Page 28 of Forever Midnight

While he’s gone, I stand and wander around the front room a bit until I stumble across a nook that has a black grand piano in it. Smiling, I hurry over to it, running my fingers over the shiny finish. The tips of my fingers tingle, vibrating almost.

Without understanding why, I sit at the bench, desperate to get my fingers on the keys even though I’ve never played the piano a day in my life. But…sitting here feels so right. Normal.

I don’t understand how or why, but my fingers dance over the keys, a melancholy song filling the air. My heart beats so fast it could come right out of my throat, and when Midnight enters the room, the plate he’s carrying falls to the floor, shattering into pieces.

With wide eyes, he stumbles backward, pressing against the wall like he’s seen a ghost. I yank my hands away from the piano, just as startled.

“How…” Midnight’s breath rattles from his chest. “How do you know that song?”

Staring at my hands and then at the piano, I slowly look up. “I have no idea. I don’t know how to play the piano.”

“What?” The volume of his voice causes me to jump.

Shaking my head, I climb off the bench and back away. “Never. I just sat down and it’s like something took over me.”

Midnight hasn’t moved. He’s just staring at me.

“What’s happening right now?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “It’s not possible.” Midnight squeezes his eyes closed. “This is a dream or something.”

“We’re both dreaming the same thing?”

His eyes snap open and he blows out a breath. “Tru. I don’t know how you did that, but that song…it doesn’t exist.”

“What do you mean?”

“What I’m saying is the song was written by someone long ago and it died when he did. It was never published, never heard by anyone but me. It is literally impossible that you knew how to play it.”

Now trembling, I wrap my arms around myself. “Not to mention that I don’t fucking know how to play. A. Piano. Am I, like, possessed or something?”

“Possessed,” Midnight whispers, dragging his hand over the instrument’s aged wood. “This is a very old piano. Maybe…somehow…”

His words trail off, leaving me hanging. “Somehow what? Somehow the piano taught me how to play a song that doesn’t exist?”

Midnight moves so fast I barely see it, but suddenly he’s standing right in front of me, his hands on my shoulders. He focuses his gaze on me, and as I stare back into his eyes, a wave of warmth spreads through me, instantly settling my panicked thoughts.

I sway in his arms, watching his lips move but not really understanding anything he’s saying, just responding to the vibration of his voice, the warmth in my belly, the calmness of my thoughts. My eyes grow heavy, and I give in to their weight, closing them and sinking into Midnight’s comforting touch.

Whatever was happening before can be handled later. For now, I just want to sleep.

Yes, that sounds good.

ChapterThirteen

MIDNIGHT

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

After laying Tru in my bed, I burst from my door and head straight to the common. I need counsel and I need it fast. I find Syn and Bowie, and before I even make it there, Yves opens his door, his eyes searching wildly.

I walk straight for him, falling into him when I reach him. Yves wraps his arms around me, holding me up as he nearly carries me to the sofa. Bowie turns off the TV while Syn’s forehead crinkles in concern.

“By the gods, what happened?” Yves asks. “Your energy shook my walls.”

“He…he…” I squeeze my eyes closed. “Tru. It’s not possible.”

“Take a deep breath, brother.” Syn’s calm tone reaches me through the chaos in my mind.

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