Pepper loves music. She had heard of the lost and found studio and really loved the idea of being in a place surrounded by people who love music just as much as her. She was so excited to try out. Her only problem is, she's not a pop singer, she's a classically trained pianist.
This is just a little something I whipped up. I'm a classical musician and I figured why not have a classical player at Lost and found.
This may just be a one shot but I may make it a two shot (is that a thing) if you guys want me to develop the relationship between Theo and Pepper.
Please give me feedback and feel free to point any typos so I can fix them. I hate typos and try to avoid them but you know, things happen.
The audition song I chose for this story is Avicii's Wake Me Up. For the piano version that is in this story please search Johnny May on youtube. He is amazing.
I dont own anything except for my original character. I wish I owned Lost and Found. How rad would that be.
Coming Home
Pepper walked in to the Java Junction. Everyone was buzzing around drinking juice, talking, playing guitars. It was such a happy atmosphere, she couldn't help but smile.
She saw a sign with an arrow pointing to the lost and found music studio and she followed up to a room with a beautiful grand piano. She took a seat and didn't even get to play a note before someone was telling her to get off.
"Get off. Do you have any idea how expensive that piano is? We can't just have amateurs from the street playing it." Pepper looked to her right and saw an angry looking man approaching her. He had short dark hair and a beard. He looked very intimidating with his arms crossed and brows furrowed. "Who are you?" he asked when he reached Pepper at the piano.
"I'm Pepper. I moved here a couple weeks ago. I heard about this place and came to check it out. I wanna go here." She said. His face softened a little but he still looked scary to a small girl like Pepper.
"Well Pepper." He said, emphasising her name. "We don't just accept anyone in this place. Auditions are next week. Here's the song and the details. I don't want to see you touching this piano until you have proven yourself worthy." He grumbled turning around heading back into what Pepper assumed was his office.
"Thank you!" she shouted after his retreating figure. Pepper looked down at the song and the audition requirements and frowned.
Pepper couldn't sing. She was a classical piano player. (she also dabbled in playing the cello and clarinet but that was only for a bit of fun on the side. Her true love was the piano.) It wasn't that Pepper didn't want to sing, she was just really bad at it. She got it from her mother. The woman was lovely but as soon as she tried to sing it was like listening to two cats fighting each other.
And not only could Pepper not sing, but she didn't play pop music. She played the works of Stockhausen and Bach, not Katy Perry or Miley Cyrus.
Pepper stood up and started walking out of the studio looking down at the papers in her hands. She was really upset. So much for being able to go to a place where she would be surrounded by people just like her. She wasn't looking where she was going and ran into someone. They both fell to the ground.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry are you okay?" Pepper said hurriedly scrambling to get up trying not to make a fool of herself even more.
"I'm fine. Are you okay? You look really upset." Pepper heard the voice of a male and immediately looked at the person she ran into. She wasn't very good at talking to boys. Back in her hometown she just avoided them. She always clammed up and couldn't speak in proper sentences. He was a cute boy. He had a sweet looking smile and short brown hair.
"Worry I'm don't fine." She rushed out. "I mean. Don't worry, I'm fine." She said slowly making sure it came out in the right order this time.
Nice one Pepper. She thought. Embarrass yourself in front of the cute guy.
The boy chuckled and held out his hand. "I'm Theo. And you are?"
"Pepper." She said shaking his outstretched hand.
"Well it's lovely to meet you Pepper. Are you going to audition next week?" he observed, gesturing to the papers in my hand.
"I was going to but I don't think this place is right for me. And I can't sing and you have to sing for the audition." Pepper relied still feeling dejected.
"Who said you have to sing in the audition?" he said.
Pepper pointed to the audition outline. "The rules." Pepper said.
"Those aren't rules." Said Theo "They're more like suggestions. And anyway if you don't sing, what do you do?" Theo asked slightly confused. Everyone here sings. Except James but he doesn't even go here, he's just always here for the band and what not.
"I play piano." Pepper responded.
"Then you can just play the audition song on the piano. That's easy!" he explained.
Pepper was sceptical. "I'll think about it. It was nice meeting you Theo." She said.
"Yeah. See ya 'round Pepper." He said turning around watching her walk away.
Wow I cant believe I just talked to a boy without being a total fool. You go girl. Pepper thought as she walked away.
Pepper thought about the audition for the whole week. She practised the song and made a few changes to make it more difficult and more entertaining since there was no singer. It sounded awesome but she was still really nervous and wasn't sure if she should do it or not.
She decided to go and give it a shot. The worst that could happen is she doesn't get in right? Right.
She entered Java Junction and saw so many nervous people sitting around and pacing. She saw Theo in the corner with a girl. Pepper felt a little sad seeing that but it went away when he saw her. The biggest smile ever was on his face the minute he laid eyes on her. He beckoned her over so she went and sat next to him.
