Orison | Celeste Academy Series BK #3

Chapter Twenty-Four ۞ Complete

Valeriana could only stand with her mouth agape like a fish out of the water, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. The Twelve was not different, their stupefaction incontestable.

Aneeka's smugness was like a splash of red on white, tugging on the corners of her lips with her arms crossed and her hips cocked.

As though the items were uncovered treasures from the deep, blue sea, Valeriana came forward excitedly and ran her fingers over the smooth edges, sterling silver accentuating the obsidian black with a matte finish.

"How did you get this?" She asked, her amazement coating her words. "Like, seriously, how? And in just a span of . . . a day?"

"Well, let's just say I'm great and it's a secret." Replied the tenth-ranker. "These instruments are made with synthetic metal, meaning the sounds they produce have outstanding reverberation!"

"What about the sound system I was talking about?"

"That's just it." Aneeka said. "I could not exactly replicate the results you described, but I was able to find something sufficient to 'amplify' the sounds. The microphones and other things were easy enough to do."

"Okay." Genevieve raised a brow. "You didn't do this, did you?"

"Of course not, I don't know how to make these even if I try. Let's just say I relied on a friend."

"It isn't Alessa, is it?" Rowe guessed.

"No." Aneeka glared at the lord, making him chuckle. "Anyhow, if you want, you can give it a try."

"Right! It's time to see Valeriana's skill!"

The twins clapped simultaneously.

"Stop copying me!" They yelled at each other.

At this statement, the girl felt herself clam up. Sure, she knew how to play the drums, but she hadn't been practicing lately and god knows how long it had been since she last grabbed those dreaded sticks.

"I don't know." She simpered, eyeing the wooden pair resting on her right. "It's been really long I don't even know If I can remember anything."

"Just play a basic beat. Promise we won't laugh if you make a mistake." Tamara swore, her right palm facing forward by her shoulder. "And that's coming a lot from me since I love laughing at people's miseries."

Breathing in deeply, she grabbed the stool and pulled it below her so that she could sit comfortably. Grabbing the sticks, she twirled them between her fingers to get that feeling back. They were lighter than a sword, that should be a fact. Her muscles were flexing from just the thought of reaching forward to hit the notes.

With her foot properly positioned before the bass drums, she started with the necessary adjustments she was comfortable with--not to mention what she first learned. After finding everything ready, she opted to play the most basic she learned from her father.

The overlapping beats it formed brought her nostalgia, if it weren't for the fact that she could not remember what to play next. She paused further to admire the beauty of the instrument and the music it was capable of creating. Laughing at her own foolishness, she momentarily stopped to apologize for her clumsiness and continued.

"Tat, tanat, tatatat tanat!" Keelan cheerfully sang along.

The natural staccato and the jumpy, upbeat sound made some of the Twelve tap their foot along. Corvan looked impressed, anyhow.

"I like it. It's groovy." Keelan commented, smiling wildly. "Although it's not quite 'traditional'."

"Do you know any songs?" Genevieve eagerly queried.