Cici opened her eyes, still not fully awake, to see the time on her phone's screen. 9:03. Yep, it was time to be up. She nodded lightly as she brushed the sleep out of her eyes. Ten minutes later, she walked out of her room and was immediately greeted by her mother's warm smile and loving nagging.
[Lucille] "Oh, my sweet little daughter is up. Will you eat?"
Cici shook her head. She was up, but there was still time for her voice.
[Lucille] "Of course not. You're still not thin enough. How many more is it? To lose? You're what, 59? So, three more, per your formula. How many weeks is it then? Three? Maybe four, if you're short. Sigh. I just have to wait."
Cici paused long enough to glare at her mother, Lucille. The woman had a wonderful heart, but she was tiring, with her tireless nagging. Cici knew her mother well enough to know what was actually bothering the old woman.
[Cici] "Who?"
Lucille knew her daughter well too, too well. She knew exactly what her little girl of 30 years meant. She shook her head, refusing to answer. Didn't matter who it was. She wasn't one to be too bothered about what others thought. Their voices were only an excuse. She was actually worried for her sweet daughter.
[Lucille] "At your age, I was a mother. You were two. Your brother was five. And I was late. If I was my mother, I would be drowning myself in tears."
Cici let up a smile. Her grandmother, the delightful and mild Sessa, was still alive. Had tried drowning. Several times. Gave up when Lucille and Cici remained unaffected. Faking resentfulness, she left to be with her much nicer grandson and his wife, Fucha and Jenna, and their twins, Lulu and Mimi.
Even in front of her mother, Lucille wouldn't speak against her daughter. It was only in the complete privacy of home, when it was just them, would Lucille nag. And for that, Cici loved her. But that love didn't stop Cici from expressing her displeasure.
[Cici] "As if you even have any tears."
Cici was smiling happily as Lucille glared at her.
[Cici] "Coffee?"
[Lucille] "Yes please."
Cici made herself a large mug-full and her mother a smaller cup-full of coffee with a bit of milk and just the right amount of sugar. And the two sat at the still empty table, enjoying the dark brown coffee. There was more Lucille wanted to say, but she stopped herself because she was much too sad. There were words Cici didn't speak and questions Lucille didn't ask, but both knew nonetheless. Lucille was sure that one day she would be able to tell her daughter it was okay, and her daughter would be ready to understand. For now, it wasn't yet that day.
[Lucille] "So, what are your plans today?"
[Cici] "I'll be writing. I can feel the mood coming on."
[Lucille] "Sigh. It's such a nice day. Let's go out."
Cici looked out the window. It was bright. Much too bright. Cici gave a blank stare.
[Cici] "Maybe later. In the evening. Let's go out to uncle Viz's. An early and a very heavy dinner."
Lucille nodded, smiling along with her grinning daughter. The happy girl was truly a delight. Cici had always been a happy girl. Nothing seemed able to faze her. For the longest time, they all thought the little girl could never be sad. But when her heart was broken, they realised they had been naive. Cici's sadness was just like her happiness, deep and endless. They all hated themselves for ever having wondered about it, wanting nothing more than for Cici to return to being that little girl who couldn't be fazed, that girl who knew nothing but joy.
[Lucille] "Fine. A light lunch too, then. Leave space for later. Right?"
Cici nodded vigorously, the grin widening. For a moment, Lucille saw her little girl. She didn't let herself get overwhelmed. But she needn't have bothered. Cici could be so very frustrating so very easily.
[Cici] "Don't starve yourself. Remember, you can't not eat. Not like you're thin and weightless. I don't want to carry you like a princess if you collapse from hunger."
Lucille glared. Cici burst out laughing. She grabbed the empty cups to wash and return to their places in the cupboard, as her mother continued glaring.
[Cici] "Tell dad too. And, let's have gramma and everyone come over too. A family dinner. Yeah."
[Lucille] "Why? Anything the occasion?"
Cici nodded with a dreamy look on her face. And without answering, she walked back to her room.
Looking at her daughter's back, Lucille sighed. She still wasn't sure if this was fine, Cici being glued to her computer all day long. Sure, Cici was a writer, and her stories made some money. Enough for Cici to live by modestly. But all of Cici's world had converged into that computer. Was that okay? That was why, Lucille decided to drag her daughter out whenever a pleasant day dawned. Walking through the neighbourhood. Eating out at the street market, or at the little restaurants nearby. Driving to the not-so-close-to-walk-to malls for shopping, or going to the cinemas, or Cici's favourite, stopping by the large bookstores. Yeah, Lucille thought. Uncle Viz's was a perfect plan.
Walking back into her room, Cici leaned against the closed door and slid down. She felt tired. Sometimes, Lucille could be such a stupid woman. Why did her mother have to be so sad? Why did her mother have to remind her? She let herself be sad a while. And then, she was smiling again. Fox was calling for her.
