Valentina Finds Her Voice | A Blushington Book

Chapter 4

"Girls please take a seat so we may begin," came a high pitched shrill voice that echoed throughout the room.

Confused I looked around the room for Mr. Simulson but he was nowhere to be found. I was beyond excited to learn some new songs, plays and to really show what I could do. But all we did that day was look over our music schedule.

The shrill voice spoke up again telling us that as music students our mornings would consist of standard academic classes and our afternoons would be full of music classes.

I didn't recognize the woman giving these instructions but she stood at least six feet tall and had the body and grace of a ballerina but the voice of a wicked witch.

Once we were dismissed Cassie and I looked over each other's schedule and found we had a few classes together. M-W-F I had Intro to scales and arpeggios, history of Italian opera and Italian. T-TH consisted of Intro to music genres and Intro to improv.

Honestly I was sort of bummed out. I was so excited to sing, but now I had to take all of these beginner classes and re-learn things my tutor already taught me.

Each week felt like I was just going through the motions. The only highlight was hanging out with Cassie.

By the middle of the semester I'd gotten so used to just being there I started to doodle and I'm no artist. After one particularly slow day I couldn't take it anymore and asked Ms. Czerwonsky when we'd actually sing or perform. At this point I'd settle for a talent show.

She looked down her glasses at me and in that shrill voice said, "Do you think you're ready to stand on that stage where some of the world's greatest performers have stood? Are you so amazing that you don't need the training they received?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked around at a few of the gifted six who were still in the theater laughing and barely whispered, "No ma'm, I just thought you accepted me for my talent and."

She stopped me mid sentence and shrieked, "We accepted you for what you could become. Lots of talented people come to Blushington but not many of them last long enough to become who and what they might have been."

Apparently not getting the message I said, "I just want to sing."

"Then sing," she said, "sing in the shower, sing on the grounds, sing in your room but in here you learn. And we will let you know when and if you're ready to sing on that stage."

She just left me standing there my face a bright burning red, while the girls still in the room burst out laughing. Holding back the tears, I hurriedly gathered my things and bolted from the theater. Promising to meet up with Cassie I headed back to my room to re-group.

After checking in with my mom, a few deep breaths, questioning whether or not I should've come here and a silent prayer; I went down the hall to Cassie's room and told her and the tex twins everything that happened.

The tex twins, Grace and Isla, were a pair of sisters from Texas whose personalities were as big and fiery as their red hair. Of course they'd already heard some convoluted version of the days' events, word travels fast here. But I set the record straight and spent the night thinking of ways to do damage control.

Obviously there was no damage control. For the next two weeks I was constantly referred to as prodigy since I thought I was so great and the gifted six made it a point to ask me why I even bothered with scales when I was clearly a master of all things opera?

Even girls not in the music program would whisper when I walked by. It was driving me crazy; I'd simply asked a question and now I was being picked on for wanting to sing.

I probably should have tried to stand up for myself but I thought that would only make things worse. So I stood idly by while everyone else had their fun at my expense. One particular day, after my last class, I decided to skip the cafe where I knew everyone would be and instead took a walk. But really I just desperately wanted to get away.

Thanks for reading!

X B