Prelude (The Rhapsody Quartet) (31 page)

Score let me cry into him, his arms lightly enfolding me. He rubbed my back and stroked my hair to soothe me. I wasn’t convinced that I could possibly
be
soothed. Eventually, the tears stopped coming. My stomach muscles ached from the sobs and my nose ran. My eyes were wet, probably puffy.

Score offered me a tissue, and I pulled away from him, wiping away the tears and snot. A pang of embarrassment struck me for falling to pieces in front of him.

He let me collect myself before asking gently, “Do you want to talk about it? It’s okay if you don’t.”

I didn’t want to, but I needed answers. I wiped at my eyes, crumpling the tissue. I took a deep breath, “Do you know of any way to fix it?”

He went rigid next to me, his mouth a small line. “The person… they’re alive?”

My stomach tumbled over and over, and I felt dizzy as I forced myself to look at him. “What— what happened with…?”

Score looked petrified. His gaze was fixed towards the wall. His eyes shifted to orange, blue-gray, and a hundred other magical colors that weren’t as pretty as the happier ones I’d seen so many other times.

He picked up the compass he’d used to find me, turning it over and over in his hands, like the weight comforted him, before he finally answered. “Before I turned, I had a huge crush on this girl. She was everything I thought I wanted— beautiful, popular…” He glanced at me, his face flushing a little. “I’m not proud of this, but there was a time that I went through a lot of girls—”

I blanched, pulling away. “You forced them?”

His eyes were panicked, but piercing blue. “No! Absolutely not, Lyra!” He shook his head, frowning. “I always made sure my voice wasn’t manipulating them into being with me. But honestly—” He stared directly into my eyes, “I know I’m handsome as surely as you know you’re beautiful. Do you think it’s difficult for me?”

I blushed, my heart pounding loudly in my ears, wondering what this had to do with anything. The conversation was uncomfortable, but as necessary as setting a broken bone. He was waiting for a response, so I took a deep breath. “Okay. I understand.” I didn’t really, but I could at least believe he didn’t deceive anyone.

He shifted, still looking distraught, continuing on, “She was the first girl I was with, the first one I dated.” His mouth tugged down, looking at me. “I used to dote on her. I liked doing things for her, making her happy.” He stroked his chin, leaning forward. “One day, I decided to give her the best gift I could think of, to let her hear me sing.”

My stomach dropped. It sounded innocent when he put it that way. “But, Score, didn’t your letter say anything about it?”

He laughed bitterly, “It told me there would be consequences, but I just thought—” He snorted, staring at the floor. “I was stupid. I thought the consequences would be she’d—” he shook his head, “she’d love me, that’s all. I thought that was what I wanted.”

In the end, he was more innocent than I was. Consequences can be good or bad, after all, but I was told it would
doom
my foster parents, and I did it anyway. I bit my lip, my hand trembling. I reached up, cupping his face in my palm, “What happened?”

His eyes closed, and he took a sharp breath before continuing, “At first, she told me it was beautiful. Then she asked me to play again and… I refused. She just thanked me, stood up, this eerie smile on her face, and ran out—” his voice cracked. “Ran out into the road, was hit by a truck… the paramedics said she was dead before she hit the ground.”

I gasped, my hand flying up to my mouth in spite of my effort to keep my face neutral. I didn’t want him to think I was judging him— I had no right, certainly— but I was horrified that she’d died from the compulsion.

“After that, I… I just tried to cope, I guess. Get lost in distractions…” He stared straight ahead with furrowed brows, the heartbreak of his deepest regret coloring his eyes a sad blue-gray.

I buried my face in his chest, and he looped his arms around me. Comforting me or seeking comfort, I didn’t know. Maybe we were helping each other. We sat there for a long while. I glanced at his bedside clock and swiped at my eyes. “Marin and Cody are probably waiting for us…”

“They can wait a little longer,” he said quietly.

I pulled back from him, knotting my fingers together. “So there’s no way to take it back, then?” I asked.

He sighed, running his hand through his hair, looking at me with blue eyes. “I don’t know. Not that I’ve been told…” His face was compassionate, “Who did you sing for?”

