Star Darlings; the Other 12

Nicholas Can Sing!

This is the song in this chapter. credits to Alan Walker and a piano cover by Pianella Piano!

Nicholas couldn't get the sight of the space lion's expression out of his mind. The expressionless face appeared to him wherever he went as if it was asking him something he didn't know. Death had never bothered him so much, but now he knew why Sage was so angry when he killed Dutch, even if he was a criminal.

He laid on his bed in Ripley's Hotel, trying his best not to remember what he saw.

What is wrong with me? He thought. I killed and almost have been killed, but that haunts me? Do the others deal with this too?

He sat up, rubbing his face. I'm thinking of accepting an offer from yesterday. He looked at the clock in his room. We have 3 hours before the HMS Stardust arrives... I have plenty of time.

He grabbed his backpack and headed out the door. He put up his hood and kept his head down, not wanting to attract attention. He managed to get out of the Hotel without anyone noticing, not that he was trying.

Going through the richer part of town in the afternoons wasn't hard; most of the people living there would be sleeping, or out on vacation. He sprinted across the road towards the biggest building in the entire town.

He knocked on the door of the giant mansion, his icy knuckles making a louder sound than ever.

Scott's mother opened the door, face brightening to see it was Nicholas. "Oh hey, Nicholas! What are you doing here?"

" Ms. Smith... I wanted to accept the offer of playing... your husband's piano." he peeped, suddenly embarrassed from the request.

"Oh there's no need to be embarrassed." she smiled. "Come on! Come in!"

She gestured to follow her. "My husband's sleep right now. And don't worry; the walls in his bedroom are soundproofed for him to sleep properly."

"Ok."

"Well, here she is!" she said, pulling off the flap that protected it from the years.

"Thank you, Ms.Smith," Nicholas said, grabbing a nearby stool. He lifted the fallboard, revealing the black and white keyboards. Some keys had been worn from the years of performance, but it doesn't affect the music.

He tested the keys. They played perfectly.

"What song are you playing?" Scott's mother asked.

"You'll see."

He started playing the rhythmic keys, hands gliding over the keys. Softly, he sang:

(This is what he played on the piano BTW)

All we know left untold
Beaten by a broken dream
Nothing like what it used to be

We've been chasing our demons down an empty road
Been watching our castle turning into dust
Escaping our shadows just to end up here once more
And we both know

This is not the world we had in mind
But we got time
We are stuck on answers we can't find
But we got time
And even though we might get lost tonight
The skyline reminds us of a different time
This is not the world we had in mind
But we got time

Broken smile, tired eyes
I can feel your longing heart
Call my name howling from afar

We've been fighting our demons just to stay afloat
Been building our castle just to watch in the fall
Been running forever just to end up here once more
And now we know

This is not the world we had in mind
But we got time
We are stuck on answers we can't find
But we got time
And even though we might get lost tonight
The skyline reminds us of a different time
This is not the world we had in mind
But we got time

Take me back
Back to the mountainside
Under the Northern Lights
Chasing the stars
Take me back
Back to the mountainside
When we were full of life
Back to the start
We both know that

This is not the world we had in mind
But we got time
We are stuck on answers we can't find
But we got time
And even though we might get lost tonight
The skyline reminds us of a different time
This is not the world we had in mind

But we got time

He finished, out of breath from the song.

"Nicholas?" Piper's voice called behind him. He turned to find her standing beside Ms. Smith. "Tha-that..."

"Great," Nicholas said sarcastically. "Now, was I that bad?"

"No..." Piper said. "That was beautiful! I never heard a voice like that before."

Nicholas smiled. "Hmph. Let me guess why you're here; the HMS Stardust is here, I'm nowhere to be seen, and you came looking for me."

"Yup," Piper said. "And in 30 minutes, the HMS Stardust is leaving early."

"Oh sh**." Nicholas stopped himself. "Come on, we gotta go. Goodbye Ms. Smith! Thanks for today!"

"Goodbye! Remember to tell Scott to visit!" she waved them goodbye, and went to tidy up the piano.

"Why were you there?" Piper asked. "Your singing was the last thing I would expect."

"I saw something alright..." Nicholas answered. "And I think singing that song helped me get over it."

Up ahead, the HMS Stardust's horn blew, signalling all the passengers to get aboard.

Credit where credit is due, Alan Walker's Different World is my favourite song ever. Pianella Piano is also a great cover artist. I DON'T OWN ANY OF THIS!!!