Piano Girl ❊ {Paul Lahote}

Chapter One - Gymnopédie No. 1 - Satie

❊Violet❊

The restaurant was nearly full as I stretched my fingers, setting them to the white ivory keys. The higher end restaurant had opened several months ago, and it was the first of its kind in Port Angeles. It was also the highest paying gig I had gotten so far, and it had been a blessing these past few weeks. Playing here in the evenings on weekends, and at the regular piano bar every few weeknights, was allowing me to finally have somewhat of a steady income.

The first few notes of Satie's Gymnopédie No. 1 emerged from the piano amdist the clinking of knives and quiet conversation. I enjoyed this type of performance. I was generally able to play the pieces I wanted, just being part of the background noise, while while people only partially paid attention.

Occasionally a tip would come my way, but most often people would simply appreciate silently, and I was able to lose myself in the world of music, one that I built with my own expressions and articulations.

Music was, like all arts, emotional. The truth in one's emotions revealed itself in how one played the music. If someone did not enjoy what they were performing, it was always instantly obvious in the way they simply ran through the motions of the piece, not putting any heart into it. This was why I played pieces that I loved, so that my notes always held emotion. It was one of the many things my mother had taught me.

My shift ended at around 11 pm, just before the restaurant closed. I packed up my music and made my way towards the staff door, saying a few "goodnights" to the waiting staff as I went.

I grabbed my dark green jacket and, car keys in hand, pushed my way out into the back lot.

My car was old and not the prettiest thing around, but it did the job it needed to do, and I had been able to buy it with the money I had saved up, so I was pretty proud of it.

The drive from Port Angeles back to La Push, where I lived on the reservation with my mother and younger sister, was around 35-45 minutes, but with the (thankfully) functioning CD player in the car, my ears were never bored.

My mother, sister and I had moved to La Push around 5 years ago now, after my father passed away. I was only one half Quileute, on my mother's side, while my father had been Caucasian.

With my father gone, and neither her nor either of her children having longstanding careers (Her being a private music teacher and my sister and myself being only 11 and 13 respectively), she decided to move back onto the reservation where she grew up, and to be surrounded once again by the comfort and family of her home.

She took up a post at the local private music school in Forks, a nearby town, and both me and Ellie, my sister, went to school on the reservation, as it was most convenient. I graduated from middle school the year after, and began attending La Push High School.

And so our lives went on. I was on my senior year now, and at 18 years old, I was ready to be done with school. I had passed all of my piano exams thanks to the guidance of my mother, and was ready to take on the music world, one piano bar gig at a time.

The drive was uneventful, and as I pulled my trusty rustbucket into the dirt driveway, I saw the light from my mother's bedroom window click off.

I sighed and shook my head. No matter how many times I told her that she didn't have to wait up for me, she did. Every time.

I trudged into the kitchen, but not before taking off my shoes and jacket, a strict rule in my mother's house. Pouring myself a quick bowl of cereal with milk, I sat down at the table to scarf it down.

I was able to eat a bit on my small break (not from the restraunt, they were too classy for that apparently, so I had to bring my own dinner), I often found myself hungry when I got home. As such, the bowl was clean in minutes.

I quickly brushed my teeth before changing for bed. Both my room and my bed were small, but I didn't mind as I didn't spend much time in it anyways. The window was my favorite part of it, as it looked out onto the backyard and by extension, the forest beyond.

Occasionally I would see animals such as deer and even once a bear moving through the trees. Tonight however, everything was quiet as I tucked myself into bed, apart from the chirping of the crickets.

It was 11:58pm.

Monday was just around the corner, and little did I know that it was going to change everything.

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Welcome to Piano Girl! I've been in the mood to write a romance for a while now, and the Quileute wolves concept intrigues me! I hope you enjoyed the introduction to the character and history of Violet. The video above is the song she played. More chapters to come soon!