Rachel's first day hadn't been easy so far and it was only 2pm. She still had one class to attend and it was the most important one. She would have to sing in front of Carmen Thibodaux herself. It was well known that the strong woman often expelled students that weren't good enough during this first class, whether it was because they hadn't worked enough during the summer or because they hadn't performed well enough.
To top it all, she couldn't get Brody out of her head. She couldn't help but think that he wanted more than her friendship, no matter what he had told her.
Waiting for her last class to start, Rachel was on the phone with Santana, texting.
"Maybe he simply has the hots for you." Santana texted her back.
"Maybe...Class is about to start, TTYL" Rachel pressed send and entered the round classroom.
Brody was there and had reserved a chair for her. Thinking that making one friend was better than to piss of a witch at the head of a coven, she smiled and took the chair, pushing her worries aside and planning on getting to know him and on making him her first new friend in this town.
It looked to Rachel like the class had barely started and already 2 students had been sent back home so when Rachel heard her name, she took a big breath and reminded herself that she was talented, confident and that she could do it. In her head, she pictured Klaus smiling at her on the beach of her Island and suddenly all of her worries left her.
"What are you going to sing us Miss Salvatore?" Carmen asked her.
"I'll be singing Brave by Idina Menzel." Rachel replied with a confident smile.
She had fallen in love with this song over the summer and had a good feeling about it. She had practiced it a lot. She was sure that she would please Carmen with it.
"Very well, you can start." The woman nodded.
Rachel closed her eyes and let the music fill her before she opened them again and started singing, picturing Klaus in the chair she had vacated, imagining here, watching her, encouraging her. With him with her, she knew that she could only win.
I don't know just where I'm going
And tomorrow, it's a little overwhelming
And the air is cold
And I'm not the same anymore
Brody couldn't get his eyes off of Rachel. She was not only the most powerful witch of all times but also very talented and hearing her sing like this only made him want her more. It wasn't love, he knew it. Love was weakness. No, it was something else. He wanted her like a thirsty man in the desert wants a glass of cold water. He needed her to keep his power, he needed her to gain more…he needed her to make his parents proud. Being the 7th child wasn't easy. All of his siblings had powers and if he still had 4 younger siblings, he wanted to outdo them all, to rise above them and have them all admire him. Rachel by his side would definitely get him that.
I've been running in your direction
For too long now, I've lost my own reflection
And I can't look down
If you're not there to catch me when I fall
Kurt had arrived in town a couple of days ago and if he hadn't been accepted into NYADA, he had found a job in an online fashion magazine and was quite popular there. He still wanted to get into NYADA though and spending his free time in the school to make friends and follow classes when he could from behind the doors was the best he could get for now. He had been walking in front of the door when Carmen called Rachel's name and it's a very angry Kurt who started listening, praying that she would do something to mess things up and get herself expelled from the school.
If this is the moment I stand here on my own
If this is my right of passage
That somehow leads me home
I might be afraid but it's my turn to be brave
Rachel sang with her heart, as she always did and as she sang she knew that whatever happened, she needed to be brave, to fight anything life threw her way. She had been wrong in thinking that she was at the end of her journey, at the point where she could just let life go by and be happy. She was not even 19 yet. She still had a lot of battles ahead of her and, somehow, she knew that one was coming.
If this is the last chance before we say goodbye
At least it's the first day of the rest of my life
I can't be afraid
'Cause it's my turn to be brave
That part sounded right to Rachel. It seemed like today was the first day of the rest of her life, because today marked the beginning of another part of her life, one she had been dreaming of her entire life.
All along all I ever wanted
Was to be the light when your life was daunting
But I can't see mine
When I feel as though you're pushing me away
Well, who's to blame?
Are we making the right choices?
'Cause we can't be sure if we're hearing our own voices
As we close the door
Even though we are so desperate to stay
In Brody's head, a little voice said that it wasn't right to use Rachel like that, to take her away from someone she was happy with, who loved her as much as she loved him to bring her in a relationship with him, who wouldn't love her and only use her for power and heirs. Was he that desperate? He lived a good life after all…
If this is the moment, I stand here on my own
If this is my right of passage
That somehow leads me home
I might be afraid but it's my turn to be brave
Kurt was annoyed at Rachel's talent and at the fact that everyone seemed to be hanging at every word she sang. He couldn't let her win this. He had to do something. One way or another, he needed her gone from this school before he was accepted in it or he'd never have any chance to shine. If he didn't do anything, he be in her shadows her entire life and he couldn't have that.
If this is the last chance before we say goodbye
At least it's the first day of the rest of my life
I can't be afraid
'Cause it's my turn to be brave, oh, yeah, oh
Brody shook his head. He couldn't let himself think like this, he couldn't let her pretty voice, her talent and her sweet figure soften him. His plan had been well thought out for the past 3 months and a half and he knew that he could win as long as he showed patience. He couldn't back down now. Rachel would be his before Valentine's day, she had to.
And I might still cry
And I might still bleed
These thorns in my side
This heart on my sleeve
And lightning may strike
This ground at my feet
And I might still crash
But I still believe
This is the moment I stand here all alone
With everything I have inside, everything I own
I might be afraid but it's my turn to be brave
And this is the last time before we say goodbye
At least it's the first day of the rest of my life
I can't be afraid, it's my turn to be brave
When Rachel finished singing, nobody clapped. It wasn't how things were done in this class. You didn't clap at the end of a performance, you didn't cheer either, no matter how good the performance was. No, you waited until Carmen Thibodeaux talked and her words were treated like gold.
"Miss Salvatore, your performance was perfect. Like I said a few months ago, you have you place here. I can hear that you've worked too. Great job."
Hearing those words made Rachel's day. Who cared if Miss July was hard on her? Carmen herself had just told her that she had her place in this school.
"So Rachel, want to celebrate this and go out tonight?" Brody asked her.
"Sorry, I need to go home. My boyfriend had his first day too and we planned something for tonight." Rachel replied, doing her best to look sincerely sorry, which she was.
"Oh, okay, well, maybe we can do something tomorrow? Meet up at this bar everyone goes to for a few drinks tomorrow night?" He suggested.
"Sure, I'm sure Klaus will love to come with and meet my first friend here!" She exclaimed.
"Right... Well, I have to go to work so... See you tomorrow." He said before he turned around and left.
As she turned back and started walking to her car, Rachel swore she saw Kurt Hummel, her old frienemy from Lima High turning the corner. She was tempted to follow and try to talk to him, find out what he was doing here, if he had gotten in, try and make friends with him again but she decided against it. If it really was him, she would probably see him again at some point and she would have the time to talk to him then. Right now, all she wanted was to jump in Klaus' arms and relax.
So, what did you think?
When I first heard Idina Menzel singing BRAVE, I fell in love with this song and just had to include it at some point.
Will Kurt become a serious threat or not?
Don't forget to tell me what you think in a review,
Lorelei Candice Black