The Lake (Short Story)

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

June 16, 2001

The next morning, the Daniels came over. There was one young man and his mother. Echo came downstairs that morning to giddy chatter, and a male voice mingled with Angel and Jeremy.

"Oh! There she is! Echo, come meet Mrs. Daniels!" Gen's voice sounded through the kitchen. Echo came down the stairs and couldn't find the source of the childish laughter so she walked on to where her mom was.

"Hi" Echo smiled at the young woman in front of her.

"Hello, I'm Mrs. Daniels, but you may call me Cheryl." Cheryl was a beautiful woman, with dark hair and brown eyes that shined with age and knowledge.

"I'm Echo" Echo said lamely, "It's nice to meet you"

"Oh Echo! Cheryl had taught in a Musical School a few continents away but she's so talented! I was telling her about your gift and she wanted to hear you play. If that's ok with you"

"No problem" Echo shook her head and they moved to the piano in the living room. The piano was a classical one, and it had been tuned a little while ago, so it may have been too low or pitchy, but when Echo played a little with the keys they sounded perfect. "What would you like me to play?"

"Surprise me" Cheryl smiled, Echo knew a song that she always loved to play back home and so she applied her fingers to the proper keys that sounded out the song - "Hurt" by Christina Aguilera.

As Seth listened to piano playing, he knew it was his mother and so he didn't really pay attention the way it was being played. But then he saw the boy - Jeremy - smile and whisper "Echo"; maybe he had a vision or something.

It wasn't the name of the song, because Seth knew that song anywhere. It was one of his mom's favorite. Jeremy had grabbed Seth's hand.

"C'mon, let's go listen" he suggested, though Seth really didn't want to, he didn't mind because his mom was really good. So he followed Jeremy up the steps into the patio with his elder sister following him.

When Seth got to the living room he was entranced. That was definitely not his mom. It was a young girl. How many children did Genevieve have? I whispered that question to Jeremy and he held three fingers.

This must have been the middle girl. Seth had expected a nine or ten year old. But this was far from that age. He had once and many times heard the piano played beautifully before, but now it felt as if this were his first time actually listening to it.

As the girl came to an end he heard his mom's voice then; "That was amazing Echo! You really are talented. I should call my secretary; she'd love to hear about this"

Echo. Echo. For some unknown reason that name seemed to fit the girl. He kept gazing at her, her black hair and green eyes. Striking green eyes, they were dark green . . .

Then all of a sudden she turned and looked at him. They're eyes met and they seemed to stare at each other for an eternity.

Echo looked at the young man in front of her, and didn't blink. Afraid the man would go away.

But when she did blink he didn't go away, instead he kept staring at her and she started to blush and so she looked away.

"Oh Seth! Wasn't that such beautiful playing?" Cheryl asked the man, and for a moment Echo dreaded that that was Cheryl's boyfriend.

"Yeah, it was" his face brightened and Echo got a fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Echo, dear, this is Cheryl's son" Echo didn't realize she had held her breath and prayed she didn't blush when she realized it. Echo never blushed. "Seth this is my daughter, Echo"

"Hey, that was really good." Seth smiled at her, and again she got the funny feeling. "That was better than when I last heard my mom play."

"Oh I say so, too, I haven't played in a while. It's a part of becoming . . . knowledgeable as I like to put it" Cheryl smirked.

"Of course" Seth rolled his eyes.

"Thank you" Echo said quietly. "Um . . . mom, I forgot to mention Victoria is coming over, we were planning to go out for a bit."

"That's fine. But first let's just say goodbye to our guests. Cheryl I'm so glad I asked you to come over, truly." Gen smiled.

"I am too; your children are fantastic and talented. Even Jeremy, he's so smart. I can't wait to meet your husband, or look forward to our next visit." Cheryl said giddily.

"Oh you're always welcomed, let me walk you out. Angel, dear can you get my bag?" Gen called to her.

"Sure" Angel exited the living room heading for the kitchen.

"I want to show you my stamps before you leave, Seth. Remember I told you about them?" Seth smiled.

"I remember" he nodded "Go 'n get them" Jeremy ran up the stairs, and because it was on impulse Echo shouted for him to be careful. "Your brother is an amazing kid."

"I know" Echo nodded, "He's so much smarter than the other kids in school, and I admit, it sometimes freaks us out."

"How?" Seth questioned.

"Well the way he acts, his actions are so much closer and similar to a thirteen year old; he's mature, amazingly mature for his age." Echo shook her head.

"Well my mom," he began "would call it a gift. She'd say that Jeremy was born to be smart, that it fit his characteristics, his personality."

"And you agree with your mom?" Echo asked.

"Always, my mom is usually right about a person" He grinned. There was a moment of silence and Echo used that silence to study him at a certain angle. He had black-blonde hair, and grey eyes. He was . . . about six five, really tall, but he wasn't too skinny or too muscular, he was . . . just right.

"Anyways, you really were good." Seth commented. "How long have you been playing?"

"Uh . . ." Echo thought for a while. "I'd say about ten years, maybe eleven. I was eight when I started."

"And how did you get interested in the piano?" he inquired.

"Through my aunt; she brought me a small keyboard and I'd play on it for hours, learning all the keys and remembering them by heart. I started playing simple songs, to complex ones. It soon became my past time"

"That's pretty amazing. Your aunt didn't teach you?"

"My aunt taught me for a few years, until I was twelve. She died in a car accident on my thirteenth birthday" Echo looked away. Seth looked at her.

"I'm sorry" he said softly. Echo nodded.

"She was a great person; the thing that I'm grateful for is that Jeremy was only a baby, so he didn't know her well. Jeremy's an emotional boy . . . it would have been devastating, it would change his whole life." Echo shivered inwardly.

"Seth!" Jeremy shouted, flushed. "I found them, quick! Look at 'em"

"I guess I better go. It was nice meeting you" Echo smiled, Seth nodded and smiled at her.

"You too" Seth grinned. "I enjoyed my visit."

Echo walked off, only pausing at the top of the stairs to hear Seth's silky voice, and hear him leave. Then quickly she rushed up stairs and bounced on her bed.