Song Lyrics: http://home.comcast.net/~mkforever/songs.htm
Chapter 1 – Elsewhere by Sarah Mclachlan
The air was thick, hot and sticky like honey, overcast and threatening rain without promising anything. It was terrible uncomfortable without the satisfaction of the beauty of seeing all of the dirty and corruption layered in the brilliant Spring sun and vibrant colors. Tori was striding through it, seemingly unaffected by the heat, headphone cords obvious against her white tank top, bear shoulder, arms, neck layered in a sheen of sweat, a few pieces of black hair disrupting the olive skin. Even when she threw on a light jacket, her legs, inhibited only by a bit of a miniskirt was still turning a few heads. She was mercilessly out of place among the white, aging executives and political power head that littered the streets. Among the suits, tie and balding heads there was a raven haired beauty, with dull eyes behind long eye lashes and eye make up. There, making her way towards the White House was a girl with long legs, a voluptuous body, a wonderfully sumptuous walk and a sad, sad face.
"Hey Tori, want me to tell Josh you're here?" Donna asked.
"Is he busy?"
"I'm never too busy for my only daughter." Josh said grinning, entering Donna's work space. "What do you need? I hope it's not money, because I don't have any."
"No, it's…can I talk to you in your office?"
"Yeah, sure." He led her into his office, and leaned against the desk. Tori was avoiding eye contact, standing meekly in front of the open door.
"I got into Julliard." She said finally. Josh's face went hard, preparing for another argument about college. He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "And I want to go there."
"Tori, we've talked about this before." Josh warned.
"I know, but…"
"You're not going to a music school. Study music somewhere else, like Penn, but just don't expect me to pay for an education that isn't going to get you anywhere."
"You don't know that, you just assume it because you've wanted me to go to an IVY League ever since I was born. I guess it's didn't play into your little plan that your daughter may not want to go to an IVY League and study law and become a lawyer like everyone else in the family!"
"Look, I'm already compromising with you by even letting you study music…"
"Well thank you. I'm glad also let me choice what to wear this morning."
"God, you're making me sound like some kind of dictator…"
"Have you ever thought about what I want out of life? Has that tiny detail ever come up when you were mapping out my whole life?"
Josh, knowing that the argument was not nearing a conclusion, just sighed. "We'll talk about this when I come home."
"What, at like 1:00 in the morning?"
"I'm sorry that I have a job that takes up time that you seem to think…" But Tori had already turned around and was hastily walking out the door.
"Whatever." She muttered before she was totally out of Josh's sight. Harsh tears were starting to invade her eyes, but she took a deep breath and pushed everything down, all of the anger, all of the desires, all of the pain and forced it to find a place in her body that was empty of emotion.
"Hey, I heard some yelling…argument?" Tori turned to see Sam heading towards Josh's office.
"Yeah, dad has a plan for my life and I have little part in it." She said shrugging. "I don't know why I bother. All of the arguing in the world won't stop him from making me go to Penn."
"Penn's a good school." Sam answered, helplessly.
"Not for music." She said, and smiled at little.
"Ah." Sam said, sticking his hands in his pocket. He seemed to be pondering over this predicament for a moment, eyes slightly unfocused and looking at his feet. Tori took the opportunity to further study his face, trying to memorize every line of his strong jaw, every color in his blue eyes. It took her back to the campaign a time that was both wonderful and devastating. It took her back to nights when she would be awake, Josh wasn't in the hotel room but Sam was. Tori knew that Sometimes Sam came asking to see Josh even when he knew Josh was not in. Everyone had their person for late night talking, for Tori when Zoey wasn't with them, it was Sam.
"I don't think I can help you there." Sam finally said. "It's probably best I don't get involved in father/daughter arguments."
"Couldn't think of a way to make Josh back down? It's ok, I couldn't either." Tori smiled, a little sad, watching her future turn into pushing papers and writing depositions.
"Sorry. You'll just have to try and make him see you're passion for music."
"Oh he sees it alright, he just hates it." Tori shook her head, "No, it's a losing battle. I better go out and buy some Penn paraphernalia in preparation." She sighed longingly, "Thanks anyways, Sam." Walking away, she knew that Sam was trying to conceal his following eyes, she knew that Sam was denying his attraction to the daughter of the man he loved like a brother.
When Tori came home, the boiled down rage had peaked. She threw herself into her room and just screamed. Her soprano cry echoed around, all of her anxieties vibrating in her throat until her lung has expelled every last bit of air and emotion left in her. She collapsed to the floor, head slowly resting on the side of her bed. Another sigh, and she exhaled the emptiness and then breathed it back in, overcome now by the silence that filled the apartment. It was as if her screams had drained the place of any sound becoming a black hole, sucking in everything that reminded Tori of life.
Forcing her body to move, she desperately reached for her guitar loving the way its wooden curves embraced her. Fingers slide expertly over the strings, forming chords and melodies that replaced the quiet and made her forget the day. Relief was playing from that guitar, wholeness was its song. Tori felt calmer, she felt alive again. How could Josh be afraid of this?
