Post by Hollie Clarke on Sept 12, 2010 13:06:46 GMT -5
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Santa Barbara
24th December 2455
Hollie had been wanting piano lessons for years; her adopted father had begun teaching her not long before his death, but after that, none of her foster parents were willing to pay for them. They knew how much of a troublemaker she was, most had witnessed it first hand, and so refused until she sorted herself out. She was getting better at not acting out against the people who deigned to call themselves her parents, but it was still rocky.
Around the time she was fifteen, she moved in with a young couple in Santa Barbara, California, Jessy and Florence, who were married, and a lot more forthcoming towards her than her other foster parents had been. They had two other foster kids as well, a thirteen year old boy who was hormone crazy and kept trying to hit on Hollie - it wasn't uncommon to find Hollie trying to flush his head down the toilet for feeling her up - and a eight year old girl who was a sweet little angel, not exactly to Hollie's tastes, but the girl adored it when Hollie played with her hair, and Hollie loved playing with it - it was so soft - so that relationship was mutually beneficial.
This house proved to be the best so far, not only because of the company and easy manoeuvrability, but also because at school she met Zach. He was a year ahead of her, and about twice her size. Even though he sometimes acted like a jerk, okay, most of the time he did, he could play the guitar better than anyone Hollie had ever heard.
Dumping a drink over his head at a Christmas party wasn't exactly the usual way to earn someone's attention, but he had deserved it for throwing her laser pen out the window, thinking it was just something she carried around. After he realised that she was in fact blind, and that he'd hurt her feelings, he'd bothered her until she'd come up with a way for him to pay her back.
That was when the piano lessons had started. It seemed Zach was capable of playing a fair few instruments thanks to his parents strict tuition when he was younger, and he actually took great delight in teaching Hollie how to play. They would meet up most days after school to use the piano in the music room. Once she was good enough to play by herself, he'd play his guitar along with her, and sometimes they'd sing too. It was amazing.
It was coming up on a year since they'd first met and they'd snuck into school in order to have one last play before Zach went on holiday for two weeks with his family. Zach was swivelling round on a chair while strumming out the accompanying chords to the music that Hollie was playing, a fairly simple pop song that had been redone so many times over the years it was barely comparable its original version.
Hollie fudged a note and cursed, making Zach laugh. "Potty mouth."
"Oh please," she said, stopping mid bar, "you hypocrite."
Zach put his guitar down, walking over to the piano stool, nudging her along before sitting beside her. "Try it again."
"You want a different insult?"
"I meant the song," he chuckled, taking her hand and placing it over the correct keys. "Come on. D chord, G chord, D."
Hollie did as instructed.
"Now the right hand."
She coupled them both together, making it through the section now with ease.
"There, no cursing needed."
"But it's so much fun," she grinned.
"And always gets us into trouble."
"Still fun."
"True."
Hollie smiled for a moment then said, "what do you want to try next?"
"I have an idea," he told her, arching his fingers over the correct keys, "just follow my lead."
Zach started with a chord, then played a couple of notes with his right hand before beginning on the words. Hollie recognised it almost instantly.
I open my mouth to speak
profound words of measured peace
but all I can seem to do
is stand awestruck in front of you
Hollie joined in, following the same tune he was playing, only two octaves higher.
when you ask me what, you don't understand
there's a beauty within you I can't comprehend
my voice fails and my pulse it sails
can't find the words to say
have to find a different way
Zach concentrated on playing, taking over as Hollie sung the next bit alone, enjoying the sound of her beautiful voice ringing out across the room.
don't you know I'd cross the world for you
with a boat I'd battle raging oceans, it's true
don't you know I'd climb mountains for you, all for you
I'd walk across the galaxy
then open up the sky so you could see it with me
don't you know I'd bring a star back for you
and ask it to shine
like you do all the time
all for you, all for you
They switched over, Hollie concentrating on playing while Zach sang instead.
don't want this to ever end
even when the shadows bend
constellations
unwind from their places
it won't matter anyway
you shine brighter than they
Their voices harmonised into the chorus, drowning out the sounds of both their hands on the piano.
don't you know I'd cross the world for you
with a boat I'd battle raging oceans, it's true
don't you know I'd climb mountains for you, all for you
I'd walk across the galaxy
then open up the sky so you could see it with me
don't you know I'd give you the moon
and ask it to shine
like you do all time
all for you
Zach turned his head, watching Hollie as they continued.
everything, I'd give you everything
the sun and the moon and the stars
everything, I'd give you everything
just please don't change who you are
Zach's voice drifted off and Hollie noticed, the notes from the piano stopping, a silence falling across the room. She could feel his eyes on her, staring at her.
"What?" she said, her voice a whisper.
"Everything about you is so beautiful," he said, his hand reaching up to gently brush her hair behind her ear, "and you just don't know it."
Hollie felt her skin tingle beneath the touch of his warm fingers. They had been spending so much time together, having so much fun that Hollie had barely noticed what was actually happening. She had been blind. He had fallen for her, and, well...
What she could only assume were his lips met her partly open ones, pressing down on her bottom lip. After a moment of him lingering there, she twisted to face him, her hand sliding haphazardly to his shoulder then his neck, letting her lips kiss him in return. She felt dizzy, probably due to lack of oxygen, as he lifted her into his lap, his hands at her waist, their mouths connected.
After a minute or so, she placed a hand against his chest, easing him away so that they could both breathe. Her forehead rested against his, and she could have sworn she heard him smile.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Perfect," she breathed.
He chuckled, "that's something we agree on."
((Lyrics and music by Justine Benoit. VIDEO.))[/font][/blockquote]