I tried to be methodical about my answer, to make it easier. I was tired of crying, so I just slowly said, “I’ve lived in Whitecrest for three and a half years, now. That’s a long time to be in foster care with one family, I know, but the couple I was with—” My breath hitched. “They were pretty amazing.” I hadn’t managed to stop myself from crying. My voice was steady, but the tears fell anyway. “When I turned, the day I turned, I sang for them. And I shouldn’t have, because I was told that it would doom them, told that it was a bad idea, but I felt like I needed to know for sure what was happening and—” I sighed, “and it confirmed it. I’m a monster.”

He clasped my hands tightly in his. “You aren’t, Lyra. You made a mistake. That’s all.”

I shook my head, laughing hollowly. “I am. I tried my best to fix it, to do damage control, but it completely broke their minds apart.” I looked into his eyes, “So I told them to sleep, and they did. They are. They have been. They’re comatose, now… I don’t even know which hospital took them.”

He pulled me to him, gripping me hard, whispering, “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” over and over again. It didn’t matter, didn’t change my opinion of myself. I
was
a monster. “That’s why you’re so reluctant,” he said softly, “to play, to sing?”

I nodded, “I won’t do it again, Score. The only time I have, that’s what happened.”

He looked pensive for a long moment, his eyes shifting with his thoughts before he finally said, “I’m sorry that happened to you. But you’re not a monster.”

I didn’t believe him, but it was kind of him to say. I frowned, feeling even less inclined to go on this date now, less willing to pretend to be something I’m not.

“Maybe I should just call Marin and tell her I’m sick, or you’re sick or—”

Score cut me off, squeezing my hand, “No. We should go. It’s a good opportunity for you to learn to control yourself, control your voice.”

My stomach ached at the thought. After this conversation, he really thought I was fit to be around human beings? My brows furrowed, and I glanced up at him, “Score…” I said, nearly flinching. It came out a whine. “I told you before I didn’t want to— and you know now, you know why and—”

He closed his eyes, holding my hands tightly and squeezing them, reassuring me. “Lyra, I push you because I— care for you. You need to learn to do this.” He opened his eyes. They were gentle, soft pink. He smiled. “It will be fine,” he soothed. “I’ll lead you through every step. If you have trouble, I can fix it for you. I’ve had a lot of practice.”

I felt like I was going to throw up, my stomach tossing around in my gut. If I could be doing anything, I’d just lie here with Score, curled up on his comfortable bed, his arm wrapped around me. Maybe then I could forget, at least for a while, what I’d done to my foster parents.

Even Score’s company right now was barely helping my mood.

I stood, knowing it was pointless to try to argue, that between Marin’s inevitable pleas and his insistence, I’d eventually fold. I stretched out. “Fine. Maybe it’ll be over quickly,” I muttered.

He stood next to me, running his fingers through my hair, smiling lightly. “It won’t be as bad as you think.”

I would find out.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

Double Date

I tapped out a quick message to Marin, letting her know we were on our way. I felt nervous. Score kept trying to reassure me. I darted into his bathroom and splashed water on my face. I didn’t want my eyes to look puffy, giving away that I’d been crying for the past twenty minutes.

“You look great,” he said, smiling as I emerged a few moments later, my hands twisting together anxiously. He’d replaced the brown contacts over his eyes. My heart sank at the thought of his emotions being concealed from me.

I sighed. “So how do you do it?” I asked.

“Well… you just have to focus on it, that’s all. I’m sure you know that by default, people just… gravitate to you?”

I nodded, painfully aware of it. Even though my classmates had been told to ignore me, and they had, I could still see it in their eyes, feel it in the air buzzing around me like flies. They may not have approached me, but they all still wanted to talk to me. It hadn’t really improved until Score had spoken with them after his party, nullifying whatever magic I’d used to captivate them.

“So you shift your intention, make sure that it’s clear. You’ll be able to hear it, the change in inflections. Just focus on wanting their natural, true reaction, and you’ll have it. Easy.”

I raised my brows skeptically. We descended the loft stairs hand in hand, exiting through his front door. He locked it, then clicked his keys. The lights on his car flashed, unlocking it. I slid into the vehicle, folding my arms across my chest, staring out the window. The weather hadn’t improved since being inside. It was drizzling, but falling faster every second.

“What are we even doing tonight?” I asked him curiously.