"Hey Pepper. You decided to come!" Theo exclaimed. "This is Leia. She goes to lost and found. She is the best song writer ever."
Pepper looked over at Leia. She was beautiful. She had long dark hair and a pretty smile and beautiful big brown eyes. Pepper couldn't help but compare herself to her. Her hair was mid-length and ordinary and her eyes were a boring blue.
"So nice to meet you." Leia said with that big smile never leaving her face. "I'm guessing you're auditioning."
"Yeah. I'm kind of nervous." Pepper said rubbing her sweaty palms together.
"I'm sure you'll do amazing." Leia said. Theo nodded and smiled as well.
A different boy came over to the table. He was beyond cute but wasn't really Pepper's type. He went straight for Leia and kissed her cheek.
"Hey." He said to her to which she greeted him back. "Who's this?" He said looking at Pepper.
"Luke this is Pepper. Pepper this is my boyfriend Luke. He's in a band with Theo at the studio." Leia said. Luke sat down in the chair next to Leia and took her hand. Aww. Pepper thought. (Sorry. Had to have some Lukeia. I'm kind of obsessed with them. Especially after season 2. Holy shit I nearly died.)
"Nice to meet you." Pepper said being polite as always. She wasn't very good when it came to social situations. She tended to get awkward when there was lots of people. And to Pepper a lot of people was really only three or more.
"Likewise." Luke said smiling.
A whistle sounded from the other side of the junction and everybody turned to pay attention. Mr T was standing there. He looked just as intimidating as Pepper remembered.
"The auditions are about to start. Could you all please follow me into the rose room."
Everyone got up and followed Mr T to the rose room. They all gathered around a stage which was set up for the auditions. Luke ran onto the stage and welcomed everyone.
"Hey everyone I'm Luke and I have been a part of lost and found for three years now. Welcome to the rose room. I hope your all ready for your auditions and good luck everyone." Everyone cheered. Pepper didn't though. She was freaking out.
"Don't worry. You'll do great." She heard in her ear. She turned around to see Theo standing behind her. "Just breath."
She followed his instructions and felt calmer immediately. "Thanks." She said, honestly grateful.
"No problem. Just pretend there is no one else here." He whispered. She nodded and closed her eyes. She could do this.
"Who wants to go first?" Luke asked from the stage. A girl put her hand up before anyone else could. "Okay come on up."
The girl jumped onto the stage and grabbed the mic. The music started and she started singing. She had a nice voice but you could tell she wasn't really feeling it. There was no soul in her performance. She clearly didn't love music to the same extent as Pepper.
The auditions went on for a couple of hours. Some people were amazing where as others were kind of average. Finally Pepper was the only one who hadn't gone.
"Is there anyone left?" Luke asked from the stage.
Pepper froze. She was terrified. Everybody else sang the song. Sure some played the music but they sang as well. "Over here." She heard someone behind her say and turned around to see Theo pointing at her. He put his hands and her shoulders and started steering her towards the piano on the stage. He sat her down and took all the microphones away. Pepper looked out into the crowd and everyone looked really confused. How was she supposed to sing without a microphone?
She looked over at Theo who gave her a big thumbs up. She barely knew the guy and yet he could calm her down with just one smile. They'd had one conversation but she felt really comfortable around him. He made her feel safe.
She took a deep breath and placed her hands on the keyboard. She closed her eyes and began to play. The music travelled throughout her whole body and escaped through her fingers. It was an insane feeling that Pepper only got when she was doing the one thing she loved most in the world, playing a piano. She felt free and in control. Nothing else mattered just the piano and her.
As the song came to an end she added some more difficulty and spontaneous runs and riffs. It wasn't planned it just felt right and when she struck the final chord she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Not to sound over confident but she knew her performance was awesome. She didn't care if she got in or not because she knows that even if she doesn't, music will always be there for her.
Everyone in the audience cheered but Pepper only cared about one person. Mr T. He had a straight face so it was impossible to tell if he liked her performance or not. She would just have to wait and see.
When she stepped off the stage she was immediately pulled into a hug from Leia. "Oh my gosh that was incredible." She exclaimed. "How are you real?" she asked picking up Peppers hands and examining them.
"That was so awesome." Theo said. "I thought you might be okay but holy guacamole that was amazing. How long have you been playing?" he had a huge smile on his face. He looks so cute when he smiles. Pepper thought.
"Since I was 3. I kept banging on things so Dad bought me a keyboard and organised lessons and I immediately fell in love with the piano and music in general." Pepper said.
"There is no way Mr T can reject you. You're incredible." Theo said pulling her in for a hug.
"Thanks." Pepper said, a blush forming on her cheeks. "Well I should probably go. It's been a long day." Pepper said. "I'll be back tomorrow for the list."
