Falling Hard || The Music Freaks || Lander

Chapter Three: The Legend of the White Rose

"Zander, please! You haven't eaten anything since the day it happened!" Hailey pleaded.

"I told you, I'm not hungry," said Zander, stirring the spoon in his cereal.

"It's not going to make anything better if you starve yourself," said Hailey. She sipped her cup of orange juice.

"Mhm," Zander stood up. "I might eat at lunch."

"That's only because Mom's making your favourite rolls, isn't it?" his step-sister snickered.

"I just... don't feel like eating, okay?" Zander said, slightly annoyed. How was she so calm about this? The three of them had known each other for almost ten years - how was she not in hysterics that Luke was about to... die?

"I think I'll just go to the music room and play a few songs," said Zander.

He walked up the stairs, making his way through the cream painted hallway. The door to their music room was made of a smooth, alder wood. Zander pushed it open to be greeted with floor to ceiling windows. The sky outside was a brilliant blue, clouds looking like they were spun from cotton candy. It looked too... cheerful outside. It was as if it was mocking him for what had happened two days ago.

Zander pushed the weather out of his mind and turned back to the room. Here, he and Hailey had set up a sort of music room.

They would do any musical activity here - get books from the shelf in the corner of the room, blast music through the large speakers, or let the beautiful melodies flow through the house as they practiced.

Zander sat down at the electric piano, flicking the switch that turned it on. Strangely, no song came into his mind. 

Sure, he could play one of Beethoven's Symphonies, or a Nocturne from Chopin. Heavens, he might as well play all four of Vivaldi's Seasons. But today, his hands seemed heavy. It felt so unnatural, without Luke practicing on the drums by side. 

The two almost always practiced together. Zander didn't care if Luke played more modern music - he'd gladly accompany him. He was the only person that could change his mind about his 'obsession of classical music'.

He lifted his right hand, and without thinking, began playing the first piece that popped in his mind: Canon in D.

If his past self could see him now, it'd snicker at the sight. Pachelbel's Canon was such an overplayed song, and Zander rarely played with only one hand. He hadn't even gotten through a fourth of the piece when Hailey came running up the stairs.

"What in the Raisy is going on?" she panted. "First you're ignoring your appetite for cornflakes, and now you're playing Canon in D? With one hand! What happened to the original Zander?"

"He's right here, playing Pachelbel's Canon with one hand and ignoring his appetite," Zander replied sarcastically.

He wondered what Luke would've thought... Luke probably would've known something was wrong as soon as he played the first line of song.

Just the thought of his best friend brought tears to his eyes. He held them in. Hailey wasn't fooled.

"Zander..." she said, expression softening. She walked across the room and sat down next to him. "I'm sorry."

"It shouldn't have happened!" he burst out. "It's all my fault! I convinced him to climb that tree! If I hadn't... he'd still be a-alive!"

Hailey shook her head and put an arm around him. Tears were again streaking his face. He wiped them away, embarrassed, but Hailey didn't seem to care.