Something in the Way You Move [O'J]

Callie's Talents

Okay, so...wattpad spazzed and had this as an entirely new book instead of just another chapter...so sorry for reposting but it would've happened eventually. Sorry to possibly get your hopes up for a new chapter, too... :(

Danny's POV

I wake late the next morning to the sound of the piano. I listen intensely, closing my eyes, and soon recognize the song: Counting Stars by OneRepublic. I look to my side, expecting Jessie to be gone, but she's right next to me, just as we fell asleep. Carefully, I slip out of bed and tug on some clothes. I pad downstairs and towards the music room as quietly as I can.

When I reach the music room, I stop in the doorway. Callie sits at the piano bench, her hands gliding expertly over the keys. A closer looks reveals that her iPod is next to her and her ear buds are in. She's frowning ever-so-slightly and her eyes are closed. I wonder if she even realizes she's playing. Or being watched. I doubt it. After a few minutes, the song finishes and I start clapping, letting her know I'm here. She jumps and turns around to face me, pulling out her ear buds.

"Why didn't you tell me you could play?" I ask her, walking into the room and sitting down on a chair.

"Um...well..." she frowns, scratching the back of her neck. "I didn't...really know I could play...before now."

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused.

"I've never played before," she murmurs sheepishly. "That was the first time I've played."

I feel my jaw drop in astonishment. Talk about child prodigies! "You've never played before?" I demand.

"No...is...is that bad?"

"No, not at all! It's amazing, actually! Counting Stars isn't an easy song to play in the first place, and it sounded like you were transposing different parts - like guitar, for example - into piano as you listened. That's talent, right there," I tell her. She blushes and smiles shyly. "Could you play for me again?"

"I...I don't know," she mumbles quietly.

"Please?" I ask her. She bites down on her bottom lip, thinking. "Here, hang on. Can you read sheet music, by any chance?" She shrugs. "We're going to find out, then." I get up and rummage around until I find a binder full of sheet music for The Script. I take out the Hall of Fame score and fold the paper down over the name of the song; I don't want her to feel pressured if she realizes it's my song she's playing. I give her the score and she studies it for a minute or two before setting it up on the stand so she could see all the pages at once. Then she takes a deep breath, cracks her knuckles, and begins to play.

And let me tell you, she plays like she wrote the score herself.

Hall of Fame is by no means easy to play, especially if you're new to piano. But Callie plays it as easily as if she had been playing it from when she was little. Talent like this must come from somewhere. I hum softly along as she plays, never hitting a wrong note. Once she finishes, she asks, "Why can I play sheet music but I can't read it?"

"What do you mean?" I respond, coming to sit next to her on the piano bench.

"Looking at it now I have no idea what it means, but then when I put my hands on the keys it's like they know exactly what it means. I can't tell you what all these funny symbols and stuff mean, but my hands apparently can. How is that possible?"

"Good question...could either of your parents play, do you know?"

She sits in silence for a few minutes before she says, "I think so...my ma owned a music shop. She could play every instrument in the shop. My da was a painter. He liked spray paint the best." She sighs quietly.