She knew him. How the hell did she know him? He had been at her audition, but she had known him already, known what he meant to her. Like it had all happened before… She shook her head, hair caressing her face in gentle strokes. Smiling, she greeted her friends who had been too scared to audition. They hadn't been ready for the rush that the stage gave as it echoed under foot. They smiled and asked how it went, she replied with her usual comments, the thrill of being on stage and singing her own songs ringing in her voice. They smiled and the topic changed. But she was only half listening, the image of the man, surely not much older than herself, sitting with his dark eyes pinned to hers, trying to make her falter. But she hadn't and she never would again. It was her song that rang in the echoes of their ears and the beams had taken the tune into themselves.
"Excuse me, can I talk to you for a moment?" She turned on her heel, green eyes meeting the brown. Her friends twittered behind her and she hated them for a brief second.
"Sure, how can I help you?"
"I want to know where you got the inspiration for your song. It was…"
"Haunting?" She supplied when he hesitated.
"You could say that." His lips turned up in a slight mimic of her smile.
"That's what I was going for."
"Where did the idea come from?" He asked again.
"I was just walking around my house and something felt wrong, so I started singing. When I realized I remembered the first verse, I wrote it all down so I couldn't forget it."
"What made you pick it for the audition?"
"I don't know, it felt right to use my own song to show what I can do. I wrote it, it's mine." There was a possessiveness in her tone that caught his attention, as did the reference to things feeling wrong. But he didn't say anything on those counts.
"Ok, I was just curious. It's a very unusual song."
"Thank you." She blushed a little and he smiled, inclining his head almost in a tiny bow before walking away. She watched him go, the black cloth giving the mind something to remember him by. He was strong, fast and she did not doubt he was determined. Something sprang into her mind, another melody, more words and all of a sudden she couldn't stand the noise of her friends. She said quick good-byes and hurried to find a quiet spot to catch the song before it fled.
"Take my hand and walk with me," It was again in a minor, but this time it wasn't questioning.
"There are things that you must see," It was low and it hurt to sing it, this was not a song for her.
"A world so different beckons you," She frowned, making dashes on her notepad that sat on her lap.
"Now it's your choice,
What will you do?" And the song stopped. There was no chorus, no extra verse, just that much. And it wasn't for her to sing. She pursed her lips, closed her eyes and sang it through again, to her surprise almost note perfect. Then she saw them, the person the song was meant for. She stood suddenly, tripping on her own feet as she bolted in panic. Heart pounding in her chest, she created a song to the rhythm of her feet.
"Let me run, let me run, let me run away,
Let me breathe, let me breathe, let me find my way.
I want to know my name,
I want to know my story." The words and melody faltered as fear clutched at her, she didn't know what she was singing or why and it scared her. She always had an idea about the basis for her songs but there was nothing. A tree root tripped her and she fell hard, not scrabbling to her feet. Her lungs burnt, her legs were on fire and she had gravel rash on her palms, which felt wet and sticky. Tears ran down her face as she struggled to find an explaination. All that appeared was the face of the man who had watched her sing her song and then asked her about it. He knew more than she originally thought. But about what? He knew more than she originally thought. But about what? And how do you get answers for questions you don't know how to ask?

*~*

A/N: All the songs are mine, so far, and I have no names for them, so feel free to suggest some. Hope you liked this chapter, please review!

Chinchilla-in-a-bowl: Just curious, are you the author of the shopping mall parody? Glad you like my story, it's just an idea that came to me. I love writing, stories or songs :)

Da Buffster: *blushes* Thanks for the praise, I appreciate it. I'm sure your songs are good, just you don't know it yet :)