Chapter Twenty-One
As soon as the doorbell rings, I rush down the stairs, swing around the banister and dodge the fichus plant, making it to the front door in a matter of seconds. I open the door. On my pathway is Len, wearing similar jeans from a couple days ago, a dark turquoise shirt that complements his eyes flawlessly, and his normal converse shoes. Over the shirt, he wears a dark grey hoodie. His blonde hair is tied up into a loose ponytail. I laugh at how short and stub-like the ponytail is.
"What's funny?" he asks, catching on to my laugh.
"It's your stub," I joke, flipping it up with my finger. He chuckles and swats my hand away in response. "You're the first one here," I say, sitting down on the staircase. Len sits down next to me.
"So, um… how are you?" he asks.
"You're really awkward, did you know that Len?" I ask, laughing.
"Hey, well I tried," he retorts, laughing. I shake my head to myself. Suddenly, I find myself looking into his deep cerulean eyes again. He pushes a loose strand of my hair behind my ear and smiles down at me. "You know, Soma-sama," he whispers, playing with my name again. For some reason, unlike a normal nickname, I don't object to this one. "You really are something," he smiles, stroking my cheek softly. I smile to myself and avoid his eyes.
Suddenly, the doorbell rings. "I'll get it," I say, standing up. I unlock the door, turn the knob, and open it. Standing there with a grocery bag is Miku, who is wearing a simple pink sweater, a pair of long white skinny jeans, and Ugg boots.
"I brought food," she says, laughing. Gumi runs up behind her.
"What kind of food? You have carrots in there somewhere, right?" she asks. I laugh, shaking my head at her childishness.
"Yes, I have carrots. And potato chips. And dip. Yes, for both of them," Miku says, cutting Gumi off before she can even ask a full question. Len and I smile at each other. Gumi walks right in the house, humming the tune to Spice.
"Sure you can come in," I laugh. Miku snorts, shaking her head.
"Don't ever sing that!" Len warns Gumi, "That was a really dark period of my life." Miku just about falls over laughing. Gumi starts choking on one of Miku's carrots, which she has already dug out of the bag. I look at Len like he has three heads. "What?" he asks. This sends the three of us into another round of giggles, chuckles, honks, and snort-laughs.
The doorbell rings one last time. Miku swings it open. Luka's brother stands in the doorway. "How many of there are you?" I ask him. He chuckles.
"Just me, Luka, and Ia," he admits, "but she told me to go instead of her."
I tilt my head. "Why couldn't she make it?"
"Broken arm," he responds. I nod my head, grimacing.
"Must hurt. And I guess it's pretty hard to play the drums with one of those," I say. "What's your name again?" I ask him.
"Yuma," he tells me, flipping his pearl pink hair. I don't see the point of flipping your hair if it's under a big grey beanie. Of course, I don't say this out loud.
"Come on in," I say, opening the door wider to allow him more room to step in. "We'll be in the basement," I say, leading the four down to the basement. Once we're in the music room, everyone sort of shifts to their instruments.
"Madoka, this is awesome!" says Gumi, jumping from the piano seat and tapping randomly on the bongos that sit by my silver drum set. "Since when did you have all this?" she asks. I shrug my shoulders.
"You start to collect a lot of stuff like this when you're like me," I explain. Everyone seems content messing around with things they don't normally play. Miku plays a jazzy tune on the piano, and then quickly switches to a dark, minor key melody. Len strums on the guitar to complement it perfectly. Yuma chuckles, rolling the crash cymbal. Gumi runs up to Miku on the piano, and then plays about ten inharmonic notes at once. Everyone cringes and stops playing.
"Alright, I think we should start practicing. I started coming up with a tune in my head during Conversion Art, which by the way, is the most boring class in existence!" I say. Yuma shakes his head, clearly offended. Miku rolls her eyes.
I dig in my piano bench for a microphone, and switch it on. "Well, this is how it goes, I guess," I say, holding it up to my mouth. I take a pause before starting.
They always laughed at you but you never tried to fight back
At the first time they heard me sing, Miku, Len, Gumi, and Yuma all hold their breath, mesmerized by my pure voice that reverberated throughout the room.
And although you tried your best you could never guess
It would all be swept away by the rain
And when that new umbrella was torn away I the wind
I knew by a print or two that umbrella had
gone to something like a stray trapped in the rain
Miku and Len smile at me in excitement. Yuma shakes his head, speechless. Gumi, for once, doesn't say a word, and doesn't even move the carrot to her mouth. Whoops, I jinxed it.
