Ever Arnolds: How My Life got Flipped Completely Upsidedown

October 22nd

I always wanted to be a singer. 

I do not know why. I just always loved it. I had been in voice training for seven years, could play piano and guitar with ease, and just loved to be in front of an audience. More often than not, I performed at Harlow's coffee shop, the Grind, when she didn't get enough sign ups for their open mic nights.

My older brother, Phoenix, was a musician. That might have been where I got it. He was my best friend growing up. I admired everything about him. I only wished to be half as influential to my younger siblings as he was to me. 

See, my parents were busy. There are seven of us and I happen to be smack in the middle. Before me there is Phoenix, Autumn and Jasper, then me, Ever, Wednesday, April and August. Yep. My parents were creative with the names. Phoenix, the oldest was 26, Autumn was 25 and Jasper 23, Wednesday is 17 and April and August are both fourteen. See what I mean? Busy.

When I was eleven, Phoenix joined a band. He was fifteen at the time, and a lot of the times they would practice at our house. I would always hide around the corner and listen in admiration. That is when I decided I was going to be a singer. I begged my parents and they let me take voice and music lessons, took me to rehearsals for plays and such every night, were really supportive. Once Phoenix could drive, he started taking me. Thats when we really got close, I guess. 

When I was sixteen, we moved all the way from Sydney, Australia, to Southern California for my dad's work. He was American but was sent to Australia for work and just kind of stayed, until they needed him back. I lived there for two years, which is where I met Maura. She had half-siblings who went to my school, and came to visit here and there. 

Phoenix had already been going to school in Northern California so I got to start seeing him a lot more. Every time we hung out we jammed out like crazy. 

I hadn't heard from him since I moved to Hawaii, though. I had texted here and there but hadn't gotten anything back, which was weird. I would have to ask Jasper how he was doing. They both went to the same school. 

I had finished my homework for the day and was playing an open mic at the Grind this weekend, so I was learning a new cover. I wanted to play with different styles than I was used to but always got too scared to do it in front of people. Hey, I know what works okay? I was plucking out the string pattern to Ironic by Alanis and softly singing along. I probably wouldn't use it tonight but, hey, I might as well learn it, I have nothing better going on.

"Have you ever thought about toning it down a little?" I heard someone say. I looked around frantically to figure out where it came from, "Over here, Sydney. And when I say tone it down, I don't mean you, I mean slow it down, break it down a little. Make it acoustic. I think it could be good for you," Callan said.

"I don't remember asking?" I said.

"Right, but your window is open so that, to me, is an invitation for constructive feedback," he said, smugly. 

"And what do you know about music?"

"Wow," he said, holding his hand to his chest in offense, "I happen to have been my piano teacher's star student three years in a row. I also was pianist for the church choir near my school, and accompanied all of our school shows," he said, proudly. I nodded. Okay, so he knew his stuff. "Do you play piano or is it just guitar for you?"

"I can play piano," I said, confused, "I mean, I can read music but not anything insane."

"I'll fix it for you and send it over," he said. Callan Matthews? Doing me a favor of his own volition? That is suspicious. 

"Isn't it a little early for you to be home? And have a bunch of time to write new music for me?"

"I happen to be sick, Sydney."