This story was inspired by the band Sleep Token. All music featured throughout this story was written and composed by that band only. Lyrics from this chapter will be of my own. Thank you, and please, enjoy.
The school hallways were filled with warmth from the sunlight that seeped in deep. It made them feel inviting and comforting-a rare tenderness. A couple of students sat on the wide windowsill, both holding books as they were long gone inside someone else's world. Amara, on her way to the music room, hustled past the students. They were too into their reads that they didn't even notice the tapping of her shoes bustling past.
Amara finally reaches the music room, her bag slouched on her right shoulder, books in both hands, and her music sheets spilling out of her clutch. Leone, her childhood best friend, sat on the chair in front of the grand piano. He hears the door open and swings his head in Amara's direction. Noticing her stressed state, he sprints up out of the chair and to her aid.
"Here, let me help you with that." He grabs her books from her hand to place them on the nearby table. Amara quickly thanks him and composes herself by setting down the music sheets next to the books.
Amara flashes a smile in Leones direction and says, "Got the music sheets all done! Did you write the lyrics yet?" Amara collects the music sheets and joins Leone by the piano. She places the music sheets on the stand in front of them and sits closely next to him on the bench. Leones face flushes red as she sits closer to him. For a couple of years now, he has gained strong feelings for Amara, and he wants to tell her those feelings. But, without wanting to ruin the friendship, he keeps it to himself. For now.
Leone shakes off his thoughts to answer Amara, realising she had asked him a question. He grabs his bag from his feet and pulls out a couple of sheets of paper. He places them in front next to the music sheets. "All done." A proud grin is shown on his face, and Amara can't help but smile back.
Ever since they were in the 7th grade, they have fallen in love with all kinds of music. It was a common passion they shared. Jazz was their favorite. It's romantic yet a genre you want to groove to. Their inspiration to music was different types of genre put into one. Making metal more jazzy and sexy was something they wanted to achieve later. For now, what they had was a start.
"Okay, so I was thinking I'll start playing the melody, and you can start singing your lyrics when it feels right. Sound good?" Amara, hands on the keys ready to go, looks more serious now. Leone quickly adds, "There are some parts I want you to sing too. Almost in the background, but make sure your voice is heard. Just keep it soft." His voice, deep, sends ripples of excitement through Amaras core. Her feelings were strong for him as well, but she had to focus on what was important right now. "Which parts am I singing?" She asks. Leone instructs which parts for her to sing and when to do so. Finally, they can begin.
Amara begins to play the chords to their song. A soft, subtle melody starts to take over the quiet in the music room. A couple seconds in, and Leones deep, melodic voice takes over.
'Who am I in this world so wide?
Searching for answers deep inside
Every step is a battle I face
But my soul won't be displaced.'
They both begin to sing together.
'Rise up, oh rise up
Let your light shine, stand up
In the face of darkness, never hide
We're here, filled with pride.'
Amara lets Leone take over this part.
'In my struggle, I find myself
Pushing through the darkest night
Every scar tells a story of me
In this journey, our identity is alive.
Both singers go silent, and Amara takes over with the piano for a couple of seconds. Leones voice fills the room again, along with Amaras.
'Can you see the fire around and bright?
We rise together, entangled with love
This journey ain't no easy way
but in unity, we'll pave the way
With strength, we conquer, make our mark
Together, we'll light up the dark.
Rise up and shine, together we'll redefine
in unity, our struggles erase
With pride, we claim our space.'
The piano continues to play a soft tone that shortly comes to an end. Leone breaks the silence first. "My lyric skills still need some work. So, for now, I've been keeping the songs short." Amara nods in agreement. The spirit is there in them, but they still need to find their sound.
"I think the lyrics you write are beautiful. But I think you should dig deeper into yourself and write with emotion and feeling. Because as of right now, we kinda sound like a Christian band." Amara starts to chuckle, and Leone chuckles with agreement.
"But." Amara collects her music sheets and stands up from the bench. "That doesn't mean I don't need to work on my piano skills. I want to experiment and try to play more unique sounds." Leone looks up at her. He notices a change in her eyes, the way they shifted just now. But before he can place it, she quickly stuffs her belongings into her bag.
"Amara?" Leone gets up from the bench and quickly rushes to her side. "What's wrong?" She doesn't say anything at first. When she finally zips her bag and grabs her books, she turns to face Leone.
"I've been thinking about this a lot." She pauses, biting her lip anxiously. "I think in order for us to improve our skills, we should part ways after graduation. My mom and dad are paying for me to take a music class downtown. Since I'm not going to college, they figured this would be good for me to help with learning all instruments and strengthen my singing skills." She looks at Leone with ambition in her eyes. Saying all of this to him felt like his world was coming to an end. That someone took a great sword and slashed it right through his chest.
His breathing gets heavy, and his eyes start to flood. She knew this would hurt him, but it was for the best she thought. She didn't want to stop being friends, only to part ways so they could improve themselves with their music careers.
He opens his mouth as if about to say something, then quickly looks away. He didn't want her to see him so vulnerable. As if he couldn't live without her, he felt weak-a coward. While she stood there, ready to move on to bigger things. Hunger for more shown in her golden brown eyes.
Finally, he spoke, a croak in his voice, "I'm sorry, this is just hard to process. I thought we would grow together. Improve our music together?" Amara is taken aback. She blinks a few times and says, "Leone, this doesn't mean I don't wanna make music with you anymore. We just need outside training with people who can help us improve more. Once we have that we can-" Leone cuts her off before she finishes, "I love you." For a moment its silence. Amara catches her breath and whispers, "What?" Leone clenches his fist. "I have for awhile now. I just couldn't seem to bring myself to say it. But now, with you saying all this. I felt it was only right." Leone doesn't break eye contact with her, he wants her to know he's serious.
The world felt still for a moment, awaiting for her answer felt like an eternity. But Amara wasn't good at this stuff. She knew she loved him too but, she wanted what was best for both of them.
"I need you to know that me doing this doesn't mean I don't want to be your friend anymore. I want to be in a band one day and continue doing what I love. Even if I never get famous for it." She smiles sweetly at him. "Graduation is in a couple of weeks. Until then we can still play together." Before Leone can respond Amara quickly rushes out the door and sprints down the hallway, that was once filled with sunlight, now a silky collusion of skyburst reds and yellows into the calm of the night.
