When the Violin Sings

Chapter 6

October, 1 Year Earlier

In many ways life remained the same for Noel. She shared a silent breakfast with her mother each morning, took the bus to school, worked hard in her classes, practiced for hours, and maintained her love-hate relationship with the violin. But one thing had appeared to change.

Noel had a friend. Frankly, she wasn't sure how she hadn't managed to push Riley away yet.

After every practice, Noel would accompany Riley to the dining commons for a late lunch. It was usually empty around the time they went, so to make up for the short lines, she and Riley would engage in long conversations. Little by little, Noel was learning more about Riley, and little by little, Noel was revealing bits and pieces of herself, though she kept most of the details of her life private, save for a little here and there as she mentioned her father and the violin and her mother's commitment to Noel's success as a musician.

After another afternoon of practice and a late lunch with Riley, Noel said good-bye. Her conversation with Riley had been on the short side this afternoon, but Noel figured that was okay. It allowed her more time to herself.

After she and Riley had departed from the university's gates, she stealthily changed her course, going a street down from the bus stop to the small line of shops adjacent to one of the neighborhoods near the university. She knew with certainty she would be alone there.

Noel wasn't quite sure when the tradition had started. It had been during the fall semester of her freshman year. She liked to walk down this strip and purchase a snack from the convenience store sometimes to delay returning home. Or she would stop in a the thrift shop and look around, knowing her mother would kill her if she returned with something second-hand. But for Noel, these experiences were her first tastes of freedom since high school, when the chauffer had primarily driven her to and from school.

One day, as Noel was leaning against the brick wall of the convenience store, munching on some potato chips, when she noticed the abandoned shed farther down the street. It was covered in rust and looked like it would topple over as soon as the next windstorm hit, but Noel admired the ways it was hidden in the trees and how the setting sun reflected off the chipped paint. So one day, she had found herself meandering near the building.

Though the nature of the shed appeared to be abandoned, Noel hadn't been too sure, so she had quietly walked around the premises before peeking her head into the little slit between the chained doors. Inside, it was devoid of life. So Noel had left it at that. All she had wondered was if the shed was abandoned or not. Now she had her answer.

The next day though, she found herself coming back. And the day after that. And the day after that. For weeks she would linger around the front of the shed and peer through the tiny crack before ultimately heading on back to the bus stop. One day, however, she felt brave.

It was probably around November. The sky was darkly clouded, and it was one of the first days that season that Noel was wrapped warmly in a winter coat. She had the feeling that it was going to rain, and she figured she could look for an entrance just for a moment to escape the oncoming storm. The front doors were chained, so she went around the back and surveyed the whole periphery of the shed. No entrance.

Her heart sunk for a moment. Then she pulled at the chain. It held tight. Though she knew there was no use trying, she pulled again, first at the chain, then the door. She knew she couldn't pull too long. The neighbors would grow suspicious. So with one last pull, she was shocked to hear a snap.

Noel looked back at the handles. The end of the chain had snapped off. With all the rust, it wasn't hard to imagine why. She carefully pulled the chain through and opened up the door of the shed just as the first drop of rain landed on her brunette head. Noel opened the door slightly, just enough to allow entry. Thankfully, the sound of the growing rain masked the loud squeak of the door.