The Daughter Extraction

Birthday Girl

•LUNA•

My fingers clenched as the numbness kicked in. The keys beneath responded delicately to the pressure of my touch, weaving the enchanting melody of Clair de Lune throughout the room.

With every passing minute, fatigue and irritation crept in, but I still had five more minutes to endure before wrapping up my piano lesson.

Mrs. Jenine Sou, my piano instructor, wandered around the piano, eyes closed and head slightly tilted—a clear sign she was enjoying the lesson more than I was. I focused, determined not to mess up the keynotes.

As the timer atop the piano started ringing, I abruptly stopped, and so did Mrs. Jenine, her eyes wide open. I withdrew my hands to my lap, feeling the numbness spreading through my arms.

Jenine strode toward the piano, the click of her heels on the smooth tiles replacing the soft melody that had filled the room. She grabbed the timer, turned it off, and then faced me with a tight-lipped smile.

"Well, that was a rather peaceful lesson, don't you think?"

By "peaceful," she meant it wasn't one of those days when she'd interrupt our lesson halfway to scold me for a mistake.

Turning eighteen today, I couldn't be more grateful. College was just around the corner, promising freedom from this regimented lifestyle and a farewell to piano lessons.

"I enjoyed it too," I finally replied to Jenine.

She gave me a long stare before turning around to grab her handbag from the couch in the middle of the room.

"I'm leaving now. Let me know if any changes in your schedule might give us a chance to adjust our private lesson timetable. It's a busy month, and my schedule is full."

I slowly rose from the stool, folding my arms together.

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind."

She turned to face me again, adjusting the strap of her handbag on her arm.

"Have a good night, Miss Whitman."

I waved my hand at her as I watched her leave. My heart leaped with excitement when she exchanged glances with Danny through the door.

I couldn't wait for my lesson to be over just so I could catch up with him. I had something on my mind that I'd been patiently waiting to ask.

"Hey there, how'd it go?" Danny asked, strolling over with a cheerful grin and planting a light kiss on the top of my head.

Danny has been my dad's secretary for over a decade. Almost the same age as my father, he's always been kind to me since I was a kid.

I find myself appreciating him more than my dad sometimes, always there when I need him. Being a politician's daughter isn't easy, but having someone like Danny around makes it a bit more bearable.

"Same old shit every day," I replied, and he shot me a disapproving look before settling on the couch.

"Watch the language," he warned with a serious tone.

"My bad. I should've picked a classier word from your vocabulary."

He rolled his eyes at me.

"Okay, Miss Sassy Pants, I assume the lesson went well?"

I nodded slowly, arms uncrossed.

"It was fine. Anyway, Danny, I need a favor."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise, and I flashed a sweet smile.