Maska- YOU RULE!

Maluruloki- Thanks for the Kudos, and I have met your demands.

Emma-J-Riddle- This one, is rather long. Hope you're not too disapointed... Giggles but there is alot going on... Shifty eyes...

Chapter 10- The First Lesson

Annie drove to Jayden's house alone the next day, she left at 11:30so as not to be late. The stereo in her car pounded out 'The Phantom of the Opera'. Annie sang along with Emmy and even attempted, pitifully to sing with Gerard and Patrick. She giggled at her attempts.

She turned onto Jayden's street. Looking around, she noticed that all of the houses where small, and dirty. She checked the paper with Jayden's handwriting on it to make sure she was headed for the correct address. She was.

She pulled into driveway number 1432, as that was the one the paper said was Jayden's. She stared up at the small and Shabby dwelling. "Could this really be where he lives?" she thought.

Annie's family was not wealthy, but her grandparents, who had been taking care of her for some time now, always made sure that she had a good home. No doubt they would be displeased with the filthy and makeshift homes that lined the scruffy little neighborhood.

Annie got out of the car, slamming the door behind her. She walked slowly up the walkway and to the door. It was also dirty and in bad need of repair. She lifted a hand to knock, but her fist never made contact with the door, for it had already swung open.

Jayden stood before her, smiling and beaming. His face shinned with fresh bruises and cut. Some of the cuts had not even scabbed over, and so Annie knew they must not have been but an hour old.

"Oh my…" She whispered. "What happened to you?" She asked. "Are you okay!"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I just slipped and fell down the stairs this morning." He said.

Annie knew better. Not only did his house not have stairs, but Jayden was a very poised and graceful person. It was unlikely that he would be so clumsy as to slip and fall down a flight of stairs.

Jayden could tell that Annie didn't believe him, but she didn't push the matter, and so he decided he wouldn't either. He backed out of the doorway and let her in, placing a hand on her back as he closed the door. He led her into the living room and sat her down on the couch.

She looked around. For such a unpleasant neighborhood and disheveled home the furniture was actually not too bad. The couch looked fairly new, and the TV was a flat screen that wasn't too large, but wasn't small either. The coffee table in front of her was dark stained wood, and garnished with a few cup coasters. In one corner was a recliner and in the other a small piano. The recliner in the corner was new, the plastic cover still on it, and the piano was an inexpensive, but beautiful one.

Jayden disappeared into the kitchen for a minute and returned with a bag of chips, a liter of soda, and two large glasses. He placed the cups on a couple of coasters and the chips next them. He poured the soda into the glasses, and looked up at her. "Is coke okay?" Annie nodded.

Jayden finished and returned the soda to the kitchen. He walked back into the room speaking, "Shall we begin?"

He suggested they start with part where they needed to sing, and then they could drink their coke, and 'crud up their voices'. He walked to the piano and pulled out his score for 'Phantom of the Opera'.

"Mr. Reyser said we should work with the score for our production, so I demanded one of him. Needless to say it took very little convincing to get one from him." Jayden smiled, a devious grin.

"What does that mean?" Annie thought.

Jayden cracked his knuckles, as he sat on the piano bench. He looked up at Annie. "Where should we start?" he asked.

Annie was a little surprised. She wasn't much of decision maker, she liked letting other people handle the important things, and sometimes the not so important ones. She opened her mouth. "Um…"

"Let's start with one I haven't heard yet." Jayden prompted. Annie nodded, unsure what to do. "How about, 'Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again'?" Annie nodded again.

Jayden began to play. Annie was so entranced that she missed her cue. Jayden glimpsed up at her. "Sorry.." She said.

"It's fine. Just start again."

Jayden played the short introduction once more. Annie opened her mouth and let the music float out of her. Her voice was well trained, and did not lack in natural spirit and talent. She watched Jayden play, while she sang, and he watched the piano, his fingers moving gracefully over the ivory keys.

"You were once my one companion. You were all that mattered. You were once a friend and father . Then my world was shattered." She breathed deeply.

"Wishing you were somehow here again. Wishing you were somehow near. Sometimes it seemed, if I just dreamed, somehow you would be here. Wishing I could hear your voice again. Knowing that I never would. Dreaming of you won't help me to do all that you dreamed I could." She now watched as Jayden's hands forced themselves across the beautiful piano.

"Passing bells and sculpted angels, cold and monumental, Seem, for you, the wrong companions - you were warm and gentle." She closed her eyes the music surrounding her. "Too many years fighting back tears. Why can't the past just die?" She felt Jayden's hot gaze on her. "Wishing you were somehow here again, knowing we must say goodbye. Try to forgive...teach me to live. Give me the strength to try." She opened her eyes, and let her voice echo off the low roof and old, musty walls.

"No more memories, no more silent tears, no more gazing across the wasted years." Her voice became low and helpless. "Help me say goodbye, help me say goodbye."

She had expected him to stop playing, but he continued, and then he sang with her. "Wandering child...so lost...so helpless...yearning for my guidance…"

Annie looked down at him, in wonder, and then sang her line with full love and confidence. "Angel...or father...friend...or Phantom...? Who is it there, staring...?"

"Have you forgotten your Angel...?"

"Angel...oh, speak...What endless longings echo in this whisper...!"

"Too long you've wandered in winter...Far from my far-reaching gaze."

"Wildly my mind beats against you…"

"You resist…"

Now they joined in together as the song called for. "Yet your/the soul obeys... Angel of Music! You/I denied me/you, turning from true beauty... Angel of Music!"

"Do not shun me" He sang as she went on with, "My protector."

They both sang. "Come your/me, strange angel…"

"I am your angel of music… come to me, angel of music." he sang and repeated, not looking up at her. As the song did not have an ending there, Jayden just stopped. Annie sighed, heavily.

"That was good." He said. "But your breathing is throwing off your diction, I can hardly understand a word once you become breathless. Breathe from your diaphragm, not your chest." Annie nodded.

"How did you do that?" Annie asked, marveled. "There is no piano part in that song"

"I was transposing. It's easy. I use the har, violin and flute for the top hand, and the bassoon and cello as a basic guide for the bottom hand, and introduction."

"That's amazing!" Annie said.

Suddenly, Annie heard the sounds of a car pulling into the driveway, parking next to hers. Jayden stood and strode over to the window. He parted the curtains and peared out the shades. "Um…" He said, "I think you'd better go." He turned toward her. "I think we should continue these lessons, though."

He rushed her out the door. She stood on the door step, at a loss. She was turning to leave when she heard an angry voice from within the house. A man's voice, and not Jayden's. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" The voice raged loudly. "Who the hell did you bring here?" There was a loud thud and then all was silent.