[Original] Chronicles of the Paranormal [Novel]

Chapter 3: A Bond Of Souls

Chapter 3: A Bond Of Souls
Hana met her in the piano room at school, playing Clair De Lune with an elegant grace that awoke deep buried feelings within Hana that she thought she suppressed long ago. Such a melancholy song. Yet, Hana found herself drawn to the piano room.

A tall, slender girl with a heart-shaped face, aristocratic nose, and longer fingers was sitting at the piano bench, enraptured within the song that she played.

The floorboards underneath Hana's shoes creaked. The beautiful girl stopped playing and regarded Hana. Hana blushed. It was as if a spotlight centered itself on her, exposing her. She stared down at the ground and looked anywhere except for the other girl.

"You are Hana-san, aren't you?" the girl asked.

Hana let out a barely perceptible squeak which meant yes, and then went to play with one of the braids that hung over her shoulders. God, she probably looked so stupid right now, and she was sure that the other girl marked her off as weird or boring or creepy.

"I see," the other girl said. "My name is Misaki. I've seen you scurry around the school sometimes with your head down and rushing to classes without saying hello to anyone."

"I'm not good at making friends," Hana whispered. "People think that I'm weird and creepy."

"What I think is that you should stand proud and tall. Look people in the eye."

Misaki smiled gently at her. Hana's heart flutter a beat inside her throat. The other girl put a reassuring hand on Hana's shoulder, and Hana managed to look at Misaki in the eye.

"I heard you playing the piano," Hana said. "I was just curious to see who was playing."

"Is there a particular piece that you wanted to hear?"

"A tragic song. I like those the best."

"A tragic song, huh?"

Misaki made her way to the piano bench, spread her fingers across the ebony and ivory keys, and played Ave Maria Schubert. There was something almost nostalgic in the sonorous notes reverberating throughout the darkened room. Hana felt the vibrations of emotion thrum as Misaki's hands effortlessly scaled across the piano in grand flourishes and sweeping gestures.

She closed her eyes and receded back into a meditative trance that drifted her away from reality and into her own personal world. Swaying in rhythm to the music, moved by an internal metronome as essential to her as her circadian rhythm, a light-hearted and light-headed sensation of flight alleviated her depressive spirit.

Each note resonated with the depth of her pathos personified as passion. Misaki didn't need words to express them; music alone was enough. She pored through every note, each one pulsing like a heartbeat. Hana foolishly thought that Misaki conveyed the sincerity of her tone, the resonance of her love, her soul, to her. Her heart rose and fell with each lilting note, visualizing sensations rather than imagery. Hana never visualized well; she was an emotional creature, and she felt that emotions contained more vibrancy and life than colors ever could.

Once Misaki finished playing, Hana found herself so entranced with the wonders of the beautiful song that she barely heard what Misaki said. She snapped out of her daze and asked, "What did you say, Misaki-san?"

"I love the piano because you can express so many emotions through the notes. I always feel that I can convey myself better through music rather than words."

"I felt like I could understand you while you were playing that music," Hana said, looking down as she spoke. "You certainly put your heart and soul into playing the piano. It must be nice, to have something to be devoted to whole-heartedly."