List of Stirring Events

Chapter 1- Marly

We all sat in a perfect circle in the music room, each of us with a violin in our hands. Everyone had correct music-playing posture, while I was squinting my eyes trying to see if anything was inside the little squiggly line of the violin like a complicated fixture of wires and blocks like a piano has. I knew that it is empty, but life can be unexpected- or I was just weird enough to imagine that.

"Marly!" I heard my name being called in a disapproving tone. "What do you think you're doing!" Shrieked Miss Callie, our violin teacher.

I stared frozen with the violin now down to my side.

"You were supposed to get in your playing position" she said as she dramatically rolled her eyes. I did what she said, and with the beat of her hands, my siblings and I all started playing Concerto No. 5. Everyone was making clear, crisp notes on their violins, while there were my notes. The crunchy, piercing ones that makes people cringe.

I could feel Miss Callie's eyes stare right into mine as I was playing, so I was relived when she let us stop- only until she came over to me.

"Listen Marly," she said gently and quietly, "You have to work on your playing, it sounds.." you could tell she was picking her words carefully, "it sounds unique compared to your siblings sound."

Then I looked at her like she was a crazy person. "Listen," I said, now rolling my eyes. "I'm 16. You don't have to act like I'm a kid that is going to cry. Just say my music is bad." I chuckled a little bit, too, for some reason. Then I smiled.

"Well then," her fake attitude changing into her regular bossy one, "you have to pick up the pace because you're behind."

I saw Jenny, my younger sister making a laughing face at me, so I stuck my tongue out at her. Then, of course being the teacher she is, Miss Callie saw me do that and gave me the regular, "Marly Hetherington, what do you think you're doing?"

After that violin for the day was over, and Mom came in to see how it was. Miss Callie said the usual, Jack had great form, Sid played on beat, Jenny had flawless notes, and Marly is working on it. It was the same everyday. And even if I tried really hard, I was always that one, "working on it" girl.

This was a normal day at the Hetherington household. All of my siblings, (young and old), were excelling in things I didn't even learn the basics of. Everyone else in my family was perfect and obeyed everything- after all, we are the Hetherington's. But I made 'unique' violin noises and couldn't even talk to the violin teacher without getting a glare. And honestly, I was getting sick of being a Hetherington.

Expectations are too high, you have too many rules to follow, too fancy clothes, and no time to actually live.

Sure, I am extremely lucky for having a butler and all of that mansion jazz, but I could care less. I just want to escape the life of polo shirts and everyday brunches on the country club golf course for a life that counts.