Fated From The Start

1

 Her-

Playing the piano has always been an escape for me, however currently, it is that precise activity that is restraining me. I've got this melody down memorized like the lyrics to my favorite childhood lullaby, and yet Mother and Father still swear to me that I need more practice. On any other average day, I wouldn't even be bothered by this, seeing as playing the piano is like a calming second nature to me.

Except right now, the minutes that usually blend together seamlessly in a loss of track of time are ticking by slower than I thought possible. 

I feel like the White Rabbit from Alice In Wonderland with the mantra I can't help but repeat in my head; I'm late, I'm late, I'm late. 

I need to get home, otherwise I will miss the event of the month. I may have parents rich beyond belief, but I refuse to life this way. My parents, my siblings, my cousins, even my distant relatives... they all live life as though they are superior to others depending on where a family falls in the economy rate of today. I can't stand it, and I won't stand for it. 

So, as soon as I turned eighteen, I moved out of my parent's lonely manor, and acquired my own humble home.

I grew up in a large house laced with vacancy and empty hallways. Decorated with shiny family portraits that were haunting to look at. It was always dim no matter how many candles were lit, and it was always so quiet you could hear a pin drop, no matter how loud I screamed.

There were some days where I just felt so lonely, that I would scream and cry to try and release the daunting tension I could never escape from. 

According to my family, I am now living precariously, a dangerous life that will only result in havoc for me. This is because I do not live in a giant house like them. Mother and Father have always known the exact ways to intimidate me into doing their bidding and abiding to their rules. 

They'll look down at me like I'm dirt on the bottom of their shoe, they'll make digs at my sacred hobbies or my appearance, or they'll just tear me down.

 Quite honestly, it's one of the only reasons I didn't get emancipated before I had come of legal age to break free of my parent's custody; I knew they would never approve of my decision, and I wasn't trying to lose them for good. Only their strict regulations. 

After all, all I've ever truly strived for was their affection and good graces. There's no pain that I've yet to discover that compares to the constant disapproval in my parent's eyes. While I love Mother and Father, the hatred I can also feel for them scares me. Therefore, the second, the minute, the hour, the day that I turned eighteen, I was officially free of my parents reigns.

But the seconds, the minutes, the hours, and this day are all coming to an end sooner than for it to be convenient for me. The reason why my parents are even supervising my practice today is because of the banquet I'm playing at tomorrow night. I tend to skip out on the fancy events they host nowadays, because I was always forced to attend as a child. 

However, this banquet is supposedly immensely important. I have no idea as to why it would differentiate from any other event, and my parents won't bother to inform me, so I will just have to find out for myself. 

For now, I revel in the curiosity of what a mysterious night banquet could hold for me other than achy feet and a throbbing head. That's tomorrow though, I need to make a B-line back to tonight.

My fingers pause on my keyboard, mid song, and my parents drop their conversation to turn their heads over to where I'm seated across the room from them. They insist that I must have a room at their manor with a piano and nothing else, so that they can join my sessions for their entertainment whenever they please. Mother's relaxed face quickly scrunches up into a scowl as she realizes that I have stopped playing, disregarding her command to play the song a fourth time.