Chapter 5: The Sound of Music

Throughout the entire week, Bryce showed Violet the wonders of video games and worked on the guest room at night for her. The following Monday, Bryce had gone to the store a few blocks down the street to get paint for repainting the guest room. He also managed to find something else….

Bryce entered the house to be greeted by Violet. It was strange to him…before she had arrived, he never expected a greeting or any form of contact with anyone, so he never knew what it was like to have someone expect him to be around… but with her, it was as if there was a gap in his life that had been filled.

"Close your eyes." He said.

"Sure."

He was pleased that she closed her eyes without questioning. She really did trust him. Maybe he could tell her…

But he forgot about it for now as he pulled a beautiful silk purple blanket out of one of the bags. The moment he had noticed it in the store, he thought of her and knew this was something that she would love.

"Ok, you can open your eyes now."

Bryce would have traded the world for the expression of happiness on her face. He knew that decision had paid off.

"It's beautiful." Violet said, feeling its texture. She looked up at him.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She said, hugging him so tight that he could barely breathe. As much as Bryce loved Violet embracing him, he loved being able to breathe more. When she let go, she noticed he staggered lightly. Her expression faded.

"I'm sorry. It's just… nobody has just given me a gift for no reason…and I…"

"It's fine…" He started. "I…it's just that…before you…I…" He stopped mid sentence, turning away from her. *Why is this so hard to say? It was never a problem before…but I shouldn't leave her in the dark.*

Suddenly, he felt a warm paw on his shoulder. Just that small amount of care and concern from Violet caused him to turn around and embrace her tightly. It was strange…before she came to earth, he wouldn't have wanted to even come in contact with someone, but now, he not only enjoyed being held by her, he almost expected it. That warm embrace she provided made him feel secure…something he had never felt before.

"Before you…I had never…experienced a hug."

Violet was stunned. In her world, her family and friends would hug her all the time: for comfort, for thanks, and even just a greeting. But Bryce…for fifteen years, he was living alone…and that's truly what he was before she had met him. All those times where Bryce told her about not being a part of anything…he was never angry. He was lonely.

"All the times I saw others hug, I wondered why it made them feel better, like they couldn't face life alone. Now I realize you can't live alone, no matter how much you think you can. That's what friends are for. They're there to support you and be there for you. I had gotten so well at covering it up that others assumed I was okay…but inside, I was in agony."

Bryce ended the embrace and put his hands on her shoulders. "Violet…thank you. You've done what no one else has. You actually took time to find the real me, and because of your ability as a Pokémon, you know when I'm lying, so I can't hide from you… and I don't want to."

She wiped a tear away and smiled at him.

He chuckled. "Fine, if you won't do it, I will." Bryce said, pulling her into a hug. She was glad he was finding himself.

After a few moments he let Violet go. "I better put the rest of the stuff away."

He set the rest of the shopping in its assorted place, humming softly. All of a sudden, he turned to face Violet.

"I never did show you music, did I?" He asked.

Violet had heard the radio a few times, but she always had the tune in the back of her mind. "Not really."

"Well, in that case, I'll meet you outside." Bryce smiled as he left to get his IPod and stereo.

"Are you sure it's safe for me to be outside without being spotted?" Violet asked.

He nodded. "The only people that spy on others are our neighbors, but they're on vacation for a week."

Violet headed outside and sat in one of the lawn chairs. She felt glad that she wasn't only helping her world to find another place to live, but she was also helping Bryce by giving him a friend to talk to. He had always been a wonderful person at heart, and she was lucky enough to be the one to watch his transformation into someone who was alive and happy.

As Violet was thinking about Bryce, he walked outside. "One of the most important things to our society is the music. People write the lyrics based on what they feel and think, and with each choice in an instrument, a different emotion is displayed. With each note lies a different air about the song. And thus, different people listen to different songs."

After several songs drifted into the open area, Violet seemed like she was in another world, drifting in and out of focus as one song would end and another would begin. Her tail would move to the beat of each song. They spent the entire day listening to all types of music. She wouldn't have imagined anything like this could exist here. Soon the sun began to hide behind the border of land.

*She looks so cute with that expression.* Bryce thought.

"Wow. There are so many songs. How could you even choose favorites?" She asked.

Bryce thought for a second, and then responded, "Each song has a different meaning, right? So people have favorite songs based on what the song means to them."

"So what's yours?" She asked.

Bryce looked away. Violet could tell he was thinking not of which song, but whether or not to play it. She looked at him curiously.

*It must mean a great deal to him.*

Bryce closed his eyes again and switched to a new song, one she hadn't heard. As it played, he continued to look away.

Author's Notes: Abrupt ending, I know. However, I know everyone will relate to music, as I don't know anyone who hates music all together.