Little Did I Know (unedited)

Chapter 6

A few minutes later, Cole and I were sitting at a small table for two in the kitchen, which was huge, like the rest of his house. You could tell from the extravagant chandelier that hang from the ceiling in the living room and the equally fancy decorations that lie around the house that Cole's family didn't have to worry about money. I had even caught brief glances of butlers and maids.

As we ate, I thought about the private chef that made our meal: a rib-eye steak, mashed potatoes with brown gravy, and a bowl of fresh raspberries and strawberries. I sipped my water from the glass I was given, and licked my lips. I was starving, having been unconscious for three days straight.

"What do you want to do today?" Cole suddenly asked, drawing my attention back to reality. I had to focus to keep from being dazed by his emerald eyes. "...I don't know." I replied, feeling slow. "We can do anything you want, even stay here and watch movies, but we can go somewhere, too."

"It's all up to you," Cole said. "Let me think about it." I absently looked around the room, trying to think what of something. My thoughts were interrupted when an object I hadn't noticed earlier caught my eye. I gasped at the beauty of the polished white grand piano sitting by the fireplace, just begging me to play it.

"What," Cole asked, following my gaze. "Oh, the piano? We just got it last week. Mom thought it would be a good idea for me to play, but I haven't even tried so far." He admitted.

My right hand started to reach toward the piano, and I firmly clapped my left over it to keep it from moving. I wouldn't ask to play his brand new piano, I wouldn't... "Nobody's played it yet, so if you want to, you'll be the first." He offered. "Are you sure?" I asked. Both of my hands were twitching, longing to let my fingers glide across the keys. "Yeah, go for it." He said, laughing at my eagerness as I got up and almost ran to the beautiful instrument.

I sat on the bench, and took a deep breath as Cole sat down beside me a few moments later. I could wait no longer. I placed my fingers, took another deep breath, and played. At first, it was a soft, haunting melody, with a trace of danger hiding in the shadows. I closed my eyes, letting my heart guide me.

The hint of danger increased, my heartbeat doing the same in fear produced by the music that enveloped my mind, my very being. The fear was so real... And then the danger leaped out from the darkness, my fingers frantically pounding the keys.

A fire ignited, burning my skin and driving me to play harder, faster, deeper. It grew hotter, blue flames licking up anything it could find. But suddenly it was over. The fire went out just as quickly as it had came. I sat panting, playing the last few haunting notes as the wisps of smoke blended into the air. With the last note, the story was complete.

I opened my eyes, finding Cole rooted to the bench, still dazed and unmoving. Finally, he managed, "I didn't know you could play...." "Neither did I," I whispered. We just sat there, not speaking, as the smoke slowly clouded our minds.