A Few Days Before, just after the Library:
"Violet?"
A sudden voice made her jump. But it took her a few seconds to realise that the soft voice talking to her was definitely not one of the two girls in Max's clan, but her music teacher, Mrs Oliver
"Yes, miss?" She replied, looking up
"Are you alright?" The young teacher asked Violet
Not really
"Yes miss, I'm fine" Violet lied, looking back at her work
Unconvinced, but she left her alone. Violet just got on with her work, as she should be
Damn musical theory. Why is it so difficult?
The bell rang after about ten minutes, signalling break time was commencing. This shocked Violet a little. She didn't realise so much time had passed. When she started thinking earlier, it was 20 minutes into the lesson. But there was 5 minutes to go after her music teacher brought her back to earth from the clouds where her head had been
"Erm, Violet? Do you mind if I had a word with you?"
Her teacher stopped Violet as she was about to leave. Well, she was putting her book into her backpack. The two girls glared at her as they passed. 'Say anything and you're dead' is what their expressions told her. And that's exactly why she wasn't going to say anything
Mrs Oliver closed the door to the classroom when the last student left. And Violet, stood back by the desk, watched her teacher walk around to the front of the teachers' desk, and lean against it
"Are you feeling okay, Violet?"
No
"Yes, miss"
They both paused, it was rather tense
"Is something bothering you?"
Violet didn't answer that. She thought Mrs Oliver was being vague on purpose. So that's the reason she didn't reply
"Anything going on at home?"
Leave me alone
She nodded, and tried not to cry. Her teacher could perceive this as child abuse. Her eyes watered
I can't let anyone think that
"What?" Mrs Oliver asked
Don't make me say anything, please
Violet sighed "I think you know what happened a month ago, miss" She said quietly
"No. I don't"
Yes you do. You just want me to tell you
Why are teachers the worlds worst liars?
"Me and my mother were caught in an avalanche a month ago, miss" She started, feeling tears well up, but trying not to cry. But failing badly. Her teacher didn't say anything to her either. She wanted her to continue.
This is stupid, why is she making me say this?
"My mother died" She said weakly. That was it. A tear fell. And she had said it. It ripped her heart, absolutely tore it into several pieces. Her soul had been ripped from her
"Violet... That must be hard for you and your brothers" Her teacher consoled, holding out a box of tissues. Violet took one and dried her eyes with it. She didn't cry anymore, but her eyes were still red and puffy.
"My dad had it worse" She choked quietly "You know, losing your wife must be hard"
"It was just as hard on you and your brothers as it was for him"
"It's just difficult - My mind is just scrambled" Violet choked, not crying any more, but emphasising with small hand gesturess how she couldn't think straight "Like, I'll start work, then think and then not realise how much time passed"
Her music teacher pondered this for a second
"I hear you used to play guitar"
What?
"What?" She repeated her thoughts
"You used to play the guitar, didn't you?"
"I think I was okay..."
"You were pretty damn good from what I heard"
No I wasn't
And where are you going with this?
I hope she's not asking me what I think she is asking me
"I find music a very therapeutic way to take my mind off things. I can also put my thoughts into songs"
So what? You want me to make a song?
"I know what you're thinking. Making a song isn't the best way to express loss" She raised her hands in front of her, in a bit of defeat? "But I like foreign songs"
Foreign... What?
"Foreign songs, miss?" Violet asked slowly
Her teacher smiled, and turning to her store cupboard, she indicated for Violet to follow, she therefore took a few steps towards it
"My favourite foreign artist is YUI. She's Japanese. And her songs have such deep connotations. And I think you'd like them too" She smiled, walking around to the back of her desk after a minute, a CD in her hands. Violet followed her back to the desk, adjusting her backpack "How do you fancy doing something for extra credit?"
"Miss?"
"I mean, you're excelling in all theory work currently, and I can't think of anything I can have you do. So how do you fancy upping your grade further?" She smiled to Violet
"What do I have to do?"
