The Girl with Music in Her Soul

Ever since I was 8, music has been something I loved. Whether it be the melody coming from a piano or a blast from a trumpet, I would always stand and listen till the end. That was, until my Mom died.
My Mom died in a fire that destroyed half the city. She was rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival. The doctors say she died from the burns, but I think she died from the hisses and cackling that seemed to be emanated from the fire. Dad survived, but died 3 years later from heartbreak. I was sent to live in an apartment with my older sister, Alie, until I was old enough to leave. I stopped hearing the music that once had filled me with such joy, but my heart never forgot.
When I turned 12, Granny Ell gifted me a pianoforte with a note saying to “play from my heart” and “make Mama and Papa proud.” I sat down and stroked the keys, making no noise. I learned to play my mother’s favorite song and once I was sure I knew it by heart, I sat and played.
I played every note with passion, every sound came with a story, and every breath came with a tear. The song held a story of a family, happy and bright and beautiful. It told of a mother with all the love in the world, and a daughter who adored her so. It told the memories both good and bad. Everything I played came from a memory. The memories where Mom would hold me close as we drank hot chocolate and watched a blizzard blow past, or where we would sit in the park with ice cream dripping down our chins and into the grass. The memories where Dad would lift me up and twirl me around until only laughter filled the house, or where he would take me to the ocean and teach me to swim and swim until the sun was setting over the water. The memories where Alie would sew dress after dress for me to prance around the house in, or where we both sat silently and cried at our parent’s funerals. Those were the memories written into the song, and those were the memories that brought her back.
When I lifted my hands from the keys to wipe my tear-stained face, a lucid hand lifted my chin.
She was just as beautiful as I remembered. Her black curls loose and playful and framing her icy blue eyer. She smiled while tears streamed down her face. No burns marked her, and all the pain had left her. She wore a royal blue dress that was lined with gold, and the necklace I bought for her last birthday. Tears of sorrow turned to joy as my mother took my hands and held them like she wouldn’t let go.
I flung my arms around her. The scents of lavender and chocolate enveloped us. I murmured how much I missed her, how I wish she could be here. When all the tears were gone, I looked up. She kissed my forehead and said “I don't have much more time before I must return back to the dead. I love you, Darling, and never forget that, but your music is dangerous. With time, it will become more powerful, and people are going to want to use you. So never call me back, no matter how much you mourn me.”
Hearing this scared me, leaving me petrified sitting near the piano. Before she left, she kissed every freckle on my face and hugged me once more. Her whispered last words knocked the breath from me.
“You look just like I did when I was your age.”
As she faded, I started to cry again. Once she was gone, I broke down. Quiet sobs racked my body, quiet enough so no one could hear. I missed her, and my heart seemed to break for it.
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The next time I played, I played for Dad. I saved all my money and bought a guitar. Alie taught me to play Dad’s favorite song, and with time came perfection. Once I knew it perfectly, I knelt down and hesitated. Mama’s words came back to me, making me nervous to play. But this was meant for Papa, so I started strumming.
This song was filled with laughter and joy. It told of a father who would conquer worlds for his girls, and the girls who wanted to be like their father. It told of times when Mom would drag Dad onto the dance floor and dance for hours, feeling carefree and light. It told of times when Dad would pull out his old, beat-up drum and sing and play while Alie danced and twirled while I squealed from Mom’s lap. It told of days when the sun would beat down and a family would be together, happy and free.
I finished, and looked up to my father’s proud face. He looked just like I remembered, with his blonde hair tousled and face caked in dirt. His green eyes alive with laughter and his freckles scrunching into thin lines when he smiled. He wore his favorite blue shirt that was bleached from all the days in the sun, along with his jeans that had so many holes in them no one would ever be able to count them all. He picked me up and twirled me around and around until I was giggling like the popular girls at school would.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him until he started fading, no words passing between us until the very end.
He looked right into my eyes. “Never stop playing, Darling. Even when people try to use you, never stop playing.” he murmured.
One tear streamed down my cheek as I said the words I’d been holding in.
“ I love you, Dad. More than anything.”
He kissed each cheek before fading, taking all the joy with him.
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A man came one day, the day after Granny Ell passed away. The man said he was from a school for gifted and talented youngsters with dangerous and world-altering powers. He held out a letter stating my admission into this school and briskly walked away. Careful not to ruin the wax seal on the back, I opened the envelope with a shaky hand.
Miss Lucy Falone,
You have been accepted into Elemental School for the Talented. We have told your guardian about your extraordinary abilities and have both agreed that coming to this school would be best for you. Below is a list of the other talents we have at our school, and the classes you shall be taking. Arrive at the school in one week and be ready to learn.
We hope to see you soon,
Melissa Hackle

I read through the note again and again until I was sure what it said. It talked about kids who could paint without the paint, kids who could manipulate their bodies into different forms, and so much more. I took the letter to Alie and let her read through the letter. With a sigh, Alie looked at me and breathed out the sentence that changed my life.
“I attended this school when I was 13, and I think it’s time to send you there too.”
I must have looked confused, because Alie sat me down on the couch and explained how she had the power to manipulate sounds. She told me she knew I had a more dangerous power when she saw Papa and I in my room and had called the school, begging them to take me. She informed me on how the school works, holidays that I would come home on, the different teachers I would meet, and about the school’s layout. I looked away when she got to the part about how we gained our abilities from Mama and Papa, but a silent sob racked her body before she told me where they gained them.
“Granny had them, didn’t she?” I sat back as I remembered how much Granny encouraged me to play.
Alie nodded and stretched her arms out and I jumped into the embrace.
“Granny had the ability to summon the dead through music, like you,” Alie explained. “I thought maybe it was all in my head, when you gained her ability, but when you summoned Papa, it scared me. Granny was always being hunted by jealous people and unruly monsters, I thought I would happen to you. So, I called the school.” She kissed my forehead with the lightness of an angel before she got off the couch and smiled down at me.
“Well, kiddo, get to packing. I’ll make your favorite desserts if you can get done in less than an hour.” She prodded me in the ribs and turned to go make supper.
I grinned and sprinted to my room, gathered my things, and shoved it all into the suitcases I pulled out from the closet. I sighed and a shy smile lit my lips. Besides, how bad could it be.

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Standing I front of the school was like standing in front of a mansion, expect this mansion was filled with laughter and light. Kids were playing tag while flying through the air, others were playing hide and seek while becoming invisible. It was like looking through a mirror and seeing the perfect place for me on the other side.
Alie threw an arm over my shoulder, grabbed my last bag, and grinned. “Ready for your first day?”
I looked back at this unfamiliar place, this safe haven for kids like me, and tried to picture myself in this world. Before, it was difficult. I pictured a quiet run down school with shy kids and strict teachers. Now, I could see myself sitting on the front lawn watching kids do art without paints, or flying through the courtyards with the flyers, or sneaking to the store with some sound manipulators and invisibles.
I grinned at my sister and nodded. She squeezed me for the billionth time today and together we entered the school. For the first time since I discovered my abilities, I didn’t feel scared or thrilled by them. I felt something different, something light, and something close to hope.
Maybe, just maybe, I could learn to live in this world after all.