The list was, shock horror, a list of those who made it and those who didn't. (I know this isn't like the show but I needed Theo to be there when she found out for reasons that will become obvious.)
"I'll be here." Theo winked at her which basically turned her into a bowl of jelly. Luckily she pulled herself together quick enough to say goodbye and walk out of the studio to the car park where her mum was waiting for her.
The next morning Pepper walked into Java Junction and bought herself a juice. When she turned around she saw Theo walking in with three other guys. One of them was Luke but the others she didn't know. Theo immediately walked over to her.
"Hey Pepper. I want you to meet my band. This is John, James and you already know Luke." He said pointing to each individual band member as he said their name. "Guys this is Pepper. She auditioned yesterday." Theo introduced.
"Hi." Pepper said shyly.
"Hey. You're that amazing piano player from yesterday." John exclaimed.
"Damn girl you've got some skills." James continued.
"Thanks." Pepper blushed.
"Yeah Pepper, you have got to teach me some of those skills. How long have you been playing?"
"14 years." Pepper replied. "Do you know when the list goes up?" she asked shyly.
John looked down at his watch. "In about 30 minutes. Do you want to come hear us practise while you wait?"
Pepper nodded enthusiastically. "I would love to."
She followed them to the studio. They went past a few rooms until they finally came to the coolest room Pepper had ever seen. It was a fully functional recording studio with a production room and everything.
"Holy crap on a cracker. Is this real?" Pepper said, awestruck by the room.
"100% real. When you get in you'll spend a lot of time in here recording or just practising." Theo said picking up his bass. "Sit down right there and we'll show you what we've been working on." He said pointing to a chair in the corner.
Pepper sat down and watched as they all got set up and plugged in ready to play. Luke stepped up to the front mic and introduced the song as "Best Day."
The guys sounded great. The vocals were awesome and it was really catchy. It just needed another layer to make it absolutely perfect.
"That was great but can you run it again and I'll just add something with the piano." Pepper said. The guys knew she was a great piano player but they were a little hesitant to let her add to their song. Theo didn't mind though so he took it upon himself to speak for the whole band.
They started again and she added some integral chords which really made the song more textured than it was before. The guys absolutely loved it.
"We totally have to work with you more often. That was sick." Luke said. "Group hug!" he shouted. This caused all the guys to basically squish her. She was petite so it was pretty easy for her to get buried amongst them all.
"List is about to go up." John said glancing at the clock on the wall. They all separated and headed for the door. "Don't worry Pepper. You were fantastic. You'll get in for sure."
"Yeah right. I didn't sing. Everyone else did." She said lacking the confidence she was feeling directly after her performance.
"Which makes you one of a kind." James said boobing her nose. This made her smile but she was still incredibly nervous.
When they reached the list she immediately looked at the names of the people who did get in. her name wasn't there. She couldn't believe it. She didn't get it. She worked so hard on learning that song and making it her own and she just gets rejected. She felt like crying.
"This is absolute crap." Theo said. "You deserve to be here. You're more talented than everyone in this studio put together." He looked really angry. "Come with me." He said grabbing her wrist.
He dragged her right into Mr T's office. "Explain this now." Theo said.
"What?" Mr T looked really confused. The other guys had followed Theo and Pepper into the office. None of them looked happy. Not at all.
"Why did she not get in?" Theo asked angrily.
"She's not exactly the kind of person we produce here." Mr T said.
"What do you mean? She's talented, she loves music, and she has great ideas. I thought this place was made to support young musicians who want to do something more than just dream. What just because she plays classical music she doesn't get to have the same opportunities to pursue her music dreams? Well I think that sucks. She deserves to be here more than any of us and you're killing a dream if you reject her." Theo said sounding really passionate.
Everyone just stared at Theo wondering what had happened. Except Pepper she was more embarrassed and trying to hide behind her hair. Normally Theo was the jokester and was never serious, but here he was sticking up for something he believed in. He was unstoppable.
Mr T cleared his throat. "Okay then. Welcome to Lost and Found Pepper." He said sighing after. All the guys started cheering. Pepper just smiled and started internally freaking out. "Now get out of my office." Everyone hurried out. "And Pepper." She turned around when she was halfway through the door way, "You can use that piano whenever you want. You deserve it. I haven't seen someone like you in a long time. It's nice, refreshing."
Pepper smiled. She couldn't get rid of it. It was basically a permanent feature on her face now.
She followed the guys down to the Java Junction. Theo bought her a juice. It was there that she met Rachel and Annabel and Maggie. They were also members of lost and found. They were all super nice and were super passionate about music, just like her.
Normally, Pepper felt really uncomfortable in big group situations but sitting there with all of her fellow musicians she felt calm and wanted.
She felt like she was home.