets into that state, she loses herself. She doesn’t really detest you. She just hates that she lost something so precious to her,” Andrew said, as if he knew what I was worrying about again.
“She still takes medications for her depression; she isn’t out of it yet. So please don’t hold it against her,” he said
I wouldn’t hold it against her, but I also thought that I couldn’t look at her the same way as I had before.
“And don’t pity her either. She might have shown you a weak side of herself, but she doesn’t want to be pitied,” Ryan said.
“So just act like nothing happened then?” I asked and he shrugged.
“She might want to talk to you about it, but if not then it’s probably best to let it go,” he said. I was not sure what to think about that. I could understand that she might not want to talk about it, but I also felt that it was something you had to talk about when you were living together. But maybe they were right, maybe it was best for her to act like nothing happened. I just wondered what would happen to me? The amount of violence I had experienced over the past few days was shocking to me and I really hadn’t expected to run into more of it here, of all places. From Laura of all people. I touched the wound on my head Sebastian had been nice enough to treat. I mean, I could have hit my head really unfortunately too. Suffering brain damage as well. Maybe even losing my hearing just like her. My heart started galloping in my chest. I breathed deeply for a few times, pushing the anxiety out of my mind.
“Are you hurt?” Andrew asked, concerned.
“It’s okay, just hit my head slightly,” I answered and smiled. I didn’t want him to worry about it, he already looked so done in.
“She might have a mild concussion. But if she is feeling fine, I don’t think we have to go to the hospital yet,” Ryan said. Andrew nodded and finished his tea.
“The timing isn’t the best, but we do have some other news,” Andrew said.
“Other news?” I asked. Could the day get any worse?
“Don’t worry, things are looking good for you. Pathology checked his body. Amazingly, the stabs he received didn’t hit any vital organs, but the blood loss probably caused him to suffer a heart attack,” Andrew said.
“How is that looking good for me?” I asked. That just proved that I murdered him.
“He had heart problems; he’d had several heart attacks before. The heart attack was the cause of his death, but because of his condition he was prone to them. You may have attacked him, but from what I could gather they are convinced it was self-defence,” Andrew continued. I felt somewhat relieved, at least people didn’t think I was an actual brute.
“Your father already has all the information and is preparing the next steps,” Ryan added. I frowned. I’d quite forgotten that my father was involved now too. I didn’t want to have anything to do with him and now he was helping me. He had kicked me out of the house, so why in the world did he want to help me? I still couldn’t believe his talk about loving his precious daughter. But all the same, I knew that he was a great lawyer, even though I didn’t want to admit it.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about the legal matters. Your bigger worry is your personal reputation, Ava. The media got really involved with this. I assume that you haven’t heard the news yet, but they think you have something to do with the other crimes too. That you might be part of some criminal organisation,” Andrew said. He was watching my every move, probably waiting for me to lose my mind any second now. But I felt weirdly numb about it. Not sure whether all that crap had broken me altogether now or whether I just didn’t care that much. I mean, yeah, it sucked to be regarded as the baddie. It sucked to disappoint people, but on the other hand, they didn’t know me, and I didn’t know them. I could still hide in some other country and maybe start a new life. I had nothing that held me here anyway.
“So I should just stay in the house I suppose?” I asked.
“For now, yeah. It will take a while until your case is called in court. But you can move around freely here. The property is big, so take a walk outside if you feel trapped?” Andrew offered and I shrugged. I didn’t mind staying in this house for a long time. At least I wouldn’t have to deal with random melodies or an overload of people.
“Maybe you can do something with Laura too,” Andrew said, sounding hopeful. I really didn’t feel like that, but I guessed it was for the best to try and get along with her as best as I could.
“I am sure we can figure something out,” I replied. “How long do you think it will be until they bring my case forward?”
“Hard to say, sometimes it’s fast and sometimes it takes ages. But since it has received so much attention, maybe they’ll want to solve it quickly,” Sebastian said.
“Just be prepared whenever. Maybe even call your father and check with him. He is your biggest chance of getting out of this without big problems,” Ryan said.
“I thought it looked good for me?” I asked, scared now. From what they had said it didn’t sound like I had anything much to worry about.
“Ava, we can’t control that. Sometimes innocent people get convicted and I don’t want to promise you something that I can’t be sure about. I just think you don’t have to worry too much. Just be aware that there is still a chance they might want to use you as a suspect for all the other crimes lately. Especially because you have been around one of the other crime scenes,” Andrew said. I jumped up and almost lost my balance, feeling dizzy and nauseous from the sudden movement. I might have a mild concussion after all.