It's just another day when they hate you being alive
With no reason to be kept at a distance from
Them when every time you tried your hardest
What did I do to make them all wanna leave me behind me?
And when you don't understand, you end up wanting to be alone
Miku, Gumi, Yuma, and Len all exchange a glance. Gumi picks up an electric guitar and starts playing. I am surprised- she has the key and chords all correct. I smile. Yuma gets on drums and starts playing along. He's right on tempo and not too loud! Len starts fingering notes on his bass guitar, which accompanies everything fantastically. Miku slides onto the piano bench, playing notes that bounce along with the song. My simple grin turns into a huge smile as I continue singing.
Why not add up all the words you were just trying to scream out
Put 'em to a bunch of notes and let me sing them
How could such a bunch of noise be fit for human ears?
But you wouldn't give up
Surely getting better every day that you try
In an instant you can make me sing for just you and I
So keep your words, and let me sing them for the world to hear
Suddenly, Gumi sends everyone a visual signal, starts change keys frantically up the scale. Yuma fills in with a solo fantastically and nails it, hardly even trying. It's not long before I find myself moving to the beat of the wonderful sound we've created. When we land on what I think is B flat, I take a breath and reach out.
Create a song, and let me sing
And all of those times you wanted to cry and scream
They always passed you by
And make a stand, believe in me
I'll never let them hurt you again
For saying what you feel
And then you hear the voices of the odds and ends sound
Ringing out a message they will never keep down
Let me hear it now, the power of your voice
Suddenly, Gumi sends the signal again, and we go back into the key of G. I smile at the sudden change of mood.
And now they praise you for being yourself so don't give in
To many who tried their best, they could never guess
They would look to you for where to go next
But then one day, you changed into something that you're not
And when they don't understand, you end up wanting to be alone
But why not give up all the words you were just trying to make up
We don't need another lie to put to music
How could such a bunch of noise be fit for human ears?
And I know that you hate me
But whispering is starting without a sound
"What a fake, this girl is never gonna stand her own ground"
And you would cry
But why insist on crying all alone?
Gumi, Miku, and Len all shift keys up the scale again, while Yuma rocks out on my silver drum set, playing with his favorite- the crash cymbal.
Hey, can you hear? I'm calling you
And all those times you wanted to run and hide
I'll take them far away
And know for now, you're not alone
A heart so big it crumbles slowly with every passing day
And then you hear the voices of that odds and ends sound
Ringing out a message they all try to keep down
Let me hear it loud, the power of your voice
Miku smiles down to herself and mouths "minor" to Gumi and Len. Yuma switches gears and starts playing to a syncopated rhythm using the toms and bass drum. I sway to the lively beat that resounds through the basement.
All the words have gone, in a second there's nothing
Left to say there is no way to keep this going
Where am I? Is this a dream? It's fading out now
To meet again would now be an impossible dream and yet
If we were ever to see the end
I'd never want us to let this go
And even now I know it's just a dream
And after all the songs were played and done,
Odds & Ends would keep a smile
No matter what, and in your gut
Somehow knew this was the end
You cry and shout the words you held so tight
And had wished with all your might
"It's all a lie, you just can't die!"
But a hush came down on them
Suddenly, everyone at once holds back, except Miku who plays a beautiful solo on the piano behind me singing. Yuma joins in, kicking his bass drum to a steady beat. Len's bass then joins in as soon as I start singing.
Yeah, I know, I'm all alone
Why do I never have the strength to save my only friend?
You always had believed in me
And every tear I'm crying out now, I cry them all for you
Suddenly, Gumi joins in, repeating the chorus I've sung twice already. Yuma hits his crash cymbal and starts jamming out even harder than before.
Create a song, and change the world
And now this time, I hope that you try and see
The beauty in this life
Ah the loneliness and happiness
I know they'll never hurt you again
as everything is one
And then you hear the voices of that odds and ends sound
Ringing out my message that will change your life now
Let me hear it now, the power of your voice
And I will never leave you again!
Yuma's crash symbol sounds, Gumi strums the last note of her guitar, Miku descends through every note on the keyboard, and the sound of Len's bass guitar echoes throughout the room. "You guys… that was…"
"Incredible," Miku says.
"Magical?" Gumi suggests.
"Perfect," Len sighs.
"Awesome," Yuma smiles.
"How about… all of the above?" I ask.