YOUR DAISY

Chapter 1

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee

Blessed are thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death

Amen

She closed her eyes as the angelic voices of the choir standing proudly beside the altar faded gradually. The faint sound of a bell sounded into the distance, and quiet chatter began to fill the small chapel as all the girls started to exit the holy building.

"Taylor? Are you coming or not?"

The voice of sister Catherine, one of the most kind and gentle nun of the boarding school, called out her name, making her open her eyes. When she turned around to face her, a sunshiny grin took over the nun's visage. The ashen veil framed her innocent and young features as her big eyes stared at the pupil before her.

"I think I'm going to play the organ a little bit," she replied.

The sister nodded firmly before disappearing outside the chapel. Taylor gazed at the spot the nun was previously standing on, before turning around and walk nonchalantly towards the modest piano. Its black color gave her a sense of calmness only the instrument was able to transmit to her, and sat on the bench slowly, wanting to enjoy her free time of the day to the fullest.

She eyed the black and white keys of the organ before gently placing her fingertips over them. She was working on an original piece from a long time, but she decided to warm up instead and began to play an iconic piece by Buxtehude. The dark notes of Passacaglia echoed throughout the chapel's walls, filling the silence with a sense of loneliness and melancholy. She played it in D Minor, getting easily lost in the music. Everything around her faded away, and she felt like it was just her and the organ. She knew this piece by heart, since it was one of the first she's learned when she was six years old, and it made her think of her father.

He taught her Passacaglia before her mother died of an incurable disease. It broke her heart, knowing she couldn't see her mother one last time, but knowing that her father began hating her after her death broke her heart even more. He said it was her fault that she got sick. It was her fault if she died and nobody could have done anything to prevent it. It was all her fault. And her father has always been manipulative, therefore after weeks and weeks of him blaming her, Taylor started to believe him. Maybe it was true, she thought. Maybe it really was her fault.

When her father began to be sick of her, he sent her in the best boarding school of the country. He chose S. Clement; when she first arrived here, at the age of thirteen, the nun that lead the school had welcomed her with a fake smile and open arms. Her father didn't even kiss her cheek or envelope her in a hug as they prepared to say farewell. Taylor had watched him go, the nun's grip around her wrist firm as she had dragged her inside. That was the last time she had seen her father; it was five years ago.

Suddenly, she stopped playing the organ, a small frown dominating her features as bad thoughts about her family flashed at the forefront of her mind. She doesn't want to think about them; the first two years without her parents had been hard, especially without her mother. Making new friends had resulted too complicated for her, and the sisters at the school had tried their best to help her. Now, she had a few friends, but they were not as special as the friends she had outside this damn school.

A light sigh escaped her full pink lips as she placed her hands beside her hips, slightly bending her shoulders forward. She didn't even realize that, after she had finished playing Passacaglia, she had started playing her own original piece. She had yet to give a name to it, but she was sure it shouldn't be played on an organ; it has to be played on a piano. She's thinking of lyrics that could fit her song, too, but just as she tilts her head upwards so as to ponder over words that could be matched with her song, an unfamiliar but suave voice filled the silence of the chapel.

"That was beautiful."

Taylor lightly jolted, not expecting a visitor to her playing session, and she was not prepared for the beautiful girl standing a few feet behind her as she turned around to face the mysterious voice.

A gorgeous, lanky girl stood before her, the most gentle smile she's ever seen turning her thin lips slightly upwards. Taylor's mouth parts faintly as she gapes at her. When no response came out of her mouth, the stranger chuckled lightly before moving closer to the blonde. Taylor followed her every move until she was standing almost beside the bench she was sitting on. Remembering she needed to speak to at least be civil, Taylor said quietly. "Oh, uh, thank you for saying that,"

The unknown scholar smiled down at her. The blonde had to squint her eyes a little because she's never seen someone so beautiful in her life. It was like looking at an angel or staring directly into the sun.

"Oh, I'm so stupid," the stranger laughed before extending her arm out so as to shake her hand with Taylor's. "My name's Karlie,"

"Hi," Taylor squeezed the offered hand and couldn't help but notice how warm and soft the girl was. "I'm Taylor,"

The scholar smiled warmly at her before looking down at the bench that was separating them. "Can I sit down?" she asked, pointing her index finger towards the pew.

"Yeah, sure," Taylor stuttered, awkwardly moving a little to create some space for the other student. She wasn't the type of girl who gets flustered easily, however the shy part of her  started to show as soon as Karlie gently sat down beside her. "Why are you here?"

She realized it might have sounded the wrong way as soon as some of the light inside Karlie's eyes vanished gradually.

"I'm sorry. I'm an awkward person and when I get flustered I always say the wrong things," Taylor apologized, moving her hand frantically in front of the piano.

"Hey, do not worry," Karlie smiled. "Everybody has their own flaws. Nobody is perfect,"

Taylor nodded gratefully, her eyes resting upon the black and white keys of the organ. Karlie asked her if she could play once again the famous piece by Buxhetude and Taylor complied with a smile. "Did you learn by yourself?" the taller scholar asked, a curious glint lightening up her soft features.

Taylor was still flustered by the girl's immense beauty as she replied. "No, my father taught me," the tone she used was one of disappointment, and if Karlie noticed she didn't say anything about it, which the blonde was grateful for. Just when Taylor was about to ask the girl to talk more about herself, a nun interrupted their moment by calling the smaller scholar's name.

"Miss Swift?"

Taylor's head perked up. "Yes, sister?"

"You have to attend your latin lesson before dinner,"

"Oh, right," she mumbled. Years ago she had promised her father that she would have attended extra lessons. She got up from the stool, accidentally brushing her leg against Karlie's. A small blush colored her puffy cheeks as the other scholar stared at her expectantly. "I guess I will see you around?"

The green eyed girl smiled softly. "You bet."