Page 62 of Rise of the Melody
The next morning Aunt Lorna removed my cuff and we worked on my magic. I was coming to love those moments with her. It was the only time I didn’t feel fake. I felt like I was being who I was meant to be…partly. And I felt an excited sense of pride about how natural it all seemed. Aunt Lorna said I had skills, and seeing her impressed made me giddy.
Let’s just say, if Mairi or anyone else wanted to push me with magic again, I could now counter with my own. Not that I wanted to do that. I really didn’t. But being able to protect myself was a good feeling. That was, when I wasn’t wearing the stupid cuff.
Today I’d practiced my levitating skills, filling a mug with water and sending it across the room like Teague had done. I didn’t stop until I made it across ten times in a row without spilling. I opened and closed drawers, lifting spoons and letting them fly gently into my hands. I tried warming water too, but apparently that wasn’t one of my skills. Boo.
Ron showed up a little earlier than we were expecting to take my aunt on errands. She must have been flustered because she forgot to put my cuff back on. I kept waiting for her to say, “Oh! Almost forgot…!” But she did forget. And I let her. As they drove off, I rubbed my wrist and broke into a smile. I wasn’t going to actually do anything, but every moment without that thing on felt like such delicious freedom.
It had been forever since I expressed myself with my voice. It wasn’t even fun for me to listen to music if I couldn’t sing along. So much of my life had been spent singing, which was part of the reason I felt so lost lately.
What better chance than now? I was in the middle of nowhere, all alone.
As I queued up music and cranked up the volume, I may as well have been doing something heinously illegal based on the way my heart thumped, and my stomach twisted. I checked out both windows again. Then I stood there, the music all around me, my eyes closed, feeling emotional. The beat shook my bones and each note crawled across my skin, from my toes up my legs and torso until the melody rose from my throat.
I lifted my chin and I sang, soft and slow at first, then louder, jumping up and down, punching the air. The magic that spilled from my entire being wrapped around me, circling the room like a live cyclone of power. This went on for several songs, me putting on a one-woman show for an audience of zero. I pranced and sashayed and twerked, swinging my hair around.
I spun in a circle and when I came back around I sensed something was off.
I hushed quickly and turned off the music. Silence.
“Hello?” I called, horrified at the thought of Ron and Aunt Lorna returning early.
I darted from the room and to the top of the stairs. I halted. Gasped. Acid rose in my throat at the sight of a man in an all-brown uniform on his hands and knees in the middle of the staircase. The man was crawling upward as if dying, reaching, desperate. He lifted his head to look right at me, his eyes blank, a low moan coming from his mouth.
“Oh, my God,” I whispered. Oh, my God! What had I done? Entranced a freaking delivery man?
I hurried down to him, choking on my fear. I had to get the man out of the house and do damage control. He moaned, bleary-eyed as I got to him and encouraged him to get to his feet. It felt like forever before he made it down the steps and out the door, where boxes had been haphazardly dropped. I got him to sit down on the porch and squatted in front of him.
How much would he remember? Oh, no, I was in so much trouble! What would the mayor do when he found out I’d sang a human into a trance? Would he tell the Synod? Fear blanketed me.
“Sir?” I said in a shaky voice. “Sir, are you okay? You…you passed out.”
It took a full minute for him to blink around at the porch, at his brown truck, then at me.
“What…? I don’t….”
“It’s okay,” I whispered, giving a wobbly smile. “You passed out.”
He grabbed his head, a confused look on his face. “That was so strange.” He shook his head and began to stand. I helped him to his feet.
“You good now?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
“Yeah. I’m sorry about that, Miss.”
“Don’t apologize,” I said, my heart finally slowing a little. I crossed my arms to hide the way my body shook.
“I heard music,” he said with a small laugh. “And then…lights out.” He rubbed his face. “I should probably see a doctor. Get some bloodwork done. I’ve never passed out before. Hope I didn’t scare you too bad.”
He looked like a perfectly healthy middle-aged man, and now I’d made him think something was wrong with his health. Guilt churned in my gut, and I wanted to be sick.
“Not at all,” I assured him. “I’m glad you’re okay. Thanks for the delivery.” I bent and picked up the two boxes for my aunt.
“Sure thing.” He gave me one last strange glance and headed back to his truck.
When he drove away, I went straight up to my room, face planted on the bed, and bawled my eyes out. I stayed like that until my body finally calmed and then I sat up against the headboard, in silence, like a zombie staring at the wall. I couldn’t sing anymore. It had been so exhilarating. For that moment I’d been my old, carefree self again, but it wasn’t safe. Not even out here in the middle of nowhere. I couldn’t be carefree anymore, probably for the rest of my life. I could only be careful.
As I moped, a text came through from Clare.
Omg, did you hear about Chrys?
