Disclaimer: I do not own anything except Susan. Another two part chapter.

Come on Maya you can do this. We've worked on this for days now, it's time to go out there and make something happen! But what if they don't like me? What if I'm not good enough? What if-MAYA! I jumped a little when Riley called me. "Sorry riles, guess I zoned out a little there." "Well if you're back with us, they said that your next so try not to freak out." The school was having it's annual talent show and Riley thought I should sign up. Now At first I was against it but Riley pointed out that it was my idea in the first place to sing in public so I had no choice.

So here we are now waiting in line for my turn to perform and what makes it awkward is that both Riley's parents and my mom as well as Shawn were in the audience waiting to hear me sing. Riley said it wasn't a large crowd, she's right though. It wasn't like the whole school was there, just half the school and all there parents! No worries right? but even so it was still obvious that they were there since they were sitting towards the front. "Hey" Riley said breaking the silence between us. "You doing okay?" "Not exactly" I replied, "I haven't really sung in public before, the nerves are starting to hit me." "Well if it helps when you go up there just focus on me and you'll be good." "Thanks riles." "Anytime peaches."

And now it's time for our next act, singing "the sounds of silence" by disturbed... Maya Hart!

"That's your que, now go out there and break a leg!" "Why would you say something like that?" "I don't know, a lot of people say it. I think it means 'good luck' in show biz." "Whatever, it still sounds like you want me to get hurt." "Oh, sorry!"

I walk over to the microphone, Riley went over to her seat next to her parents, I stair at the audience getting one good look at the crowd. I took a deep breath, I closed my eyes, and started to sing...

(Disclaimer, I do not own this song, but if you want to listen along you can find it on Spotify, which I also don't own.)

Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk to you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was seeping

And the the vision that was planted in my brain

still remains

within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone

Narrow streets of cobblestone

'Neath the halo of a street lamp

I turned my collar to the cold and damp

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light

That split the night

And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more

People talking without speaking

People hearing without listening

People writing songs that voices never share

and no one dared

Disturbed the sound of silence

"Fools", said I, "You do not know

Silence like a cancer grows

Hear my words that I might teach you

Take my arms that I might reach you"

But my words, like silent raindrops fell

And echoed

In the walls of silence

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon God they made

And the sign flashed out its warning

In the words that it was forming

And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls

And tenement halls"

And whispered in the sounds of silence.

And that was it, I opened my eyes, and waited to see how they will react.

To be continued...