AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s okay.”
“Look, you’re wasting our time—”
“Shush.” I lift a hand at Purple Hair.
Her gasp of outrage barely penetrates my focus. While silence settles, I flip open my purse and search for the modified headphones I always carry around. Next, I pull out my phone.
“What are you doing?”
I ignore the question.
“Do you think she’s going to hear anything on those headphones?”
I ignore that too.
“She’sdeaf!”
I sync the headphones with my cell and open the metronome app. The steadytic-tic-tickchants in my ear.Good.
Niko gives me an uncertain look when I slide the headphones over her ribs.
“Do you feel that?” I ask.
She pauses. Her eyes fall closed and I can sense the way she gets in-tuned to her body. After a few seconds, Niko nods.
“Good.” I take her hand and set it on the piano. “Try again.”
Niko plays with uncertainty. Purple Hair grins in delight when she falters. I pretend the aggravating woman isn’t in the room and keep my hand on Niko’s, coaching her through the music until she gets better at the timing.
“That’s right.” A smile inches over my face when she falls into the pocket of the rhythm. “Niko, that’s perfect.”
Niko’s eyes light up and she gives me a hug. I wrap my arms around her back, squishing the headphones into her stomach by mistake.
She makes a pained grunt.
I wrench backward. “Sorry. Sorry.”
She laughs and waves my apology off.
Plucking the headphones away, I turn to the teacher. “When one of our senses is impaired, we rely more heavily on the others. But what people often miss is that we also rely on our gut instincts. The spider-sense, if you will.” I wave the headphones around. “You’re tapping her leg to help her keep the time, but your timing is off.”
“What?”
“You’re playing a little ahead of the metronome.”
Shame burns her cheeks red and she glances away.
“But even if you were directly on time, it can’t replacefeeling. Niko’s got great instincts. Let her trust it.”
Purple Hair huffs and opens her mouth to answer when a voice rumbles, “Interesting.”
We both turn around.
I’m shocked to see Sazuki standing in the doorway. He’s watching me with hawk eyes.
I lick my suddenly dry lips. “How long have you been standing there?”
He stares me down, refusing to answer.
