For What You Are
Music
Kara sat in bed that night, glancing through some of the textbooks that Kale had lent her. Some of the stuff looked easy, and other parts looked hard. All of it looked boring.
Kara rolled off her bed onto the ground in one swift fluid movement. She found herself looking underneath her bed searching for a dusty guitar. Music was on her timetable for tomorrow and she hadn’t played in ages.
She pulled a hard case out and opened it. Coughing out dust, she pulled the guitar out before strumming it once and flinching when she heard the sound of severely out of tune strings.
Kara attempted to tune them, giving up when two of the strings broke. “Ally,” she called, walking through the house. “Where’s the nearest music shop?”
“Um…” Ally didn’t look up from the magazine she was reading but she said, “There’s a booklet underneath the fruit bowl. I think it’s in town.”
“Do you play?” Kara asked as she glanced through the booklet, looking for guitar strings.
“A bit of piano, flute’s more my forte though.”
“You have a piano?” she asked, looking up at her in astonishment.
“Yeah,” Ally replied, putting her magazine aside and standing up before turning back to Kara. “It’s over here.”
Living here for only five days, Kara hadn’t really explored the house. But when Ally led her into a beautifully ornate room with books and a piano in the corner, Kara was astonished. It was a huge room which made the wooden grand piano seem insignificant – but still beautiful.
“You know any tunes?” Ally asked Kara.
“Never learnt,” she replied running her fingers over the wood. “You?”
“Stopped playing when my parents died,” Ally said plainly. “It didn’t seem necessary.”
“Sorry,” Kara responded immediately feeling guilty. “I didn’t know.”
“It’s all right,” she replied. “My brother left as soon as he could. He said this place had too many memories. But I think I need to hold onto my parents.”
“It’s good to,” Kara agreed, remembering her own parents. Strangely, no feelings of loss came with them but she pushed the thought from her mind. As they walked from the room, Ally said to Kara on a completely different note, “Of all the places you could have gone, why come to Mystic Falls?”
“I don’t know,” Kara replied starting to walk out of the room. “I guess there’s just something about this place. My guardian lives a couple of towns away. But I suppose, the small town life attracted me. I’m sick of city life. I guess I wanted the quiet life for once.”
Ally nodded. “Reasonable,” she said. “But why do you live with me, rather than your guardian.”
“We don’t get along too well,” Kara said as she picked up her car keys off the bench. “I’m going to go into town – see if I can pick up some guitar strings.”
“All right,” Ally said, sinking back into the lounge and flicking the television on. “Later.”
Kara walked out of the door after picking up her wallet. As she fiddled with her keys to find the one that would open the door, she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. However, upon looking up, she saw the desolate front garden.
She shook the thought from her mind as slid the key into the car door. Haunted Mystic Falls, Kara thought to herself, as if. She pulled the keys out of the car door and a supernatural wind came from nowhere, knocking her keys to the ground. As Kara leant to pick them up, she thought she saw the shadow again. But this time, she knew it wasn’t just a strange reflection of light.
As she stood up, she was pushed against the car door by a mysterious figure looking at her through. With skin as dark as night yet eyes that shone in the reflected moonlight, she couldn’t help but feel afraid. The man smiled a creepy smile before saying, “Hello Kanuea.”
Kara found herself being both confused and scared and a whole lot of other emotions she had never felt before.
“Rodney!” a voice that sounded vaguely familiar called out. “She’s not the one. Leave her!”
He gave her one scrutinizing glare before stepping off her and disappearing. Kara surveyed her surrounding carefully, searching for the voice that had saved her. However, no person stood anywhere near her.
She got into her car, still shaken up, but alive. For some reason, she had the feeling that the situation should have scared her more. That she should be crying hysterically on her bed. Yet she didn’t.
Exiting the driveway, Kara thought she saw someone standing on her roof, but when she blinked, they were gone.
Kara rolled off her bed onto the ground in one swift fluid movement. She found herself looking underneath her bed searching for a dusty guitar. Music was on her timetable for tomorrow and she hadn’t played in ages.
She pulled a hard case out and opened it. Coughing out dust, she pulled the guitar out before strumming it once and flinching when she heard the sound of severely out of tune strings.
Kara attempted to tune them, giving up when two of the strings broke. “Ally,” she called, walking through the house. “Where’s the nearest music shop?”
“Um…” Ally didn’t look up from the magazine she was reading but she said, “There’s a booklet underneath the fruit bowl. I think it’s in town.”
“Do you play?” Kara asked as she glanced through the booklet, looking for guitar strings.
“A bit of piano, flute’s more my forte though.”
“You have a piano?” she asked, looking up at her in astonishment.
“Yeah,” Ally replied, putting her magazine aside and standing up before turning back to Kara. “It’s over here.”
Living here for only five days, Kara hadn’t really explored the house. But when Ally led her into a beautifully ornate room with books and a piano in the corner, Kara was astonished. It was a huge room which made the wooden grand piano seem insignificant – but still beautiful.
“You know any tunes?” Ally asked Kara.
“Never learnt,” she replied running her fingers over the wood. “You?”
“Stopped playing when my parents died,” Ally said plainly. “It didn’t seem necessary.”
“Sorry,” Kara responded immediately feeling guilty. “I didn’t know.”
“It’s all right,” she replied. “My brother left as soon as he could. He said this place had too many memories. But I think I need to hold onto my parents.”
“It’s good to,” Kara agreed, remembering her own parents. Strangely, no feelings of loss came with them but she pushed the thought from her mind. As they walked from the room, Ally said to Kara on a completely different note, “Of all the places you could have gone, why come to Mystic Falls?”
“I don’t know,” Kara replied starting to walk out of the room. “I guess there’s just something about this place. My guardian lives a couple of towns away. But I suppose, the small town life attracted me. I’m sick of city life. I guess I wanted the quiet life for once.”
Ally nodded. “Reasonable,” she said. “But why do you live with me, rather than your guardian.”
“We don’t get along too well,” Kara said as she picked up her car keys off the bench. “I’m going to go into town – see if I can pick up some guitar strings.”
“All right,” Ally said, sinking back into the lounge and flicking the television on. “Later.”
Kara walked out of the door after picking up her wallet. As she fiddled with her keys to find the one that would open the door, she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. However, upon looking up, she saw the desolate front garden.
She shook the thought from her mind as slid the key into the car door. Haunted Mystic Falls, Kara thought to herself, as if. She pulled the keys out of the car door and a supernatural wind came from nowhere, knocking her keys to the ground. As Kara leant to pick them up, she thought she saw the shadow again. But this time, she knew it wasn’t just a strange reflection of light.
As she stood up, she was pushed against the car door by a mysterious figure looking at her through. With skin as dark as night yet eyes that shone in the reflected moonlight, she couldn’t help but feel afraid. The man smiled a creepy smile before saying, “Hello Kanuea.”
Kara found herself being both confused and scared and a whole lot of other emotions she had never felt before.
“Rodney!” a voice that sounded vaguely familiar called out. “She’s not the one. Leave her!”
He gave her one scrutinizing glare before stepping off her and disappearing. Kara surveyed her surrounding carefully, searching for the voice that had saved her. However, no person stood anywhere near her.
She got into her car, still shaken up, but alive. For some reason, she had the feeling that the situation should have scared her more. That she should be crying hysterically on her bed. Yet she didn’t.
Exiting the driveway, Kara thought she saw someone standing on her roof, but when she blinked, they were gone.