Yawning, Ido wandered the building, still riding the adrenaline high from watching Motorball. As he climbed the stairs and arrived on the second floor, the faint sound of music floated on the air.

"Now where is that coming from?" Ido wondered aloud. He swiveled his head in an attempt to locate the source of the music. Passing his room, he silently followed the sound down the dimly lit hallway. Near the end of the hall, he saw a pool of light spilling from a doorway.

"Bingo!," thought Ido as he moved to the side of the doorway. 'Now what is she-'

"No, no, NO! That does not work," Alita growled, shaking the guitar and dropping it on the floor. She grabbed the music in front of her and scribbled out her previous notes. Then paused, looking over the music again. She scratched a few new notes and brought her instrument back up.

Show me the brighter side

Of this terrible agony

Speak life

Into this cold body

Blind me in the cleansing light

Shine truth to shatter the night

From pain to bloodshed

The heavens to the grave

If I never have to die

Am I even alive

Since when did Alita play guitar? Much less sing? Granted, there was a lot that he didn't know about his off and on daughter. But still one would think in the last few months he would have learned that Alita played an instrument! Leaning around the edge to confirm, Ido set his hands on the door frame, fingers resting lightly against the open door, and listened.

Thud!

Startled, Alita turned to the door, hands flush against the guitar. Staring at the door, she tried to discern if anyone was there. "Hello?" she called softly. Catching a familiar glimpse of cloth on the floor, which she figured as an arm, she tried again. "Ido?"

The arm twitched, before moving into full view, becoming part of a jacket riding on the slumping shoulders of her adoptive father.

"Um, hi?" he offered, scratching his head. "You been up long?"

A small 'eep' escaped Alita as she hurriedly stashed the guitar under the bed and frantically covered the sheet music spread over the sheets. If she moved fast enough there was a small chance he hadn't heard anything and she could distract him. Ido was easy to distract. All she needed was...

"That was you playing, just now wasn't it?"

Alita froze. That statement had crushed the faint glimmer of hope that she had held. She briefly considered denying it, but Ido wasn't likely to buy it. Not if he'd seen. Her shoulders slumped as she nodded.

"I didn't know you played guitar. It, uh, sounded really good." He said.

Alita didn't say anything.

"Yeah..." Ido said, clearly trying to avoid the potential awkwardness that was surrounding the situation. "What's the song called?"

"I don't actually know why I can play it," Alita admitted. "I've mostly just been fiddling with it."

Ido nodded, "And the song?"

Alita winced; she really wanted him to forget that part of the question. He wasn't supposed to know about this until it was finished.

"It's. . ." she paused, mentally scrambling for an excuse. "It's for a project. I said I'd help with it." Blatant lie, but he didn't need to know that.

Ido nodded sadly, fully understanding finishing an assignment at the last hour.

"But it's not finished." Alita explained, trying to steer the conversation away from the song.

For once, Alita's wish was granted. Ido apologized for intruding and claimed that he was going to bed. Then, wishing her good night, he beat a hasty retreat out of the room.

Alita sighed. She had wanted him gone, but didn't want to say it in such conceivably mean terms. Getting up and locking the door this time, to avoid any more interruptions, she returned to the song that she was working on.