Score shrugged. “I told Cody I was up for anything that didn’t involve music. I hope he actually follows that…”

I nodded in agreement. Being trapped someplace, pretending to be human and listening to human music… ugh.

We were meeting them in the tiny downtown section of Whitecrest. Score parked on one of the side streets, in an unavoidable puddle the size of Puget Sound. Marin was standing with her arm linked in Cody’s beneath the streetlight. She’d decided on the white sun dress after all. He held an umbrella above them. I wondered if it would buckle under the falling water— the rain had turned worse than I’d ever seen it.

“Sarah!” she yelled, spotting me through the downpour. She waved her arm frantically.

I sighed, wrapping my arms around myself. I wished I’d been smart enough to bring a coat. I shivered.

Score seamlessly draped his own jacket over me, and I glanced up at him gratefully. His mouth twitched.

I’d almost forgotten our ruse. Score was acting like we’d been dating for the past couple weeks, playing the part of my boyfriend. My heart sped up, and I pulled the jacket around me, closing my eyes and inhaling. On the other hand, maybe if given the chance, Score and I
could
become something more than just friends…

We were standing there in the rain, two feet away from Cody and Marin. The water was dripping down Score’s face and into his eyes, and he laughed. “So what’s the plan?”

Marin crinkled her nose. “To get out of this lake, for one.” She glanced at me slyly and gave me a look that implied she knew what had delayed us.

I flushed. She was so wrong, but I couldn’t tell her otherwise without inviting unwelcome questions.

I was keeping silent for now, twisting my hands around the cuffs of Score’s coat, not looking forward to actually interacting with Cody.

“I have a fake ID,” Cody announced. “So I say we grab a few beers.”

I frowned. That sounded even more terrible, somehow.

Score wrapped an arm around me. “Why don’t we start with some dinner? I haven’t eaten yet.”

I was grateful for the suggestion, and we slipped into one of the restaurants along the main drag, the most expensive one. Cody looked a little apprehensive about entering, and I had to smile. I had no doubt Marin would expect him to foot her share of the bill— not because she couldn’t afford it, but on principle.

It was dimly lit, and there was soft human music coming from a sound system somewhere. I cringed.

Score leaned over, pulling the wet coat from my shoulders and whispered into my ear, “Now would be a great chance to ask someone to please turn off that offensive noise.”

I sighed. He was apparently serious about these lessons. I addressed the hostess, “Excuse me, is there any way you could turn the music off?”

Her eyes glazed over, and she nodded, “Of course.” She left the stand. After a few moments, the sound was silenced abruptly. My shoulders relaxed.

“Thank you, Lyra,” Score whispered to me, “If it was any longer, I felt like my ears were going to bleed.”

I smiled, but had to agree. Still, that wasn’t exactly difficult. It was the default since I’d turned siren.

The hostess returned, gesturing for us to follow her. We slid into a wide booth in the back corner. She kept staring at me, looking like she was just about to bubble over with enthusiasm, trying to please me.

I wanted to hide in a hole somewhere. I leaned against my elbows on the table and groaned a little.

“Everything okay?” Cody asked me.

I sighed. I didn’t want to do any of this.

I peeked through my fingers. Marin was flipping through the menu, unaware that her date was speaking to me.

I nervously glanced at Score. His brows raised, his eyes encouraging.

Okay… my hands trembled, and I focused on wanting his natural reaction. No ridiculous infatuation, nothing but honest, human. “I’m fine, Cody, thanks,” I said in a quick whoosh.

“Well, okay, then,” he said, turning towards Marin. He bit his lip, staring at the menu nervously. There really wasn’t anything under $50.00 here— no wonder he was nervous. His reaction had been genuine, though. I smiled, just a little, pleased I’d been successful.

Score laughed, watching him. “My treat tonight, guys, so go nuts. Order whatever you want.”

Marin gave me a long, superior smirk. “See that, Sarah? A keeper.”

My stomach fluttered a little. I instinctively gripped Score’s hand in mine, giving it a squeeze. It was kind of him to give Cody a reprieve. I could already see that Marin’s date was slumping down, relaxing.

Score leaned towards me, brushing my hair away from my neck. Marin was watching us like a hawk now, though, and if he had something to say to me…