Nowhere Girl

Chance Encounters

Author's Note: I have changed my main character's name from Syra to Nora, and this is what she will be referred to throughout the story now. Sorry for the confusion!

***********************************************************************************************

The first thing she noticed about him was his Star Wars t shirt.

The second thing she noticed about him was that he noticed her, too.

The music stopped abruptly in the air around her, and she felt herself break from her reverie. She blinked in surprise, disoriented by her new surroundings. They were standing on opposite ends of what seemed to be a music room. She squinted as she tried to make sense of her surroundings, her eyes adjusting to the warm, amber light of the room, so at odds with the shadowy hallways. Glassy windows overlooked an empty balcony, in front of which was placed an ancient grand piano.

And seated behind the piano was Elliot Lee.

She stood there, transfixed, frozen on the spot by an odd sense of otherworldliness. He looked ethereal in his stillness, fingers still splayed across the keys, just as frozen as she was. Looking at him was like looking at art- a kind of art so fragile and ancient it was meant to be hidden away from the hungry, undeserving eyes of the world.

She averted her gaze.

"Nora, right?" Elliot spoke first, breaking the silence.

Nora nodded.

"Yes." she replied. Elliot got up from his seat and took a few steps in front of the piano, fumbling with his pockets. He was tall, with chestnut hair so dark it almost looked black, and eyes that were as dark as they were guarded.

"Elliot Lee?" she continued, trying to stretch the conversation. In truth, she had half a mind to turn around and leave right then. But she, a total stranger, had been the one who had barged into his room and interrupted his practice. It felt rude to just announce her exit. And there was something else, too, that kept her rooted in place- a feeling far more complex than the semblance of politeness. She chose to ignore it for now.

"Isn't this your birthday party?" she asked, a little stupidly. In hindsight, it had been the perfect thing to say. The change on his face was instantaneous. His features morphed from bewilderment to a knowing coyness, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile.

"It may be my birthday," he said. "but it sure as hell isn't my party."

"Is that why you're cooped up here?" Nora said, gesturing to their surroundings. Elliot shrugged, then glanced at the piano. "What you were playing-" She hesitated for a moment. "It was beautiful, by the way."

HIs face lit up at that.

"Thank you," he said. "It's Chopin."

She pursed her lips. "I have to confess- I'm not well versed in classical music."

"That's okay," he said, though she felt it wasn't. Her friends and family had always called her a know it all- and she had begrudgingly accepted that as the truth. That was why her lack of information on this Chopin character stung her pride. Thankfully, Elliot showed no judgement on his part. "It's the only sort of music I like. The one that's playing downstairs gives me headaches." he admitted. "But my sister loves it. She's a little..."

"Rambunctious?" Nora completed, her mind flashing to the girl she had seen mere minutes ago, downstairs, downing ten shots in a row.

"That's the word." he said, slamming a fist into his palm. "But you know, I'm fine with it. If I stay out of it, I won't get in trouble with my parents for hosting a gigantic liquor free for all."

"So you'd throw your sister under a bus, just like that?" Nora joked.

"In a heartbeat." he replied. A laugh escaped her lips. Elliot looked at her, a grin tugging at his mouth, too. He shook his head, and then said finally, "So, who's going to talk about the elephant in the room?"

Nora frowned. "What are you on about?"

In a few swift steps, Elliot had moved closer to where she stood. He pointed to her shirt, and for one embarrassing second, she thought he was gesturing at something obscene. Then, after a few moments of confusion, it hit her.

"Yes, I'm a Trekkie." she professed, her hands in the air. She glanced at the bright Star Wars logo on his black shirt, clicking her tongue almost pityingly. "And I see that your poor soul has found itself on the Dark Side."

"There's nothing poor about it." he argued, fine lines of dissent marring his features.

"Well, nothing literally." she said, gesturing to their opulent surroundings. He rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean." He crossed his arms, now clearly invested in their argument. She had met a handful of Star Wars fans in her life, and she'd known them all to be religious zealots for their cause. (Not that she wasn't one, anyway- but at least she stood for the right cause.)

"I don't know what you mean." she retorted. "Star Trek is the opus of science fiction cinema. It's an epic saga about-"

"Some alien elf guy and his boyfriend."

"What?"

She started, staring at him with an expression so utterly affronted that he took a step back. The rage she had felt at Evie and Celeste had been nothing compared to the burning fury she felt now. Elliot must have predicted this sort of reaction from her, because the wicked grin on his face told her that he was enjoying himself immensely.

"First of all, he's not an elf." she corrected through gritted teeth. His smile was somehow exacerbating her rage. "Second of all-"

She was cut off by the ring of her phone. It broke her out of the moment- causing her to remember, quite abruptly, what she was actually doing there. Acid pooled in her stomach as she was reminded of the time. It was almost 12 o'clock, and her mother had left her about ten messages and three missed calls enquiring about her whereabouts.

She pocketed her phone and turned around in an instant.

"Hey!" she heard Elliot call after her. "Did I offend you that much?"

"No." she answered as she reached the door. She noted with surprise that Elliot had followed her there, and was clutching on to its sides. "My mum's calling. I need to go back." She was suddenly aware of the space between them- and the improperness of this entire situation.

"Oh," he noted. "Well-"

"Happy birthday!" she shouted, already racing down the hallway.

By the time she made it back to her car, she wanted to kick herself. What kind of fool said happy birthday as a farewell?

Her kind of fool, she thought as she put the keys in the ignition. As the car began to whizz past the Lee mansion, she dreaded every mile that brought her closer to home.

She was in big, big trouble.