Chapter 7- Rising Star

That night after seeing Sebastian by the lake I had a hard time feeling like myself. It had been a really nice interaction that had made me feel really warm and happy, but that made returning to my lonely farmhouse all the more difficult. I came inside and cleaned off the grime and slime of the mines before sitting in front of the fire. I just felt such an overwhelming sadness. Looking around my room I could spot my violin case peeking out from under my bed, and seeing that finally made me feel the sting of tears that had been feeling build up. My mom had started teaching me how to play when I was six, she was always so gentle with me and was so talented at playing the violin herself. I had watched her and wanted to be exactly like her, so I asked her to teach me. I used to love playing happy simple pieces for friends and family but ever since I lost her, I haven't been able to play in front of anyone. It was now my refuge, a way to feel closer to her. I carried the violin case back over to the fire and held it while crying softly. Little did I know that on the other side of town, a dark haired boy was smiling at an amethyst, feeling less alone, as he fell asleep.

The next morning I'm woken up by a knock on my door. It was already 7AM so I must have slept in past my alarm. Dang it, a whole hour of the day wasted. I'm going to have so much to do. I wonder who's at the door. I open the door and see a smiling Marnie, next to her is the cutest little white cat, following a butterfly around with its eyes.

"Hey Maeve! I found this little girl wandering around with the cows this morning. She doesn't have an owner and I thought that she would make a great companion for you! This definitely perked me up from the night before. I had always loved cats but couldn't have one because my dad was allergic and when I had finally moved out on my own I hadn't had the time to properly care for a pet.

"Wow! Thanks Marnie, I love her! She is soooo cute." I bend down and let the cat sniff my hand before giving her a scratch behind the ears.

"I'm glad to hear it. She'll be happy to have such a loving home. What are you thinking of naming her?" Hmm…I stare at the cat for a few moments before deciding.

"Star. My little Star." She brightened my bad mood just like stars brighten the night sky.

"Oh, that's a perfect name. Well I have to get back to work but you and Star have fun getting to know each other!" Marnie walked off, back in the direction of her own house and I turned my attention back to Star. "Alright girl, let's get this watering and weed pulling done so that we aren't late to watch Sam and Sebastian's band." I give her a few more pets before making my way to the garden.

Sebastian's POV

That night after getting the unexpected gift from Maeve, I sat outside for longer than I had meant to, just thinking about how it went. She had been so nice and cute and her presence didn't make him uncomfortable like a lot of people's did. I wouldn't mind seeing her blush again. I thought, smiling and putting out my cigarette. I brought the amethyst inside and sat it on my desk so I could see it while I finished my programming project for the night. I would glance at it every once and awhile, getting a warm feeling in my chest. It was unusual but not unwelcome. She thought about me, she brought it for me. I was so used to being in the background, an afterthought. Sam and Abby were great but even they forgot about him sometimes, and they definitely never brought him gifts. But she had thought about him, specifically him. It was a lot of pressure to have that much of someone's attention on him but for once he didn't want it to stop, he wanted more. I closed my eyes then shut down my computer. Grabbing my amethyst, I laid down on my bed and stared into it. 'it just reminded me of how your eyes look sometimes…' I smiled and drifted off to sleep, amethyst clutched safely to my chest.

I woke up that morning to three new texts from Sam. That dude never lets up.

'Yo! Seb! Remember we have band practice today!' Then thirty minutes later,

'Maeve is coming and I want her to be impressed so be on your A-game today!' and lastly,

'Are you still sleeping? Get up!' I sighed and texted him back a thumbs up emoji before getting up to make myself look as presentable as I can.

Maeve POV

I woke up that morning feeling anything but rested. I had had the dream again and it completely drained me. But the farm doesn't wait for bad days, it keeps going so I have to too. I press my face into Star's fur and give her a few pets before getting ready and making a cup of coffee. The coffee helps to make me feel a little bit more alive so I grab my farming tools and get to work watering my crops and clearing out some more weeds and rocks. It takes a few hours, the rocks are especially exhausting, but by midmorning I am feeling a lot more like myself and even excited at going to see Sam and Sebastian's band. I'm still pretty embarrassed at what I told Sebastian so I'm not sure how I'll act when I see him again but Sam is so warm and easy-going that it should hopefully help smooth things over. I'm pulling up weeds when I'm startled by a frog who jumps out and starts hopping away towards my pond. I start laughing over my reaction and about how cute it was. I probably look crazy, sitting here in the dirt, laughing to myself but it doesn't matter because it easily made my day. Chuckling, I stand up and brush the dirt off of my pants before going inside to change before meeting up with my friends. I'm not ashamed of the work I do, but I would rather not show up looking grimy. I put on black jeans and a white tank top before clipping my hair back and setting off towards Sam's house.

