Song 6

As Meloria grew, so did her family. By the age of seven, Meloria found herself the older sister of not just one, but four younger brothers. A year after the birth of Lucan, Evelyn gave birth to a set of twin boys, Caelen and Ren, and her parents agreed that four children were more than enough to handle. However, the gods had other plans, and when she was seven, Meloria welcomed her youngest brother Finn, who was, by far, the biggest handful of them all.

With such a large family, Meloria struggled to find time to pursue her dreams of becoming everyone’s idol. Not used to being the eldest, Meloria couldn’t have begun to anticipate the responsibilities that came with being an older sister. Helping the boys get ready in the morning, participating in their bedtime routines, and assisting with meal preparation all became part of her daily routine.

Her days were filled with family routines and school, where she took a particular interest in history. Being so young, this was her opportunity to absorb as much as she could about the world, and she wanted to learn what life was like before the songstress. Though that topic typically got her into trouble and meant missing out on playtime. However, this would give her ample opportunity to sneak into the library while the on-call teacher slept at their desk and visit the ‘forbidden section’ of the library.

It was at the age of ten that Meloria discovered the ‘forbidden section’ of the library. She sat at her desk, writing countless lines while the on-duty teacher’s head started to fall, their eyes heavy with sleep. Looking up from the paper, Meloria saw the teacher completely asleep, their head hanging near their chest as they snored heavily.

Meloria pouted, looking up at the clock. It had only been five minutes into her punishment, and the teacher was asleep! Groaning, Meloria pushed her chair out, the scraping sound not enough to even make the teacher stir in their sleep as she leapt off, tiptoeing to the door. She looked back, making sure the teacher hadn’t moved before opening the door, shutting it behind her. “Well, might as well go and explore,” she snickered, pretending to be like a ninja, scouting out the hallways for other teachers as she ventured through. “I didn’t realise how big this school is,” she muttered to herself, looking around.

“And as you can see-”

Meloria froze, hearing her father’s voice coming from around the corner. If she were caught in trouble again, she was going to be on pig duty for a week. Panicking, she looked around, trying to find her escape route. “That way,” she whispered, rushing down the dark hallway. The lights seemed broken and hadn’t been replaced, with cobwebs decorating the skirting boards. “Man, they really let this place go.”

Slowing down her pace, Meloria brushed her hand against her arms, desperate to get rid of the feeling of creepy crawlers running along her skin, even though there was nothing to be seen. Continuing down the hallway, Meloria held her arms close to her body, focusing on what was in front of her. Her brow raised as she approached the door at the end of the hallway. It looked like any other door in the school, but the aura coming from this door felt eerie.

Shrugging, Meloira pushed the door open, her eyes widening at the sight before her. Music players? Vinyl records? Music sheets? She gasped and smiled widely, trying to hold in her squeal as she tapped her feet happily. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, Meloria dove headfirst, kneeling at the bottom shelf, pulling out a record caked in a thick layer of dust. She pulled the edge of her sleeve over her hand, using it to wipe off the dust, revealing the photo of who she assumed was the singer on the cover. Beautiful ebony hair, crystal eyes, and an enchanting smile made Meloria blush. This woman, even from a photo, Meloria could tell she loves to sing.

“Pretty,” Meloria screamed, her grip tight on the vinyl as she turned around, seeing Lucan standing over her, his hands in his pockets. “I thought you were in lunch detention,” he grinned.

Meloria groaned, pulling the vinyl closer to her body as Lucan leaned in closer, trying to get a look. “The teacher fell asleep,” she replied bluntly. Her smile returned, holding the vinyl back up to examine closely.

“Mom will kill you, you know?” Lucan sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. He looked around, his gaze landing on an old vinyl player. Humming, he walked over, casually brushing off the dust. He held out his hand to Meloria, gesturing for her to give him the vinyl.

Reluctantly, she sighed, handing over the record. Meloria watched intently as Lucan pressed a couple of buttons, making the glass dome on top open. “Guessing that’s where I put this,” he hummed, pulling the vinyl out of its packaging, being careful to place it. He moved the needle above the vinyl, an ear-splitting scratch catching them off guard.

“Lucan,” Meloria begged with a whiny voice, trying desperately to block out the noise.

Lucan quickly moved the needle, so it fit comfortably into one of the grooves of the vinyl, the scratching becoming a soft melody, played by a piano. Meloria lowered her hands, her cheeks tinted pink as they played. Her lips curved into a small smile; her heart started to race, and a voice began to sing to the melody. “Singing?” Lucan whispered, not wanting his voice to distract his sister’s trance. He chuckled, seeing Meloria sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, as she swayed to the music. “Now, Mom will kill you,” he laughed nervously, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. “Heck, even the school will if they find out we were here.”

“Lucan,” Meloria stood, holding the vinyl cover closely to her chest. “I want to be a singer like this woman.”

“Sis?”

Meloria shook her head, raising a hand to stop Lucan from speaking further. “Listen, can’t you hear it. The beautiful melody this woman sings and how it instantly made us both smile, hearing it.” Meloria giggled, grabbing Lucan’s hand. “Your big sister is going to be a singer, so great that she will become everyone’s idol.”

Lucan’s mouth hung open, full words lost to him as he tried to string a sentence together to convey how stupid an idea this was. Yet, the deeper he looked into Meloria’s eyes, the more words he lost. Her determination was strong, and even in a dream as ridiculous as it was, somehow Meloria made him feel as if she could make it real. He sighed, flicking Meloria’s forehead, leaving a small imprint. “Suppose I can’t argue with you, can I?” He grinned, turning to stop the vinyl, handing it back to Meloria. “Here, you’ll need to study everything about this woman, then, if you’re going to beat her.

“Lucan,” Meloria gasped, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “Thank you!” She hummed as she took the vinyl back, putting it back in its sleeve and holding it close to her chest. With this, she could now truly begin her journey to becoming a true idol.