"Here's an album by YUI, the singer I told you about. I want you to listen to 'It's all too much', both the regular and acoustic version. And once I print the sheet music for the guitar for it, you can play it"
She handed Violet the CD. You can tell a lot about an album by its cover, which you can't with a book or a person. But then everything about it can be found in the songs in the album. The cover was of a young girl, well, no younger than 18, who, as her teacher said, was Japanese. The typical appearance for a Japanese girl was right here. Slightly dark, like tanned, skin, with deep brown hair, just about to her neck. She was holding an electric guitar, and was stood behind an open door. There was a sign on the doorknob, like the 'Do not Disturb' signs you get at hotels, which said "It's all too much - Never say die". There were playing cards on the cover, looking like they were defying gravity, just floating. It was a very unusual cover, but beautiful all the same
"So I just do that?"
"I'll give you the sheet music tomorrow. And your guitar"
"I don't have to perform for anyone, do I?" Violet panicked, suddenly realising her side of the deal
"Not if you don't want to, but I would appreciate you just knowing how to play it so I can assess you on that. You could sing along with it" She smiled encouragingly
Violet looked at the CD in her hands. She can't sing to save her life! She can barely play the guitar, she hadn't played it for years. So exactly what on earth should she do? It could be good, having a hobby besides horseriding. It might take her mind off other things, provided she learnt fast. So... Maybe she should. So then she looked back at her teacher, and nodded
"That's good" She smiled "See you tomorrow then"
Violet had, indeed, gotten the music sheets and guitar from Mrs Oliver, the next day after school, and had kept it in the stables, where no one would look, and under a sheet of tarpaulin, so it wouldn't get damp. And taking the guitar, she climbed up to the loft, where she found a sturdy hay bale and set out her music sheets on her left as she sat on the golden yet prickly bale of hay. And having listened to the song dozens of times through her headphones, she had the idea of its tune. Next was learning how to play
But the problem was Max Isherwood. He was watching her. Seeing what she took from the music department, and Violet was close to having to defend herself with the damned guitar case, they were taunting her as she walked away. She was lucky enough to get it into the stables before going into her house without her brothers noticing.
But she was curious as to what the lyrics mean. It's in Japanese, and Mrs Oliver said it was deeply connotated. But she was right about one thing, it is a damn beautiful song. Catchy. Sort of memorable
But taking a deep breath and checking the tightness of the strings, the next day, she read the first line. And played the first bit slowly. Then the second bit. Then the third. Then the fourth. Then played it all back, on a constant repeat. She was playing the acoustic version, just so it sounds normal. Then here is where the first line of the song would start. She made a lot of mistakes. Not kidding. A lot of mistakes, but failure is a natural consequence of trying. So this is where she kept making mistakes, the same ones. Picking the wrong note. She was getting slightly irritated at herself to the point where she kept groaning in frustration and almost gave up, going back to the house in irritation
"What's up Vi?" Virgil asked as Violet threw herself onto the sofa angrily "You seem irritated"
Violet hadn't realised he was there, and so got up and left. She wasn't the most pleasant person when annoyed, well, was anyone? But she didn't like being around when annoyed. Which, although she wasn't annoyed often, Gordon was more likely the cause
"Violet" Virgil called, following her
"Leave me alone, Virge. I'm stressed"
"Okay... Why?"
I'm not answering that, thanks
"I'm going for a horseride" She said, grabbing her coat and walking out of the door. Virgil left her alone after she left the house. She was going to go for a horseride, maybe she can calm down a bit
Why is this so frustrating? I can't believe how angry I am at myself
Quickly saddling up Spirit and putting her protective gear on before taking some of her heart medication, just to make sure she doesn't overexert herself significantly, she rode out of the yard on Spirit, breathing heavily to make sure she didn't kick her horse too hard. Spirit seemed to understand she was in a bad mood
"This is stupid - I can't play that song!" Violet told her horse when they were out of sight of the house
Yes, Violet does talk to her horse a lot. Before the avalanche, she would talk to Spirit as a source of comfort, when she wasn't talking to her mother. But not a lot. She knew her father wouldn't mind if she didn't go far. Besides, all she wanted was to calm down for a few minutes.
Her horse whinnied
"But I can't do it. It's just so difficult"
Spirit shook her head. Or at least, that's what Violet thought he was doing
"I can't Spirit"
He whinnied
Violet didn't say anything. But as far as she knew her horse, which she knew as well as she knew herself, she could guess that he was arguing with what she was saying
Don't be stupid, Violet. You can't do that!
