Students & Songwriters

Chapter 6

     Because Ally is already at Austin's house, she decides to invite him to the mall the next day, along with Trish and Dez and her mom.  She was hoping if all together perhaps she would be able to pull something out of them. Also, she had missed her mom and wanted to spend time with her.
       When she asked him, Austin gladly agreed. With that they said their goodbyes. Ally was actually starting to get really excited about tomorrow, but she had one more thing to do today before she could look forward to tomorrow. Mia's singing lesson was in a couple of hours. Normally the lessons were in the morning or the day but she had asked Mia to come later today because of other lessons. Mia had happily agreed.
     Ally was just returning from Austin's house back to the music factory. It was still day time so in the mall everything was booming, as usual. There were people everywhere. Some were teenagers just old enough to be walking  with there friends and without supervision. Some were adults, most likely the mothers, happy their children could go with their friends leaving them to go wherever they want. Some were mothers with younger kids wishing to be the ones able to go where they want but at the same time dreading it because they don't want their children to grow up. Finally, their were the fathers, and quite obviously so, sitting at tables and benches you could hear chatting with each other faintly about hunting and sports and other guy-like matters, also about how much they wish they could leave this mall and how long their wives were taking.
     However, with each group all was okay and you could feel the mood of the mall was very joyous and happy. This was one reason why Ally loved living here. Everyone, whether old or young, was always gleeful here, even the ones fighting for a place in line and so on. It was really nice. This was the environment where she truly thrived. As she glanced around the mall, realizing all of this it just made her smile, especially as she strolled into the music factory, a place where they had put so much work into. She was very proud of it and was beaming that it was so successful.
     Now she was in such a good mood after thinking of all this. Once inside she immediately looked to Mia, early as usual, and called her up to the practice room. But something wasn't right. She was acting strange around Ally. It was bad enough her friends had been acting different, and her mom, but now Mia also. Ally wondered if they were all connected. She couldn't understand how they could be and what Mia had to do with any of this.
     Knowing children are often susceptible to giving out secrets when pressured, Ally decided she would definitely ask Mia.
     "What's wrong Mia? Is there something on your mind? You can always tell me anything. I'll always do what I can," Ally asked lovingly.
     "Thanks Ally. Actually there is." Mia replied in a weird tone.
       (Gasp!!!!!)
Ally thought o herself. Perhaps this was it. She would finally get the answers she wanted. "What is it Mia?"
    "Actually, I know it's probably not much of a big deal-"
     "If it's bothering you than it is."
      "Last night I found out that I have an aunt. Before it was just my dad and I so I'm really happy and all, but I just don't know how to feel. It's weird. "
     Ally sank in her seat a bit, but made sure not to make it noticeable. This was quite obviously not the secret Ally had hoped to uncover, but still felt bad for Mia. "Oh, well I'm sure that is very hard. I couldn't imagine."
    "Yes."
     With that they continued the lesson with arpeggios and other vocal warmups. There wasn't much more that happened. It was pretty weird that Mia had started acting strange now. Obviously, she had a valid reason, but it was weird that this started just around the time her friends and mother had started acting strange as well.
     Ally couldn't believe how close she had been to figuring it out, or at least she had thought she had been. But with this conversation, her hopes sank once again. But she still had a little flicker of hope and she was resting all of it on tomorrow, at the mall.