“I am not part of it! I was there by accident, I almost got killed that night. I called 911 myself, why in the world would I be part of them?” I said. I tried to keep my voice low, but I only barely managed to not scream at them.
“We know that, Ava,” Ryan said, looking me straight in the eyes.
“We know you aren’t lying,” he repeated. He seemed convinced, completely sure of it. Not a single grain of doubt in his statement.
“Why are you so sure and the others aren't though?” I asked, defeated.
“Because I can see lies,” Ryan said straightforwardly. I could feel my mouth drop open.
“You are one of us!” I exclaimed, stunned. I remembered that Andrew had said they’d found more of us, who thought they were crazy. But I thought he only meant himself having a talent and the other two just knowing about it.
“You too?” I asked and looked at Sebastian. He grinned and shrugged.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
“You didn’t ask. Besides, we don’t just tell people about our talents either, just like you, unless we know and trust them,” Ryan said.
“And now you trust me?” I said.
“Otherwise we wouldn’t have told you. Avalynn, you are safe here and we will do our best to protect you. Because we think it’s what we need to do,” Ryan said. I couldn’t help but continue to stare at them. I just couldn’t believe my ears.
“And we also want to. You are one of us now,” Sebastian said.
“One of you?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“Yes, Avalynn, you are family now. It’s that easy,” Sebastian said and without being able to do anything about it, tears were rolling down my face. And for the first time in years, they weren’t tears of pain and sadness. But of pure happiness and gratitude.
Chapter 14
After all that drama was over, the rest of the day passed peacefully. Maybe a bit too peacefully for my taste. Whenever things were going smoothly, I was afraid something horrible would happen sometime soon. I really wondered when I would ever be able to fully relax and let go again.
Laura had been sleeping since the incident earlier and I was hoping I wouldn't have to see her anymore. At least for tonight. I honestly wouldn't know how to deal with her.
Andrew had been rather down, he looked sad and worried, but he didn't go upstairs. He explained that Laura always needed space after incidents like those and that's why he was not approaching her for now.
It sounded odd to me, but they had been together for so many years now, I was sure he knew how to best deal with her.
Ryan and Sebastian were cuddling on the sofa across from me and they looked at peace. I still couldn't wrap my head around them being gay. I don't want to sound like I was just thinking in stereotypes, but those two really looked far from gay.
After staring at them for who knows how long, I looked around the room. We chose to stay in the room where all that ruckus had happened. The piano was carefully hidden under its cover again. My hands were itching to play and to feel the vibrations under my fingertips. But I couldn't and remembering what had happened made my stomach bottom out.
I really wondered why music just seemed to bring so much misery. Couldn't it just be nice and enjoyable? Apparently not for me.
“Ava, you know you are free to play the piano whenever Laura isn't home, right?” Andrew said. I was still staring at the hidden piano and I nodded.
“You use your music as an outlet, right?” Andrew asked. I wondered if using some kind of outlet for the gifts was something all people like us had and knew about.
“Yes, but it's fine. I don't have to play,” I replied even though everything inside me was screaming in denial. Sooner or later I would need it. Since there weren't so many people here, I could go on for longer though. I already was so used to their music that it didn’t even disturb me anymore, most of the time I was not even noticing them. Only Laura’s melody kept hitting into my head, especially since what had happened today. It was a constant reminder of what she was going through and how much she must have suffered. That alone gave me a bad feeling.
“That's not true. Be honest with us,” Ryan said, looking grim. Right, I forgot he could see lies. I sighed. His talent really was going to be tougher to handle.
“When things start to calm down a bit, we should go out,” Sebastian proposed, ignoring Ryan's statement and smiling at me. I had never been one to go out much, but that was also because I was afraid to lose myself when I was alone. If they were with me, things really couldn't go that wrong. Right?
“I sure hope things will work out okay,” I said, feeling anxiety boiling up inside. Suddenly I was so frightened to have to go behind bars.
“Don't worry,” Andrew said. He still had that confidence in his voice, even though he looked so tired and exhausted.
It was impossible to not worry about it, but whatever I would say, it wouldn't change the fact that I had to wait this out now.
And we waited for eleven days. Eleven days full of worry and what-if thoughts. But after eleven days my father called me. I wouldn't have thought that I’d ever be happy to have him call me.
When I saw his name on the display of my phone, I almost jumped at it. I was so fed up with hiding inside the house and being unsure of the future that any information caused a riot of emotions and anticipation in me.
“Hello, Avalynn,” my father greeted me when I picked up. His voice sounded strict and professional, not a hint of emotion shining through.
