Page 148 of The Kiss Of Death
My tears spilled over. I had bottled up every tear for so long, but now they flowed freely. Mom wouldn’t want me to be sad, but those weren’t tears of sadness—they were tears of hope. Healing tears.
“I’ll play at Pantheon’s Great Opera until my melody reaches heaven.” I tightened my grip on her hand and lifted my chin. “I’ll speak so loud that they’ll never take her memory away. She’s more than a name on a plaque. She won’t be remembered as a victim. Lucie wasn’t a victim. I’m not a victim. We’re goddamn fighters who have been silenced for too long.”
“Amen to that.”
She hugged me, and I glanced to the side at my computer, its camera pointing at me. I could feel the weight of his intense, soulless, gray gaze on me. I could feel him, and I knew my heart would always be his, but he didn’t have to know that.
“Yas, do you have any tape?”
“You’re wearing two different colors of socks.” Gunther frowned at me. “Are you alright?”
“Yes.” I shifted uncomfortably on my seat, hiding my loafers underneath my chair. Not sleeping would do that to me. “It’s a fashion choice, and—”
Before I could finish, Mr. Delgado’s harsh interruption shattered the air. With a resounding thud, he slammed all our exam papers onto his desk, his piercing gaze fixed on me. “Anything you’d like to share with the class, Mrs. Mercier?”
“No, sir,” I managed to stammer out.
“As I was saying.” Mr. Delgado cleared his throat, the whole class shutting up. “I hope you didn’t waste your holidays lounging around like lazy slugs. Your exam papers have spoken for themselves, and it’s clear that many of you have a long way to go, especially since…” He paused, adjusting his glasses. “In three months’ time, you will have the esteemed opportunity to audition for the annual Pantheon Symphony. But this year will be different. I assume many of you have heard the rumors.”
Gasps rippled through the classroom while my eyes doubled in size, my mouth hanging open.
“That’s correct. This year, Pantheon is resurrecting the Great Winter Symphony for Christmas, after ten years of silence, in the newly renovated Opera House.”
I remained muted. The rumors were true. The opera would be renovated. The Winter Symphony would be back this year.
“Needless to say,” Mr. Delgado continued, his tone dripping with disdain. “Only the best students between the first, second, and third years will stand a chance of being selected. I must warn you, it’s unlikely for a first year to be selected. This year’s composer will be none other than Jared Kravinsk. He will be judging your auditions alongside myself and Mrs. Delacroix at the opera house, to put you in condition.”
After a decade of silence, we would be the first to set foot inside the old opera house.
My heart pounded so hard I felt it might burst from my chest while Gunther reached for his inhaler, struggling to catch his breath. “Jared Kravinsk is the Vivaldi of our generation. He’s the epitome of baroque composition.”
I smiled as Mr. Delgado listed the names of the greatest musicians of our time who would attempt the concerto alongside the upcoming chosen students. We all had the same starsdancing in our eyes, goose bumps prickling our skin, and adrenaline coursing through our veins.
Mom, Lucie, I can’t fail you.
Mr. Delgado prowled down each row, his presence casting a shadow over us like a looming storm cloud. “I only see one or maybe two of you with the potential to make it,” he declared, his gaze fixed on Gunther as he flicked each exam paper on our respective tables.
“If you’re selected, it’d be the greatest honor one can achieve, and it will provide you with invaluable experience.” He paused, his eyes flicking over each of us in turn. “And points will be awarded to your respective house. For the audition, you’ll have to compose or interpret a baroque piece. But make no mistake, this audition will separate the wheat from the chaff.”
I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life.
My heart raced like a staccato beat, each thud echoing the electrifying anticipation. I had to bury the memories of those terrorists once and for all with my music. I had to beat them. Be stronger than fear.I can do this.
“I got 79 percent?” Gunther scowled at his paper. For him, anything below ninety was considered a disaster.
“You’re a technically gifted musician, but you fear experimenting. Be bolder,” Mr. Delgado remarked, slamming my paper on my desk.
I squinted my eyes, slowly lifting my paper, silently pleading for a decent score.Please. Please. Please.I had challenged Mr. Delgado’s patience by participating as much as possible and accepting all the extra assignments.Let it not be all for nothing.
“Ninety!” I exclaimed, my eyes widening in disbelief. Even Gunther glanced at my paper, astonished. I had the best grade in the entire class.
“Looks like even mediocrity can be challenged with hard work,” Mr. Delgado concluded as he finished distributing thegrades. “Now, don’t get overly excited, a miracle won’t happen twice, in case you were thinking about auditioning.”
“I have to disagree, sir. I’ll show you what I’m capable of,” I promised with a beam.
I had a dream that would transcend the boundary between life and death, and I’d stop at nothing until I succeeded.
“He should have arrived by now.” Kay’s voice pierced through my AirPods as he paced back and forth in the Tactician’s common room, twirling each of his silver rings.
