Adlewood Academy

No matter how many times Mia’s fingers strummed against her guitar, the sound that came from it never got old. She played the chords over and over again, until even they grew tired of being played, and only then did she accompany the sound with her voice.

Together, the sound of her guitar and the sound of her voice made a beautiful rhythm that would make even Taylor Swift jealous. Mia had a voice so beautiful that it could make a dove cry, and every strum of her guitar matched her voice perfectly. Mia just had one of those voices, but the problem with having one of those voices was that it was nearly impossible to sell.

As a senior, Mia had already performed in the finals showcase three times, and each time she had received the same notes. Her instructors told her again and again that her sound was bland – that there was nothing special about her – and that if she wanted to make a career out of music, she’d have to find that one thing that made her stand out from the crowd. She hadn’t found it yet, but she hoped she would before her fourth and final showcase performance.

In the safety of Adlewood’s recording studio, Mia let her music carry her, with her voice and guitar ringing out the melody she had created a few days before. All the recording equipment had been set into motion, and it captured everyone of Mia’s sound, so she could save the demo for a later date. It wouldn’t have all the added touches that it would have if someone had been helping her, but it was all Mia needed. She just needed a CD to hold her piece until she was ready for it.

When the final note rang from her voice, she stopped the recording, ending the piece she had wanted to perform for the finals showcase. She thought it was going to be perfect, with the perfect melody and chorus that would define the sound that would become Mia Lockwood.

She played it back, listening to every note she had recorded. It had all sounded so perfect in her mind, but when she heard it out loud, all she heard was garbage. Nothing she made seemed to turn out right. Nothing she made turned into the sound she was looking for. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find a sound that worked – one that she knew would be marketable – and that was all that she wanted.

She wanted the world to see in her what she saw in herself, but with every recording she made, it only seemed that much more difficult. With every recording, her dream just went further out of her reach.

Mia sighed, as she listened to the playback of her voice and guitar. It was missing something – that same something it always was – and she hated that she couldn’t put her finger on what.

No matter how many hours she spent in the recording studio, writing lyrics, singing, and playing her guitar, she couldn’t find what she was missing, and she wasn’t sure that she ever would.

Groaning to herself, Mia pulled the CD from the recording machine, looking down at the disc filled with the garbage she created. It was just another piece that wouldn’t make it in the world. It was just another flop that her instructors would rip to shreds the second she heard it.

With a sigh, Mia tossed the CD into the garbage, where she thought it would belong, hoping that she could forget all about the dud. She thought she had the right melody, but it was just all wrong.

Mia didn’t give up, though, as she’d never stop chasing that perfect sound. As she left the recording studio, with her mistake left behind, she vowed to start again the next day with a clean slate. She’d walk in there with her guitar and a smile on her face, and start all over again.