"I'm a very funny person. I make myself laugh all the time. In fact, I laugh the most when no one else is around."
"That's not concerning."
I blew a lock of hair out of my face. “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, what’s the song?”
Charlie played the melody, and I listened closely. “It’s good, but it needs a bridge,” I said. “And lyrics.”
Charlie scoffed. “Okay, everyone’s a critic. What do you suggest?”
I fumbled with my notebook and wrote down a few quick lyrics. I sang them out when Charlie played the opening. He said I didn’t give it enough syllables, I told him he needed to clean his ears, we argued, then I rewrote the lyrics and we tried again. Oberi changed into a husky and lay at the foot of the piano bench, enjoying our banter.
Hours passed. I think Charlie and I stayed in the music room the rest of the day, and most of that night, writing songs until we had to go back for curfew. I was too happy to check the time. Playing music with Charlie was more than just songs resonating into an empty room.
It was coming back home. And for the first time, I dared to hope that maybe things would get better. ThatIwould get better. It no longer felt like a wish, but something that could come true.
Charlie did that to me. He made me believe again. Mostly, he made me believe in myself.
Even when I didn’t think there was anything left to believe in.
Chapter Eleven
Charlie
The day in the music room stuck with me for weeks. I barely paid attention in classes, because I was fantasizing about meeting up with Ava during our free time. When I wasn’t training with Chancey and Captain, I was usually in the music room. Ava and I fooled around about as much as we wrote music. It was during those times that I could forget I was locked in a prison. It was like inside our music, we found freedom.
I didn’t realize how much I’d been enjoying it until Ava pointed out I’d been humming the same tune under my breath most of the day. We’d just left the music room and were on our way to Commissary to grab a snack before our last class of the day.
“What’s that tune?” she asked curiously. “I don’t recognize it.”
I stopped humming and felt my cheeks flush. “It’s something that’s been stuck in my head for a while. I can’t figure out how to end the last measure.”
“Maybe lyrics will help,” she offered. “Can you hum the tune again?”
I started humming while we walked, and Oberi tried to sing along, but it sounded more like howling than anything. “Oberi, that’s not helping,” I teased.
Ava laughed. “We’ll figure it out later. What do you want to eat?”
Conversation buzzed around us as we stepped through the doors of Commissary. Ava took my hand to lead me around the tables.
“I’m not that hungry,” I admitted. “What’s on the menu for drinks today?”
Ava slowed as we stepped into line. She took a moment to read over the menu. “They’ve got fruit shakes, hot chocolate, coffee… the special today is Magical Mocha.”
“That sounds good,” I remarked. “Should we do two of them?”
“Can’t,” Ava replied. She took a step forward as the line moved. “Magical drinks mess with my meds.”
“Right.” I’d almost forgotten.
“What do you want?” a voice sneered from behind the counter. I couldn’t pinpoint most voices, but it was easy to read Naya’s by the rude inflection in her tone. We hadn’t run into the succubus much since the Darke Games, and I wanted to keep things that way.
“A different barista, for one—” Ava started, but I squeezed her hand to cut her off. There was no reason to start a fight with Naya in front of everyone. I could only get us out of so many infractions before the guards got sick of me.
“I’ll have a Magical Mocha, and Ava will have…” I waited for her to answer.
She sighed. “A strawberry-kiwi smoothie.”
I heard Naya press a few buttons on the register before asking in a bored tone, “Will that be all?”
