Elements of Madness

Precious Jul

Juleka found Luka surrounded by a sea of sheet music three days later, sitting on his bed with his eyes unfocused in thought and an eraser-less pencil tapping a rhythm on his knee.

"You've been busy." She said, picking her way across the littered floor.

Luka came back down to earth,"Yeah, sorry Jul. Been thinking and you know how that goes."

She stooped to pick up one of the sheets of music, reading it over before replacing it exactly where she got it,"Gonna tell me?"

"I think you know, at least the gist of it.". Luka set the pencil down and picked up his acoustic, testing some fingering without striking the strings.

Jul sat herself at her vanity, the one spot untouched in the room,"Really? Still?"

"Still? Three days is still?"

"When it's Chloe."

Luka snorted, trying to hold in the laugh,"C'mon Jul, you've seen the way she is now."

"Better?"

Luka crumpled up one of his mistake pages and lobbed it it at his sister,"She's not herself. She's doing some strange Zoe impression and you know it."

Juleka fended the paper ball and then picked it up, grinning,"Yeah, I said better."

Luka lifted his guitar over his head and mocked a throw. Juleka mock flinched in response and laughed her soft throaty laugh,"Okay, okay. I get it.". She shifted gears into listening mode,"So what are you gonna do?"

"That's the problem." Luka settled his guitar again and strummed the strings once,"I can't get her to talk to me for longer than a moment between classes. She's dropped off and picked up by limo, doesn't answer texts. I have to get around that part before I can do anything."

Juleka suggested,"You could kidnap her, that'd be cool."

Luka strummed again,"When?"

Juleka answered,"Yeah I know it-wait. What?" Her visible eye widened at his unexpected agreement.

Luka grinned at his sister,"It's your idea Jul."

She gave him a bit of a pout, not used to being taken at her word. Then she scooped up another paper,"So like, why'd'you care?"

Luka opened his mouth for a quick reply then closed it again. He worried his lip a moment, trying to find the words.

"You actually like her?" Juleka prompted his thoughts.

Luka tilted his head back and closed his eyes,"If I say yes you'd get the wrong idea.". He opened his eyes again and met Juleka's gaze,"I liked Marinette. It was warm, and soft notes in my head. Chloe is... well this." He gestured to the work laid out before him.

Juleka gave him a slightly blank look and so he scooped up the papers in front of him then got off the bed, grabbing up more and ordering them then passing them to her. She scanned the chords with increasing concentration, flipping through the pages and back as she analyzed it. It was always fascinating to watch her devour music. She stopped and looked up at him in surprise then he shared the real surprise.

"That's the part for your bass guitar."

"What?" It wasn't really a question, just a sound of disbelief. She dropped the pages on her vanity and scrambled for a clip. Juleka clipped her hair back and began from the beginning again with both eyes., gripping the pages tightly in her hands.

Luka let her work a little longer before leaning into to ask,"Want to try it?"

She looked up at him, clutching the papers to her chest,"Yeah." She said and dashed for the deck.