When I get there I am greeted by Jodi who tells me that Sam is in his room. Ever since I learned that her husband was off fighting in the war I have had an extra soft spot for her. She is such a good mom and a sweet person. I can hear some discordant sounds coming from Sam's room and it makes me chuckle, they clearly haven't found their sound yet. I knock on Sam's door and walk in, seeing Sam with his guitar and Sebastian at the keyboard.

"Hey guys!" I say, smiling. My smile grows shyer as I meet Sebastian's eyes but I can see that he has a small smile too and it makes me feel a lot better.

"Oh, hey Maeve! Sebastian and I were just having a jam session. I'm glad you came by!" Sam says, grinning at me. "We're trying to start a band but we still don't know what kind of music we want to make. There's so many possibilities. He sighs. I can see Sebastian shaking his head out of the corner of my eye.

"So Maeve, what kind of music do you like?" Both of them stare at you in interest. You don't like being the center of attention like that but luckily it's a pretty easy question.

"Hmmm. Experimental noise rock and metal, I guess. I like a lot of different stuff." I look at the ground, not wanting to see their reactions. Music taste can be kind of…personal.

"Cool." I hear Sebastian mutter. I look up and he seems surprised that he said anything himself.

"You know what, that is exactly the kind of style that I have been thinking of for the band. What do you say Sebastian, should we do this?" He says, grabbing Sebastian by the shoulder.

Sebastian smiles. "Hell yeah." Before putting his fingers onto the keys."Thanks for your help Maeve, with my skills on guitar and Sebastian's killer synthesizer, we're going to be a screaming success! …Now we just need a singer and drummer." He mutters the last part before picking his guitar back up. "Alright Seb, let's show here what we've got so far!" Him and Sebastian start playing a piece of noise rock that actually sounds really awesome. I can't help but be mesmerized by Sebastian's gentle and elegant hands dancing over the keys. He was born to play. When they finish I stand up and clap enthusiastically. "Wow guys, that was awesome! You definitely have something here. I wonder if we could get Abby to drum for you, I think she'd be great."

"We keep asking, but she always says she's too busy working for her dad." Sam groans. I wonder if I could help with that. I speculate. "You told me that you sing sometimes though, could you sing for us? It would be awesome if you could join us, you'd fit right in!" Sam grins at me and I can see Sebastian shift, I don't know if it's because he's uncomfortable or if it's because he wants to hear me too, but I'm not going to let that stop me from showing off a bit.

"Um, yeah, sure! Just let me think for a sec about what I want to do. I take a minute to think before deciding to sing something I wrote myself. I clear my throat before starting the haunting melody, a song about a letter I wrote but will never send to my father. Full of pain, hope, and a promise to see him in hell. I keep my eyes closed the whole time, worried that if I meet Sebastian's eyes that I'll lose my nerve. When I finish I keep my eyes closed and breathe deeply. After a moment I hear two sets of hands clapping and I open my eyes to see Sam practically oozing excitement and Sebastain smiling at me softly. I smile back before sitting back down.

"Wow Maeve! You really can sing! It was a little sad but you definitely have talent and I think you match our sound."

"It was beautiful." Sebastian adds quietly.

"Thanks guys." I say, blushing a bit. "I would love to join you guys if you're willing to have me." "Definitely!" Sam shouts and Sebastian nods his head. That was definitely nerve wracking but I'm glad that they liked it. Sebastian said it was beautiful. I Blush again at the thought. It feels really nice to truly be a part of something again. I had been enjoying my life in Pelican Town but I had been missing doing coffee houses and hanging out with friends. This really feels like the start of something that will help fill that void. "Oh yeah, Sam. before I forget, I found something fishing." I pull out a can of Joja Cola and hand it to him. "I heard you like them and I don't touch the stuff." I add, winking at Sebastian. I don't want him to think that me giving something to Sam made my gift to him less meaningful. Sam takes the Joja Cola and smiles, "Thanks, I really like this!" He doesn't wait a second before popping it open and taking a huge drink. He burps loudly and all of us laugh.