John followed the gentle flowing tune he could hear. It sounded like a violin but it was so soft. It was as if the notes were telling him to find them. He continued down the corridor and past several more doors. From here He could tell the player must surely be in the very last room in front of him. He peered around the crack of the barely open door.
His eyes scanned the room and rested on a boy sat in the windowsill on the far side of the room. He was leant back against the wall and his eyes were shut listening to his own melody as he played. He had very large hands which cupped the instrument and he barely held the piece, rather balanced it as he played. His dark hair was cut roughly and hung just over his ears and a little down his neck.
John leant against the door's frame so he could see the boy a little more through the slim gap. The room was about as small as all the rest with its wooden shelves and cupboard. The one bed John could see looked unmade and there was a small pile over clothes covering the chair he sat just above. However John's eyes returned to him and his violin. John heard a sound behind him but ignored it. Then he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and before he had time to turn around he heard a voice harshly but quietly next to his ear, spoke.
"If you're new, I think you should learn something quick. That boy you're staring at is a freak, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to mess with him. And if I'm completely honest, he wouldn't be interested in people who stare at him through cracks in doorways, probably call you boring or dull." The hand left John's shoulder and he turned to see the mean looking girl he'd seen when he'd arrived.
She pushed him backwards and walked straight past into the room on the opposite side of the corridor where a short weedy looking boy greeted her before closing the door.
The boy John had been watching must have heard the girl talking to John because he was now looking up to the doorway and John saw him smile. However the crack in the door was so small John assumed the boy didn't see him. He stepped back from the door and returned to his room before he was caught b anyone else who thought he needed telling who to stay away from.
About half an hour later, John heard the food bell ring through the corridors. He waited a minute so that a few other people were walking past his door so he could follow them, knowing he'd probably get lost if he didn't. There were dozens of people in this place and John wondered how many of them orphans like him and his sister were. Stepping out of his door he ran into the violin boy stood just in his way, leaning against the wall, acting oblivious to the crowds.
"Excuse me," John said, and the boy looking down at john with the kind of expression that gave John the feeling that he had just woken up from napping there.
"You were listening to me earlier," He said. John looked down, embarrassed.
"It… it was just nice." John stuttered, "My mum used to play, but not that well,"
"You're new, you'll want to eat," The boy in front of John said, as if the two things were connected,
"Err…"
"Come on then," He said quickly, walking away with on strides in the direction of the other kids. John ran to catch up with him; curious about the boy, even more so now.