Fumes | Colby Brock

Family

"So wake me up when it's all over, when I'm wiser and I'm older."
-Avicii, Wake Me Up

x(O)x

"That was great, can you go one more time?"

I sighed tiredly.

Hopefully this was the last time.

"Which part? The fourth verse or the chorus?"

Please say chorus. I'd rather be done now.

"Start from the beginning. It sounded fine before, but...I think you could add just a bit more passion this time to really give it that extra emotion that's been missing."

I wanted to fall backwards. Just my luck. As tough as it's been so far, I know this is only for my benefit to keep practicing.

My name is Celeste. Don't worry, I won't give you a full bio. I'm 19, and I'm a singer and a songwriter.

Done. See? That wasn't so long now was it?

That's just enough to give you basic details of my life. And now you understand my exasperation with this whole scenario.

Unfortunately, my lovely mother (non-biological, bless her) had a very bad habit of never letting me take a break. She was my number one supporter before my father and my siblings, so I understood her determination for me to keep going. But everyone has to rest every now and then.

And I was nearly at my limit.

Leaning over the piano that I sat in front of in the studio, I turned the music pages back to the front and scanned them once again, resting my hands over the stark white keys. "I would put a lot more effort into the song if I wasn't so drained, mom. You have to let me take a break after this. I'm exhausted." I pleaded, albeit a bit dryly with her.

I could see her slightly guilty expression out of the corner of my eye, the studio glass the only thing making it visible to me. And then I heard her sigh over the studio loudspeaker.

"I know darling. I'm sorry. I promise you'll be done after this. It's just," she paused, and I thought I heard a small growl of frustration barely reach the mic. "You know how badly I want you to succeed. You have to be fully prepared when that scout comes to see you. This could be big for you if he takes an interest in you."

Ah. I had almost forgot about that.

Ever since my adoption date, my parents had pursued to try and find talents from within me that could hopefully secure a comfortable future. Most would say that I was being led to my own failure, with a mother and father who only wanted to control my life. But that was completely false and never would be the case with them.

When they had taken me in when I was a child, it was safe to say that I had been blessed. Many failed foster families from before had left me hopeless, afraid to connect with someone emotionally in fear that I would have the same occurrence happen to me over and over again.

They had been different.

My parents were successful people. Both well-known in the music industry and both incredibly kind. My mother was unable to become pregnant after her first two children were born, resulting in many miscarriages that had left her heartbroken. She had both her boys. But she never would be able to have a daughter and that was the connection that she so desperately needed.