Song 17

The students stared blankly, and teachers whispered amongst themselves as Meloria stood in the middle of the stage like a deer caught in headlights: her mouth agape but no sounds coming out, not even a squeak. Hundreds of youthful eyes gazed upon her, waiting for something, anything to happen. The microphone that Meloria held to her chest fell to her side as he body went limp, not knowing how to react as all she could think was: What am I doing?

Breathing became heavier, her chest started to tighten, her heart sinking into the most bottomless pit of her stomach. Whereas her throat and mouth dried up, not even a whimper escaping her lips, Meloria’s became sweaty, making it hard to hold onto the microphone.

I can’t do this, she screamed internally, the world silencing around her. She could see their mouths moving, and yet no sound came out. The world faded into complete darkness, Meloria’s figure barely a light as she stood motionless. What if everyone hates me? Shaking her head violently, Meloria grasped her head tightly, trying to shut out the voices from years of rejection and criticism. “I can’t do it!”

“You can do it,” a voice spoke up calmly, standing in front of Meloria. The owner of the voice, seeing Meloria in distress, smiled as she spoke up again. “Meloria, look at me.”

Hesitantly, Meloria dropped her hands, looking up, her eyes widening as she recognised the person in front of her. She hadn’t seen this person for a very long time; in fact, she hadn’t even thought about this person, and yet she had a face Meloria would never forget. “Akemi?” She gasped.

“Don’t you look adorable,” Akemi cooed, holding her cheeks as she stared at Meloria with awe. “I always imagined we’d wear something cute at our first concert, but this is truly something special.”

“B-but how are you-”

“Never mind the how,” Akemi chuckled, placing a finger on her lips and winking. “The only thing you should be thinking is how amazing your performance is going to be.”

“I can’t do it,” Meloria shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. This was the moment she worked two lifetimes for, but when it came down to it, she couldn’t even manage a simple ‘hi’ to the crowd. She had failed the moment she set foot on the stage.

“I thought that once, too,” Akemi smiled sadly, maintaining eye contact with Meloria. “When I went to my, well, I guess our, very first audition. The other girls were so much prettier and taller. Their vocals were amazing, and I looked like such an amateur in comparison. And yet…”

“You still sang,” Meloria muttered, finishing Akemi’s sentence, reminding herself of that audition.

“And at the audition after that, and the audition after that one, too. Oh, and all the ones after that one as well,” Akemi’s face dropped into an awkward smile, using her fingers to attempt to count the number of auditions she had gone to. “Man, there sure were a lot of failed auditions, huh? I sure did fail a lot.”

“Which means I will too,” Meloria muttered, staring at the ground. Her eyes dulled over, ready to turn around and give up. Maybe a life as a farm girl wouldn’t be too bad; She could meet a nice boy, have a family.

Akemi sighed, suddenly appearing behind Meloria’s back, her hands placed firmly on Meloria’s shoulders, whispering into her ear, “They don’t think you will.” They? Who were they? “Look up Meloria.”

Biting her trembling lip, Meloria slowly raised her head, seeing nothing but the darkness; there was nothing: no hope, no future, just the emptiness of silly childhood fantasies. Then, as she focused into the darkness, she could hear it. Something that resembled the chanting you would listen to at a concert—the chanting of hundreds of fans spurring on their favourite idol. The shine returned to Meloria’s eyes, a glimmer of light illuminating her brothers as they chanted her name in unison. Her heart started to swell; they were indeed chanting for their favourite idol.

“Right,” Meloria nodded, holding the microphone up to her mouth. She took a deep breath. On the side of the stage, Edward eagerly awaited the signal to press play on the music player. Meloria shook her head, taking one more breath before starting to sing:

Ah, won’t you follow me

I’ll show a world full of melodies

Her brothers started to roar with cheers from the back, and the teachers were curious if they should stop the performance or let it continue. Where was the headmaster while all this was going on? Edward stood shocked, his hand falling from the music player. This song wasn’t a song from the records. “It’s her own song,” he whispered.

In this world, I long.

To hear something that makes me smile

And yet all I hear is silence

Holding back as I find my voice,

Scared to reach out in front of me

I didn’t have anywhere to go,

Until I saw the light bursting through the dark

Everyone in the hall stared in awe as Meloria continued to sing and dance, each movement captivating her voice hypnotic. Small balls of light emanated from the stage, transforming into an array of music notes as they floated into the crowd. Music came from the notes, meeting Meloria perfectly in tune and tempo.

Grab onto my hand tightly,

I’ll show you things you’ve not seen before

Who knows

Maybe we’ll find a new sound

A harmony

A melody

One that’s meant for you and me

Holding the last note, Meloria stretched her hand, wanting her feelings to reach the crowd. This wasn’t about being an idol in this moment; it was about a dream. A dream of making people smile with her song, a dream of bringing beautiful music to a world shrouded in silence.

The hall stopped and stared as the music stopped. Some of the younger children had become infatuated with the floating notes, reaching out to touch them, while other children whispered amongst themselves. Meloria gulped. There it was again, the deafening silence this world was known for. Crap, she panted, gazing out at the crowd, praying for any reaction.

Clap, clap.

Meloria searched the audience, trying to find who was applauding. Her gaze went from the front to the back, side to side, and then she spotted him. The gentleman she had helped find his way to the hall stood proudly applauding her performance. The teachers looked to him, smiling before joining in with the applause.

The assembly erupted with applause and cheers, Meloria’s chest getting tighter as her heart swelled with a sense of pride. They liked her, she cried into her hands, sniffling and smiling through it.

“Enough!” The applause halted as the headmaster burst through the double doors, loose pieces of rope hanging from his limbs.

“Guess we didn’t tie him up good enough,” Callen whispered.

“What is the meaning of this?” The headmaster roared, walking through the middle of the seats, the notes dispersing with a pop.

Meloria looked up, wiping the tear from her cheek. “It’s a concert,” she spoke up proudly.

“You were singing,” the headmaster growled, upsetting the younger children. “You know that this school-”

“Should fully support her,” the gentleman spoke up, walking up to the headmaster. “She put on an outstanding performance,” he smiled, looking back to Meloria’s brothers. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

The boys nodded in unison as Lucan spoke up, “And so would everyone in this hall, sir.”

“And just who are you anyway?” The headmaster challenged, grabbing the gentleman by the collar.

“My name is Jonny Lockewood,” the gentleman spoke, gesturing towards Meloria. “And I am this young lady’s mentor.”