Violet sighed "Okay, I'll try"
He nodded a little
And she kept trying. After bringing Spirit back to the stable, she gave it another go. Taking it slowly, bit by bit, verse by verse, slowly but surely. She eventually felt glad that she didn't give up. It was a great feeling, that her skills were gradually coming back to her. Maybe her teacher was right. Maybe she was pretty good. And after playing the first verse through again, she thought she'd better call it a day for the entire 'learning a song' thing. She hadn't memorised it. But the first part was stuck in her head. That's where it's gonna stay
2 Weeks Later:
But a fortnight had passed and Violet's situation had not improved in any way, shape or form
She couldn't get around school alone without being tripped over or pushed or tormented by at least one of Max's gang, and the two girls were, unfortunately, in the majority of lessons with her. Not just Music, oh no, and so she couldn't avoid their torment. Especially as teachers were now grouping the three together, so avoiding the terrible two was out of the question. Even harder to avoid was Max and his boy cronies, especially as now they knew the library was her safe haven, and she had a hard time shaking them off. But even worse was when she ended up on the outskirts of the school and ended up cornered by them, with no witnesses and no teachers, she was well and truly stuck. Then she ended up with punches and kicks that were sure to leave marks, and so she began to wear tights with her skirt to hide the ones on her legs and a long sleeved blouse to prevent showing the ones on her arms. In summer. Thankfully, her brothers and father never questioned her
She had memorised most of 'It's all too much' for the guitar, and still had no idea what the lyrics meant. She was doing well. She could play the first and second verses and chorus' without a mistake and without needing to look at the sheets. Just the instrumental and the last bit to go
Her brothers hadn't questioned this either. As far as they were aware, she was in a quiet place to do homework or clean and sort out her horse. So they didn't question That on top of the issue with Max
Jesus, why don't I just tell them?
Oh yeah, right. They threatened Gordon and Virgil and insulted Scott and John. I've gotta keep my mouth shut
"I don't really know what to do" She said to her horse, whilst riding along a public bridle way alone. She was now allowed to horse ride alone, although her father wasn't too happy two weeks ago that she went out alone, but since she came back unharmed, he let her go alone, as she wasn't the first time after the avalanche or her first session back at the riding school, just as long as she kept her phone with her. That was the condition
Don't be confused, a riding school isn't literally a school. It is basically a really big rectangle, with letters in each corner and in the midpoints of each side and a central letter too. The instructor will shout out a letter and a speed for you to ride to, and that's about it. It can also be used to practice jumps or lunging in
Spirit whinnied. Violet assumed this was comforting
"But I don't know what to do, I mean, Virgil and Gordon will get hurt if I say anything" Violet said sadly "At least you can keep my secret"
Spirit whinnied again. She assumed this was a "Yes, you can trust me"
As Violet tugged gently on her reigns to turn her young pony around and begin riding back
"Maybe it'll all blow over. Maybe they'll get bored and leave me alone" Violet thought optimistically
Violet broke Spirit into a trot
"But what do I do about the bruises they gave me?"
All her worry over this had kept her up until almost midnight, meaning she woke up incredibly tired and groggy. Which, unfortunately, her father picked up on at breakfast one morning
"Are you alright, Vi?" He asked her when she took her seat beside her twin. Who was perky yet sad in a way, probably still grieving the loss of their mother
"I'm fine... Why'd you ask?" She asked him
"You've just been really tired recently, are you sure you're alright?"
Crap, just leave me alone
"Yeah, just not been sleeping well" Violet lied
Well, it was more of a half-lie, since she had been losing sleep since Max had started picking on her. And it must be beginning to show in her unintentionally
"If you're sure..." Her father gave up
Violet was glad her father had not jumped onto her case, and at least her brothers had done the same
The day at school had been the same as it had for the past few days, Max and his cronies pushing her down and kicking her, resulting in her being late to first lesson, which was Science, which, sadly, Virgil was in.
"Where have you been?" He whispered, once the teacher was out of earshot
Sugar - What do I tell him?