Cici lifted herself up and walked over to the table. The computer stayed sleeping, as Cici opened her notebook and uncapped her pen. It was her secret that she shared with no one. For as long as she could remember, she had always been able to hear them and see them. Her friends from far, far away. They were with her always. For a long time, she didn't speak about it since she didn't think it was anything special. She was convinced everyone had their own friends, just like her. And then, she realised that wasn't the case. No one else was like her. It was her superpower. And so she fell even more silent.
The notebook was empty. The pen had no ink. But when she wrote, colourless words filled the pages, staying on for a while before disappearing. But they didn't really disappear. Rather, they floated away to the friend she wrote the words for. And the notebook remained unchanged.
**
[Cici] "Fox? Why are you crying?"
The crying girl with the little cat-like ears sticking up from her pink hair and the short, bushy tail fluttering behind her tiny bottom sat up in the chair, staring into the teasing eyes of her dear friend.
[Fox] "Like you don't know. I'm so nervous."
Cici laughed to heart's full before replying.
[Cici] "You're so silly. I know no one else who cries when nervous. You're really the silliest."
Fox pouted. She was small for her age. She was seventeen, but looked like she was no more than eleven or twelve. Her friends had always teased her about it. But they couldn't stop. When Fox was angry, her eyes filled with tears and her pout made her look so much cuter. The angrier Fox was, the littler she seemed. She was a pretty little doll. Her friends loved her, but they couldn't stop themselves from teasing.
Fox was a student at the Violet Note Music School. It was the best music school on this side of the country. It had the best teachers, the best of facilities, and it was similarly extremely demanding of the students. It had a small student population, and every one of them was someone with great promise. Fox wasn't the best in her grade. The school wasn't like a typical school where students graduated to the next grade annually. Students graduated when they completed the syllabus and the requirements of the grade. They could graduate to the next grade within weeks or it might take years. Strict as the requirements were, students weren't pressed on time. And so, each grade was filled with students of different ages. That was the reason why Fox didn't seem out of place, despite her looks.
There was an assignment due today, which was what had Fox all nervous. The students had to present a little ballad in class. It could be no more than a few bars long. Or spanning several pages. What was being judged wasn't the length or the complexity, but the expression. The teacher, Ms Garde, asked them to show raw emotion in their songs, lay themselves bare. Fox had prepared her song, but it was in her head. She was so lost in the song in her head, she completely forgot about writing it. And now that the song had taken such a sad and beautiful shape, she was scared. Because she couldn't write at the same speed as her singing. And if she sang at a different pace, she might lose the song.
[Cici] "Seventeen years old and still a crybaby. Sigh. What would you do without me.
[Fox] "What do you mean?"
[Cici] "Simple. You sing. I'll write."
[Fox] "That's great. I love you Cici."
Fox was grinning delightedly, forgetting to wipe away the tears that slipped out. She looked funny and endearing. Cici felt her heart melt at the sight.
Cici wrote in the rough notation taught at the school. Everything Fox learned, that was stored in Fox's memory, was accessible to Cici. But the natural aptitude wasn't shared. So, even though Cici understood, she couldn't make music like Fox could. But Cici could certainly write for Fox.
The song was in three time, at a speed of 40 beats per minute. The range limited to three octaves, the natural middle, the lower and the upper. The normal letters were noted in the natural octave. Those with a preceding period were in the lower octave, and those with a period following were in the higher octave. The hyphen was the note extending for the beat. Simple and easy to understand.
Cici felt it was a mystery why Fox found rough notation so difficult.
.
c d e | d - c | e - - | - - - | c d e | d - c | d - - | - - -
d e f | e - d | f - - | - - - | e f e | d - c | e - - | d c .b
c d e | d - c | e - - | - - - | c. b a | a - g | a - - | - - -
b a g | g - e | g - - | - - - | g f e | e - d | e - - | - - -
f e d | c - .b | c - - | - - -
c. b a | c. - b | c. - - | - - - | c. b a | b - a | b - - | - - -
d. c. b | d. - c. | d. - - | - - - | e. f. e. | d. c. b | c. - - | - - -
thump thump thump
c. - b | a - f | a - - | a - - | b - a | g - e | g - - | g - -
a - g | f - e | f - - | f - - | f - e | d - c | e - - | e - -
c. - b | a - f | a - - | a - - | b - a | g - e | g - - | g - -
a - g | f - e | f - - | f - - | d e f | g - e | c - - | c - -
thump thump c d e c | d e f | thump thump c d e c | d c .b
thump thump c d e c | d e f | g e f d e c | d c .b
c - - | - - - | - - -
.
Finished, Fox looked at the plain sheet on the table in front of her, that was now filled with the rough notation of her song, and a smile blossomed on her pretty face. She could translate the rough notation into the score herself. Wouldn't take too long. She would certainly be ready in time for class.
[Fox] "Cici, I love you."
[Cici] "Of course. I'm awesome. Now get to work. I'm tired. I think I'll take a nap. Did your song have to be so sad?"
Fox grinned sheepishly. Nodded. And got started.
Cici stayed looking a while, feasting her eyes on the pretty girl. And then returned to her room, scowling faintly. Why was everyone being so weird today? As if they were all having their periods. She crashed onto her bed, sure that a nap would do her good.