Music Unites Us

Calliope "Cally" Edelstein: 2p Nyo Austria

Roderich Edelstein: Austria

Aria Edelstein: Nyo Austria

Vanessa: 2p Nyo Prussia

Ms. Bonnefoy: Nyo France

Juniper: 2p Nyo Canada

Roland: 2p Austria

"Why did you stay in choir?" Roderich asked suddenly from his position in the doorway to Cally's room.

She jerked, snapping her pencil lead as she whirled around to face him. She hadn't heard him approach.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" she hissed.

"This isn't middle school, Calliope! You're getting terrible grades in choir, and it's bringing your GPA down. This is high school now, Calliope - that actually affects you. Colleges look at that sort of thing, you know!" Roderich huffed as he picked up a music book, flipping through it. "And besides - unlike middle school, you don't have to take a music class. You don't even like what the classes teach - why are you taking them?"

She grimaced at the usage of her full name.

He sighed and placed the book down. "Whatever. Who am I to try and stop you from going into some talentless profession that you hate? I'm just your older brother who wants the best for you, after all," he muttered before walking out.

"Close the door!" Cally called out. Roderich didn't.

"Asshole," she muttered to herself, dropping the pencil and getting up to close the door herself. On her way to the door she glanced down at the book Roderich had been looking at. "Songwriting" was written in red script on the green cover, far from Cally's usual reading material.

Flipping over the inside cover, she saw "Property of Aria Edelstein" written in neat cursive handwriting. Ah, of course, she thought.

"How did this end up in my room though?" she wondered aloud before casting the thought aside. She had bigger things to worry about than how her sister's book on songwriting came to be in her room.

Cally put the book on the hallway bookshelf, making a mental note to reorganize it later - it was overflowing, the books practically falling off because Roderich simply refused to let them get another.

Back at her desk, Cally returned her attention to her assignment. She was supposed to be putting in the notes for the solfege syllables, but could already tell that it was going to be a very, very long night.

Cally slumped miserably onto the steps of the cafetorium stage. She couldn't believe it - she knew that she was bad at reading music, but this was even worse than she had thought.

Vanessa sat down besides her. "So," she started. "Judging by your expression, you got the sight reading test back."

Cally nodded, not saying a word as she glumly pulled the packet out of her folder and handed it to the other girl.

Vanessa whistled, almost impressed. Five out of a hundred possible points was a rather difficult grade to achieve, but hardly one to be proud of.

"I totally bombed it, Nessa,!" she groaned. The only points she had gotten were the five points guaranteed for putting one's name down - how had she screwed up so badly?

"Well, if it makes you feel better, these answers would have been totally right if the test was in treble clef," Vanessa offered.

"Wait, so you mean -"

"Yeah."

The quiz had been in bass clef.

"Bonnefoy is evil!" Cally proclaimed. "Why would she have the test in bass clef when all the music we've been given so far's been treble clef?!"