She stole a glance to the two girls who were sat a little beyond him, they were grinning at her. As if waiting for her to spill to him. Just like with Mrs Oliver, but they knew she hadn't told her music teacher
"I had to stop by the library to see if they had my book" Violet lied
Virgil didn't look too convinced, but he surprised her when he said:
"Okay"
Virgil seemed like he was going to be keeping an eye on her, as his worried yet composed expression seemed to be yearning for truth
And she was right - He followed her from Science to Art, but he was in a different classroom, and almost got reprimanded for being late. But it meant she was left in the classroom with the two girls
The task was to paint a landscape using watercolour pencils - And, somehow accidently, her work had bled when she went to clean her brushes, and the two girls found it hilarious. Violet didn't particularly care, she had produced better when she had achieved a decent night's sleep
"Are you okay Violet?" Her art teacher, Mrs Maurice, asked, concerned as she came over to an irritated and 'just given up' attituded Violet
Why are my teachers trying to get involved in my business?
"I'm fine - Just tired" She told her
It was break-time next, and she was passing Max's group on the stairs when something happened in front of everyone. And things went from bad to worse very quickly. Too quickly to be a good thing. She had left the classroom late because she volunteered to clean up, so she was last out of the classroom. Virgil had, thankfully, not tailed her as she went to the stairs around the corner. Max's group were stood sniggering at her as she passed them and turned to the stairs
I bet they're laughing at me
She began to descend the stairs, facing away from them when she felt something push her roughly in the back
She was left completely to the mercy of gravity as she fell forwards, she screamed as she flew through the air, completely missing the next few stairs. She began to try and break her inevitable fall by putting her wrists in front of her and closed her eyes. She felt and heard a sickening crack that she guessed was her wrists breaking.
Violet started to cry, close to breaking down completely
Must... Get... Help...
But her wrists were killing her, she couldn't put any pressure on them. Violet was vaguely aware of the crowds deciding not to help and Max's gang laughing their heads off
No... Hurts too much...
Violet had somehow managed to get onto her back and sat up before struggling to get onto her feet. The crowds not helping at all, with support and assistance. Violet got to her feet after half a minute of struggling
I can't let my brothers see this!
Damn it!
Violet tried to look as normal as possible as she walked away from the stairs. Since her wrists were broken she couldn't bend them, but kept her arms straight nonetheless. Although it wasn't the easiest task in the world, she managed. The crowds parted, still no-one helping or offering words of concern. No. Just whispers of embarrassment. Whispers of harsh accusations towards her instead of Max. He had broken her wrists. That's a bad thing
If only I could tell someone!
She knew she needed to take a tablet, but she couldn't in front of all the crowds. Max would probably find out it was her weakness. That could be fatal. Fatal for her. She walked down the corridor, trying to avoid the stares of the other students, and she passed Scott on the stairs, who, thankfully, didn't look her way and notice the pain she was in. Violet was safely concealed and she tried to take a tablet from her pocket, which was no easy feat. But she just managed, gasping in pain. And she felt her heart rate decrease almost instantly, thankfully. She was lucky not to have a damn heart attack there and then. So Violet just stood there, thinking of her options
She couldn't let her brothers or father know she'd broken her wrists, they'd question how they got in that state. Even if she did tell them she fell down the stairs. Because when people accidentally fall down stairs they don't land on wrists, so it would look intentional. Then her brothers would find out what was going on. And then Max would accuse her of telling her brothers or teachers or her father. Then Gordon and Virgil would get hurt. Then things would go from bad to worse.
So letting them know could be disastrous
But what to do!
I can't live with both wrists broken
What do I do?
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know its a bit long, but I felt it needed a bit more because it was originally not as long as this! And I couldn't find another break off point to end it, so here you go
Please review, and thanks to all that have reviewed. I love getting them. My tablet makes a cool noise when I have a new e-mail, and I love to hear it C:
As from last week, you know I don't own them. Only Violet and Spirit
Oh yeah, 'It's all too much' by YUI does exist. It's my favourite song. I don't own it. And yes, it is in Japanese, but if you listen to it and find out what the lyrics mean, they're really nice. You will probably want to, as that song becomes important later in the story :)