Virtuoso
by: Sentaia
A reverent hand brushed a blanket of dust away as the piano's owner grimaced at the condition the forgotten instrument had fallen into. Sitting down on the elegant cedar bench, he hesitantly pressed a few keys softly, testing their tone. Inevitably, over time, the piano had fallen out of tune, but it was of a lesser magnitude than the teen had expected. It would suit his purposes quite well. Sighing, Billy began to peck out a well-remembered melody.
***
"Your aptitude in the field of music is most impressive," Billy noted, watching with an eight-year-old's unrestrained awe as his best friend's fingers danced along the piano keys. He blinked as he tried to decipher the meaning of the advanced notation in the sheet music the other boy was reading. "Indeed, you are quite prodigious."
"Thanks." Even if he wasn't exactly sure what his friend was saying, Eugene always knew what the meaning behind Billy's flowery language was, and he was flattered. "How are you doing with lessons?"
Staring up at the music, Billy fell quiet. "I... have been trying my hand at composing a melody of my own. Would you like to listen?"
"Sure! What's it about?"
Billy's face reddened a bit. "It expresses the sum total of the trials and tribulations of a stereotypical... superhero. But it still doesn't sound right."
Eugene nodded gravely. "So it's like the Superman theme?"
Billy smiled. "Not really, but close enough." Quickly, afraid he'd lose his nerve, he retrieved a folder from a nearby bookcase, arranging the music he'd written out neatly before sitting down and hesitantly placing his fingers on the keys. Taking a deep breath, he started to play, Eugene watching critically the entire time. As he finished the song, the taller boy grinned.
"Billy, you're incredible," Eugene noted. "That's a great melody. Now all you need is a little harmony. Start playing right here," requested the young musician, pointing to the beginning of what was shaping up to be the refrain and moving to Billy's right side. As the bright melody rang from the piano, deep, bass-like beat underneath, he reached for the higher notes, plucking out a beautiful countermelody throughout the refrain which faded into the lower notes by the transition into the second verse. As they reached the end of the refrain, Billy pounded out the last few chords.
"Who's incredible now? That was phenomenal, Eugene!" exclaimed an excited Billy as his friend quickly moved to sketch in the notes on the sheet music Billy had written, along with a few dynamic markings.
"Thanks. You know, they say math and music go hand in hand... I never believed them before, but I think I do now." Eugene had a marvelously engrossed look in his eyes as he took a few minutes to write the notes down. "Hey, are you ever going to write any words to this?"
"Lyrics? I hadn't considered that in depth... I don't know what would best suffice for this situation," replied Billy, looking slightly upset.
"Hmm..." Eugene hummed the first phrase of the refrain a few times, then tested out some words. "Go go superhero..."
"That reminds me of Inspector Gadget," Billy noted thoughtfully. "But I like it. I really do."
"Good. Can we work on the verses now?" Laughing, Eugene and Billy returned to their duet, playing with a devotion normally unheard of in children their age. It was a song, though, a good song, and it had to be written.
There was nothing more awesome in Billy's life before or after that rainy afternoon spent with a friend... nothing until the day of the Power.
***
For some reason, as he hit the final chord, Billy felt much better. He'd been back for quite some time, although he had previously harbored no desire to inform the others- because why would it matter to them? He had thought he wasn't part of the Power anymore. However, in playing the song, Billy had come to realize something crucial- that the Power, at least this little part, would always belong to him. Him and his best friend.
Suddenly, he rose. He had someone to seek out, someone to talk to for a while. The others could wait.
***
"Welcome to McDonald's; may I take your-" As he looked up from working at the register, the young man's face lit with both recognition and a slight degree of disbelief. "Billy-"
"Hey, Skull. Is your shift almost over?" the teen asked, and the cashier nodded.
"As a matter of fact, you were going to be my last customer. Did you want anything, by the way?"
"Just to talk." Skull's eyes widened slightly as Billy said this, but he quickly turned off the register and followed him into a booth in an uncrowded section of the restaurant.
"So... what's up? Where have you been, man?" Skull asked, almost afraid to ask.
"Just... places. Anyway, I've heard that you've been having some difficulty with maintaining a steady job lately?" half-questioned Billy.
Resignedly, Skull nodded. "I just can't seem to find anything that's right for me. Everything seems so regimented..."
"Have you ever considered becoming a piano instructor?"
"What?"
Billy laughed. "You heard me right. Skull, you have the ability to get along with people well, especially children. You know that. You're also a great composer. If you get into the right college classes I'm sure you could be the next John Williams one day."
"You're kidding... you really think I could do that?" Skull had an anxious, yet flattered look on his face.
"You know it as well as I do." Billy smiled. "Now, I'm sorry this is such a quick visit, but I have a few more old friends to catch up with as well today. I'll keep in touch, okay?" With those words, Billy rose and exited the restaurant as quickly as he had appeared.
Spotting an object on the table, Skull started to say, "Hey, man, you forgot your-" but paused as he saw his given name, Eugene, written on it. It was a curious package, a piece of paper wrapped around a small metal object. Curious, he read the paper first, letting the cold metal object inside fall into his hand. The note read:
"This has belonged to you since the beginning- I made it specifically for you because I knew that you would understand what was going on from the start. Please don't write yourself off as stupid anymore; there is much more to Eugene Skullovich than what you give yourself credit for. Good luck, and remember that if you ever run into trouble, we'll always be there. All of us."
There was no signature, and as Skull fastened the communicator around his wrist, its silver border catching the sunshine that flooded in through the window, he knew there didn't have to be one. Happily, he stood and strode out of the restaurant, feeling for the first time since he was a young boy that he could find his place in the world. The peace was temporarily broken as five colored flashes of light lit up the sky, and even though he was used to this type of disturbance occurring often, he stopped this time and stared after the vibrant beams in fascination as they zipped away. After a few seconds of stillness, he turned and continued to walk, singing under his breath.
"Go go Power Rangers..."