Prologue
"Hey Kai, what's so special about that piano?" my twin sister, Zine, asked as I sat beside her on the teacher's table. A few steps to our right, at the front left end of the room, stood the black grand piano she was pertaining to. "It's always been locked."
"It can be unlocked, you know. We just have to ask permission from the music department head, remember?" I answered, recalling that bit of information from the freshmen orientation. "But I guess nobody has time for that. That's why it's always locked."
"Oh."
"Why are you suddenly asking about it?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to play it."
"There are lots of other better pianos here. You're just curious."
"Aren't you?" Taking our eyes off the piano, we glanced at each other knowingly and smiled. We stood in unison, like the twins that we are, and started rummaging the piano in question. A lock had been installed in the piano keys' cover, and we searched under, above, and inside the piano for almost half an hour. No key. Not even a clue on how to unlock it, besides destroying it. Tired, I placed my right hand on the piano to lean on it, and Zine decided to do the same. Our hands landed on the piano at the same time, and it happened.
Chapter 1
(July 8, 2013)
I am Hezekiah Paul Genecio. It's been a month since I was enrolled in the music course I'm currently taking. Only my school, Dawn Break School of Arts, offers a one-year course on music, fine arts, and all the other courses it has, unlike other music and art schools that really require three to four years to complete their courses. This school must have seen the reality that not all who take these kinds of courses are dead serious about it-- some just take it out of mere interest, or for some improvement on their past-times and hobbies. Of course, the school allows one to proceed to and pursue the four-year diploma, but as for me and my twin, we'll pass on that. I'd still like to be a doctor, and she dreams to be a kindergarten teacher. Her name is Herra Phranzine, by the way. And yes, we're fraternal twins, though people fail to notice this at first and end up assuming we're a couple when they see us together. I know, we have really weird, if not unique, names, not to mention long. People just call me Zeke or Paul, but family members call me Kai, from the "kiah" part of my name. Within the family, my twin is called Zine, while other people prefer to call her Herra or Phranz. Well, we couldn't blame our parents for these names, since theirs have hints of weirdness, too. My Dad's a Herald Paolo, and my Mom a Koleen Anneliese Genecio, formerly Gonzales. They are both of Filipino origin, and are also alumni of this school. Yes, we are currently in the Philippines, and miles away from our home in Akihabara, Japan. But it's okay, we adapt pretty good. Growing up, Zine and I have been accustomed to transferring to different places, different schools, and different environments due to Mom and Dad's work. Dad is an engineer, and Mom's a doctor, and their jobs take them, and us, everywhere. Anyway, we've already coped with the Philippines. Besides, we often come here for Christmas, family reunions, and the like. And when it comes to communication, we have no problem since we speak the dialect at home, along with Japanese and English.
"Kai! The teacher's here!" Zine shouted at me from her seat, breaking my train of thoughts. I had been in my seat all this time, staring at the window and in deep thought once again. Zine's always been the one who snaps me out of my habit of zoning out. Sometimes, it takes more than her loud beckoning to pull me back to reality. She sometimes slaps me in the face, slams a balled fist on my head, kicks me on the shin, or something like that. Our classmates were quite shocked when they first witnessed Zine slamming my face on my desk, but we later on explained its purpose, and they soon understood and believed it based on constant observation of it. I'm no recluse or anything like that. I'm even the one who makes the first move in befriending people. I just don't know when and how it happens, but when my mind wanders off, I barely even notice it happening.
