"23? In blue?" Justin made sure. "Are you sure?"
"Yes?" Elizabeth said. "Does it mean anything to you?"
It did actually.
"Phantalmina has made many songs. So she has marked them with color and number." Justin explained.
"So it's a song." Elizabeth guessed.
"Yes," Justin said. "And I think I recognize it."
They soon were back on the stage, Justin calling Brutus who was in his large form with a mouse called Fiero. They met close to the piano where Justin told them to pick the mentioned score papers.
"You say Mina told you to play this?" Fiero asked.
"More like she told Elizabeth to tell us." Justin corrected.
"So still mad at us."
"Actually,..." Elizabeth tried to speak. "It's not exactly like that."
"Well, we might find out this way," Brutus said and place the score ready to play the song.
Others started slowly to come closer when they saw Brutus placing the papers in place and sat down. Justin moved next to the score, Elizabet came next to him. She wasn't sure what song this was, but the way Phantalmina said to her made it sound this could be something important.
"Will you take the lead?" Brutus asked Justin as he was close to the notes.
"Yes."
With that, Brutus began to play. Many who had stayed so long in the theater recognized the melody. There were a couple of faint gasps, although mostly the sounds of them coming closer.
Elizabeth at first was moved by the sound of the melody. It sounded beautiful. But when she began to hear the words Justin began to sing she almost froze in her place.
It's easy to
Push me away from you
Easy to say
You want be left on your own
Yet somehow I can't help but see
How your eyes shy away
Your hands seal the entrance and path to your heart
Anger kept fear and the sadness you feel
Under the surface for so long
Locked that room,
you keep it inside
Even though Justin sang these words, Elizabeth couldn't help but imagine the little Phantalmina with them and singing with him.
Lend me your voice
Words you try so hard to forget
they'll break through the silence
Bring me close
Let me see the past you regret
deep down below
Show it all
What no one knew was that Phantalmina had come out of the office and come to the hallway to listen to the song. Not only listen, but she was also singing faintly the song.
It's not so hard living all by yourself
It isn't hard,
yes I know that's what you'll say
It's what you have told yourself
over and over again in darkness
You try to hold back all the thoughts
But you know,
I just want you as you are
Just the you that I see right before me
It's all that has been on my mind
If anyone could be hearing, both of their voices sounded beautiful together, mostly hers. Tears were forming in her eyes. She tried to raise her voice a little higher to sing her heart out, but still not too loud for them to hear. It's been some time since she had sung this emotionally.
Lend me your voice
Let me see your face, let me start
to show you what I see
Bring me close
Let me feel the beat of your heart,
the secrets you bury
For a moment it felt like there was magic in the hall. Something to lift her up. For a moment she wanted to believe it.
Lend me your voice!
Anything you want to say, I'll be right here.
I'll listen, so tell me
Open the door!
Let me come and sit by your side
just let me come close
To your heart.~
When the melody was coming to the end, Phantalmina opened her eyes. They were a little blurry and she was all alone in the hall and out of breath.
She turned back to the office before she was spotted. She wasn't ready for that. She needed more time. At least for now. Her time will come soon.
In the meantime on the stage, there were faint sounds of sigh and sniffing. Anyone could guess that some of them were crying.
"Wow. That…" Brutus breathes out, almost sounding too emotional but he managed to keep it down. "That was lovely."
"Yes." Justin agreed when he coughed his throat. He tried not to be too emotional as well. "I never thought we might hear this song when it was made."
"Neither did I." Brutus agreed as he then got up, and went to check on others.
Justin decided to stay on the piano for a while. He took another breath in and out. It has been some time since he heard Phantalmina playing this music when she worried about Ashley, but she never gave any lyrics to it. It was quite moving to hear them now.
It didn't take long for him to calm himself, but he then heard sniffing. He turned and saw Elizabeth wiping her eyes. He didn't notice her stay on the piano too.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yes. I…" Elizabeth wiped her tears away. "When she mention the song I thought it would be somehow moving but it…"
"... it was more than you realized." he guessed.
She smiled at that. She moved close to the score paper to have look at the notes
"It was more beautiful than I expected."
Justin could only smile and nod for that.
"Yes. Most of her songs are like that."
"Really?"
He turned to look at the notes as he spoke.
"Well, mostly they seem to hold some kind of power in them. It's not easy to explain, but… You can feel it. Every song she writes feels special."
"Are all of them like this? I mean, do they feel the same?"
"Not exactly," he said. "Some of them feel sad but some of them are happy and in some way they make you want to join her."
Elizabeth smiled warmly when thinking about it.
"That sounds wonderful," she said. But then the thought about the little girl stuck in that office for so long came to her. Her doing what? "And what about songs she makes in anger?"
Justin looked down and thought for a moment. Phantalmina has never been this angry before, and who knows what she might have done there all alone.
"I… I don't know," he says. "Usually she sleeps that off in a day. She has never made much music in that state."
"So, what she might do with the one she might have done?" she asks carefully.
"Mostly they are put away," Justin says. "She never finishes them so they are never played."
"I see." Elizabeth nodded. "And yet, she has been so long in that room. Do you think…? she…"
"I don't know," he says. "But I hope it won't be that strong."