Chapter 1 – Elsewhere by Sarah Mclachlan
The air was thick, hot and sticky like honey, overcast and threatening rain without promising anything. It was terrible uncomfortable without the satisfaction of the beauty of seeing all of the dirty and corruption layered in the brilliant Spring sun and vibrant colors. Tori was striding through it, seemingly unaffected by the heat, headphone cords obvious against her white tank top, bear shoulder, arms, neck layered in a sheen of sweat, a few pieces of black hair disrupting the olive skin. Even when she threw on a light jacket, her legs, inhibited only by a bit of a miniskirt was still turning a few heads. She was mercilessly out of place among the white, aging executives and political power head that littered the streets. Among the suits, tie and balding heads there was a raven haired beauty, with dull eyes behind long eye lashes and eye make up. There, making her way towards the White House was a girl with long legs, a voluptuous body, a wonderfully sumptuous walk and a sad, sad face.
"Hey Tori, want me to tell Josh you're here?" Donna asked.
"Is he busy?"
"I'm never too busy for my only daughter." Josh said grinning, entering Donna's work space. "What do you need? I hope it's not money, because I don't have any."
"No, it's…can I talk to you in your office?"
"Yeah, sure." He led her into his office, and leaned against the desk. Tori was avoiding eye contact, standing meekly in front of the open door.
"I got into Julliard." She said finally. Josh's face went hard, preparing for another argument about college. He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "And I want to go there."
"Tori, we've talked about this before." Josh warned.
"I know, but…"
"You're not going to a music school. Study music somewhere else, like Penn, but just don't expect me to pay for an education that isn't going to get you anywhere."
"You don't know that, you just assume it because you've wanted me to go to an IVY League ever since I was born. I guess it's didn't play into your little plan that your daughter may not want to go to an IVY League and study law and become a lawyer like everyone else in the family!"
"Look, I'm already compromising with you by even letting you study music…"
"Well thank you. I'm glad also let me choice what to wear this morning."
"God, you're making me sound like some kind of dictator…"
"Have you ever thought about what I want out of life? Has that tiny detail ever come up when you were mapping out my whole life?"
Josh, knowing that the argument was not nearing a conclusion, just sighed. "We'll talk about this when I come home."
"What, at like 1:00 in the morning?"
"I'm sorry that I have a job that takes up time that you seem to think…" But Tori had already turned around and was hastily walking out the door.
"Whatever." She muttered before she was totally out of Josh's sight. Harsh tears were starting to invade her eyes, but she took a deep breath and pushed everything down, all of the anger, all of the desires, all of the pain and forced it to find a place in her body that was empty of emotion.
"Hey, I heard some yelling…argument?" Tori turned to see Sam heading towards Josh's office.
"Yeah, dad has a plan for my life and I have little part in it." She said shrugging. "I don't know why I bother. All of the arguing in the world won't stop him from making me go to Penn."
"Penn's a good school." Sam answered, helplessly.
"Not for music." She said, and smiled at little.
"Ah." Sam said, sticking his hands in his pocket. He seemed to be pondering over this predicament for a moment, eyes slightly unfocused and looking at his feet. Tori took the opportunity to further study his face, trying to memorize every line of his strong jaw, every color in his blue eyes. It took her back to the campaign a time that was both wonderful and devastating. It took her back to nights when she would be awake, Josh wasn't in the hotel room but Sam was. Tori knew that Sometimes Sam came asking to see Josh even when he knew Josh was not in. Everyone had their person for late night talking, for Tori when Zoey wasn't with them, it was Sam.
"I don't think I can help you there." Sam finally said. "It's probably best I don't get involved in father/daughter arguments."
"Couldn't think of a way to make Josh back down? It's ok, I couldn't either." Tori smiled, a little sad, watching her future turn into pushing papers and writing depositions.
"Sorry. You'll just have to try and make him see you're passion for music."
"Oh he sees it alright, he just hates it." Tori shook her head, "No, it's a losing battle. I better go out and buy some Penn paraphernalia in preparation." She sighed longingly, "Thanks anyways, Sam." Walking away, she knew that Sam was trying to conceal his following eyes, she knew that Sam was denying his attraction to the daughter of the man he loved like a brother.
When Tori came home, the boiled down rage had peaked. She threw herself into her room and just screamed. Her soprano cry echoed around, all of her anxieties vibrating in her throat until her lung has expelled every last bit of air and emotion left in her. She collapsed to the floor, head slowly resting on the side of her bed. Another sigh, and she exhaled the emptiness and then breathed it back in, overcome now by the silence that filled the apartment. It was as if her screams had drained the place of any sound becoming a black hole, sucking in everything that reminded Tori of life.
Forcing her body to move, she desperately reached for her guitar loving the way its wooden curves embraced her. Fingers slide expertly over the strings, forming chords and melodies that replaced the quiet and made her forget the day. Relief was playing from that guitar, wholeness was its song. Tori felt calmer, she felt alive again. How could Josh be afraid of this?