Our Strange World

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

            To say I was nervous would be an understatement, because with how much my stomach was twisting and turning you could literally say I was feeling ill. I was used to play, really but never in front of anyone of status. My mother and father had been the only people who didn’t work in the palace to actually come and see me play. Everyone else, you could say was payed to enjoy my music.

            Guess that’s what happens when you grow up surrounded by walls. You question your own talents.

            I once asked father about leaving when mom was still healthy, about going away to Italy or France or the United States to play my music and join a school for dance. Mother loved that idea. Dad was a bit concerned but was calling schools and making arrangements when I wasn’t around. When mom got sick though, things changed.

            I remember the last concert. We played this soft melody from the music box. I didn’t dance, I just played. I didn’t like dancing in front of her when she was sick. When she was healthy, she would get up and dance with me, so without her, it just seemed cruel.

            She smiled and swayed to the music in her chair, her blonde hair falling flat along her lap, her eyes still sparkling but the bags around them telling us how truly tired she was. It broke my heart to see her that way. So thin and pale, when she should’ve been glowing and bursting with energy. She had turned to dad and even though she whispered I could still hear what she said, “Eddie, she’s good enough to go away. She’s good enough to perform. She’s a light, she can make it.”

            I guess I just kept playing for her. She called me a light, and I wanted to hold on to that because I know without her, I’ve lost some of my shine.

            “Ready Miss Alice?” Williams voice pulled me away from my thoughts and I nodded. Carson sat with his arms around Beatrice and Rosalind sitting at their feet. Wesley was leaning on the glass, the moon highlighting his hair in a way that made is look silver, silk like. Everly and Gray were a picture of sweetness, with her leaning her head on his shoulder, brown curls falling across his arm and her smile so peaceful, it caused my heat to ache for a bit, for he held the same smile.

            My dad though, sat farther back. In a distance and I know he was listening not because he looked at me but rather was swaying a bit to the melody we started as he stared out the window. I wondered if he was remembering that night like I just did.

            William was the one to start this piece and together, we put our all into giving our guests the best show we could. We kept to our favourite pieces and most practiced. Nothing to new or old. Just the normal. And I didn’t dance. I didn’t feel the need. I didn’t want to dance just yet in front of anyone.

            I heard some of my servants tapping along to the beat, some even humming and it caused me to smile. When people participated in the music, I felt more alive and welcome. It made the music more worth playing when you could feel people connecting with your notes the same way you do.

            We finished with a fast beat, leaving everyone happy and hopeful. Or at least that’s what I hope they felt.

            “Alice, you are extremely talented! Really, you and William here have an amazing show!” Carson beamed at us, his eyes lighting up like a child’s and he shook William’s hand. The enthusiasm he was portraying was contagious because soon I was getting hugs from everyone. Beatrice seemed a bit teary and Rosalind wouldn’t let go of my leg. Wesley hugged me so hard I was lifted off the floor and my father kissed my brow, a far away look in his eyes.