Chapter 181: The Violinist

“........So what piece are you going to play at the audition?” Ethan asked as they gathered their things and made their way out of the classroom.

Leitana walked beside him, one hand resting lightly on her small baby bump. “Mi no know yet,” she admitted with a small laugh. “Mi think maybe something soft and emotional… like Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat major. But mi want to mix it with something that can support a scene. If the play is sad, maybe something slow and heavy. If it’s angry, something with strong chords. Mi still thinking.”

Theo grinned, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “I’m going full dramatic. Rachmaninoff, Prelude in C-sharp minor. Big, loud, lots of emotion. Perfect for a dramatic death scene or something.”

Lila laughed. “Of course you’d pick the showiest one. I’m thinking Debussy, Clair de Lune. It’s gentle but has so much feeling. Good for a quiet, emotional moment on stage.”

Mia shrugged. “I’m leaning toward Beethoven. Moonlight Sonata, first movement. Dark and intense. Fits a lot of theater pieces.”

Mikey nodded. “Same vibe. I might do the same but faster tempo. What about you, Marita? You play anything?”

Kai spoke quietly, as always. “I’ll do Bach…..maybe, not sure yet”

Marita listened with wide eyes, clearly fascinated. “All of you sound so good. Mi no understand half the names but it sounds powerful.”

The group reached the large bulletin board near the main hall where students were already lining up to sign up for the showcase auditions. A long sheet was pinned up with columns for name, instrument, and preferred scene type.

As they waited in line, Kai spoke up in his usual slow, thoughtful way. “Did anyone read the newspaper this morning? There was a story about a rabid dog in the Bronx. Bit three people in one night and still no sign of it”

Theo shuddered. “Rabid dog? In the city? That’s nightmare fuel.”

They continued chatting casually while moving up the line. When they finally reached the sheet, Sabrina and her group suddenly pushed through from the side, shoving a few students out of the way.

“Move,” Sabrina snapped, not even looking at them as she grabbed the pen and wrote her name at the top in big, dramatic letters. Her cronies giggled behind her.

Sabrina turned, eyes landing on Leitana and the group with a condescending smirk. She scoffed loudly, flipped her hair, and walked off without another word.

Other students murmured in annoyance. Mia rolled her eyes and stepped up to the sheet. “Skank,” she muttered under her breath as she wrote her name.

After everyone had signed up, Ethan turned to Leitana and Marita with a warm smile. “You two want to come with us to the café we always go to after class? It’s just across the street. Good coffee and pastries.”

Leitana nodded immediately. “Yes, we would like that.”

They all started walking together toward the exit when suddenly a girl carrying a violin case hurried past and accidentally bumped into Leitana’s shoulder.

“Sorry,” the girl muttered quickly, voice barely audible, before rushing away without looking back.

Leitana turned to watch her go, a strange feeling washing over her like a jolt of electric energy mixed with a deep, unexplained sadness that settled in her chest. She didn’t understand why.

Theo frowned. “What the hell? She didn’t even stop.”

Mikey sighed. “That’s Arabella Rousseau. She’s been first chair violinist for the past three years. Does tons of solo concerts and competitions. Really talented, but she’s always in her own world.”

Lila nodded. “She’s actually a nice girl. Something must be wrong today. She’s usually more polite.”

Marita crossed her arms, watching the girl disappear down the hall. “She no say sorry well? Just one word and run away.”

Leitana stayed quiet, still rubbing her shoulder where Arabella had bumped her. That odd electric feeling lingered, along with the heavy sadness. It made no sense.

Marita noticed and gently grabbed her shoulder. “Lei, you okay?”

Leitana blinked and forced a small smile. “Yes… mi fine.”

Mia clapped her hands. “Okay, let’s go. Café time.”

The group started moving again, but Leitana couldn’t shake the strange feeling Arabella had left behind.

Meanwhile, Arabella Rousseau rushed into the girls’ bathroom and locked the door behind her with trembling fingers. She leaned her back against it, clutching her large violin case tightly to her chest like a shield. Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it wanted to burst out of her mouth. Her big green eyes darted wildly around the empty room, then fixed on the long mirror lining the wall opposite the cubicles.

She pushed off the door and stumbled to the nearest sink. Looking up at her reflection, she saw a pale, sweaty face with glistening, glassy eyes. Tears threatened to spill.

She turned on the tap and splashed cold water against her face.

The moment the water hit her skin, a flash of memories slammed into her mind, low, guttural growls, piercing screams, blood on stone floors, darkness closing in. Her head snapped up to the mirror, heart racing wildly.

“No, no, no, no,” she whispered frantically, shaking her head so hard her damp hair whipped across her face. “Why… why is this happening again? Please… not now…”

Her body trembled violently. She clawed at her eyes, which suddenly burned with an unnatural ember-colored glow. When she forced them open again, a dark figure stood behind her in the reflection, tall, wrong, smiling with too many teeth.

She screamed.

“I DON’T WANT THIS!”

Her fist slammed into the mirror. The glass cracked under the force, spiderwebbing outward from the point of impact. The dark figure vanished. Her eyes returned to normal green.

Suddenly, a cubicle door behind her creaked open. A girl stepped out, adjusting her bag, and walked to the sink next to her. She gave Arabella a weird, wary look.

Arabella grabbed her violin case with shaking hands, eyes wide with panic, and rushed out of the bathroom without a word.

The girl stared at the cracked mirror, then at the slamming door.

“Freak,” she muttered under her breath.

The lights in the bathroom flickered once.

The girl looked up, unease crawling over her skin. She quickly rushed out after Arabella.