Chapter 2
Declan and Greg took their food-laden trays and wandered casually over to a table next to the wall of plate glass windows at the far side of the cafeteria, joining several of their classmates who had arrived before them. As the group ate and chatted, Greg found himself withdrawing mentally from the chatter. He was a solitary being by nature, and never felt comfortable with the idle conversation and gossip his classmates often enjoyed during the lunch period. They had quickly become used to his silences, knowing that he would only join in when he found something interesting to comment on.
Greg sat shoveling food into his mouth as the conversation droned on around him, only shaken from his wandering thoughts by a sharp kick to his shin. He glanced up with a start. "What?" He said distractedly, looking across the table to see who kicked him. His chemistry lab partner, Megan Farnham, was staring at him as if she were trying to bore holes into his brain with her eyes. Greg stared back until her gaze became uncomfortable. Blushing slightly, he went back to the task of shoveling food into his mouth.
Talk soon turned to the group's plans during the Gōruden Wīku holiday. Megan and her friends Laura and Hannah were excited about taking the train into the city to partake in some of the celebrations. Greg and Declan told the group about their plan to go rock climbing in the nearby mountains, while the last member of their group, Ethan Digby, the son of a Royal Marine who was stationed at the same base as Greg's father, grumbled about having to be stuck at home with his younger siblings while their Japanese nanny took some time off to be with her family.
The group dropped their trays off at the scullery on their way out as the first bell for the next class rang. One by one they splintered off toward their respective classrooms until Greg found himself alone. His next class period was free, something he looked forward to for more than having some time to himself during the school day. Greg turned down the corridor leading to the school's conservatory and the grand piano in the main practice hall. The hall was empty, with no classes scheduled during that period, which Greg considered to be pure serendipity as he slid onto the piano bench and placed his hands on the keyboard. Within seconds he was lost to the music that before then had only been heard inside his head.
The music director was in his office going through notations his instructors had made to the orchestral charts they were planning to use for the Gōruden Wīku recital the upcoming week when he heard the first melancholy strains coming from the main practice hall. Only one person in this school plays like that, he thought wryly as he checked his watch and heard the music shift into a blues-tinged jazz riff. Gregory House's mother had made it a point to meet with him directly the day she registered her son in the school. She wanted to make sure that there were a variety of musical outlets for young Greg to explore, knowing that it was one of the few ways in which he could occupy himself during the school day without getting bored. The music director assured Mrs. House that her son would receive a quality musical education within his department. He was more than slightly taken aback when she chuckled, replying, "That's what I'm afraid of."
Greg played without pause, shifting from one style of music to the next, until he heard the bell. He finished the riff he was improvising off a classical piece before sighing deeply and taking up his backpack. He left the practice hall as silently as he'd arrived.