Duet: Death's Recital

by Lizzie Vega

  “This all,” Alvin repeated, “what was the first thing that happened?”

  “And when?” Edward added, then looked at the others, “I think it’s important if um, someone was to be writing this down.”

  “Uh, I know I just met you guys and don’t get me wrong, I’m happy...” He stopped, “That’s maybe not the right word to use. I’m motivated to find out how this is happening and what I should do about it.”

  “You’re not scared to death?” Edward asked only to have Alvin jump down his throat then stop as Ethan laughed. “Uh no. Definitely not scared. Far from it.”

  A series of looks jumped around the table, “We kinda have our own thing going on now, which is why your email was so timely. Seems like a different situation for sure. But under the circumstances of your arrival…”

  “I was in the basement of the music practice rooms one night just after the semester started. I’d forgotten an assignment and went back to get it. I heard music playing. Since I’m known as the consummate weirdo, I tried to sneak by them without being seen.”

  “Done peopling for the day?” Mikayla asked softly, “I get that.” She winced as Kelli nudged her under the table.

  “It was only Monday and I was already done for the whole week,” he grinned shyly, “Seems kinda dumb now.”

  “They call you the hermit,” Kelli added. “You seem very…like you’re making yourself available, uh coming here I mean.” She scowled at herself, “Sorry.”

  “I stopped to listen,” Ethan continued, “I worked my way up the hallway so I wouldn’t be seen.”

  “Ewww,” Edward interjected.

  “I know, right?” Ethan chuckled, “total creeper. I listened like I was glued to the floor. Technique like you wouldn’t believe, then out of nowhere there’s a country riff right in the middle of Tchaikovsky. I laughed out loud.”

  “Annnnd, busted,” Alvin grinned.

  He stopped and smiled, “Oh yeah. It was wonderful. I need to ask a huge favor okay?”

  “It doesn’t leave this room,” Edward said firmly, “That’s an ironclad rule plus I have the feeling it might not make a difference in a few minutes. What did you see?”

  “Not what,” Ethan said, “It was who. There was a girl playing in the hallway.”

  “Violin,” Mikayla gulped, then looked at Kelli, “She plays the violin.”

  Ethan nodded, glancing curiously at Mikayla, “And cello and piano and oboe. Voice as well, but I’ve yet to hear her sing. I talked to her and she was stunned by my being there.” He looked at Mikayla and started to speak when Edward interrupted him.

  “You’re a student, what’s the big whoop?” Edward asked.

  Ethan reached in and pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his jacket. He set it gently on the table, “Her first words to me were You can see me? A second later, she was gone.”

  There was silence at the table.

  “She disappeared right in front of you?” Alvin asked.

  “Not exactly,” Ethan said shaking his head. “A couple of other students came out of a practice room and she was gone. No way she got by me or hid in any of the rooms. I thought I was losing my mind, but I was sure of it. I see her, well, all the time now.”

  “In what capacity?” Alvin asked, “Full apparition?”

  “Ah not quite. She likes to rub my shoulders when I’m playing. Took a while to get used to that. It’s, um, graduated from there.” He was clearly blushing. “You can’t repeat any of this to anyone. I’m already considered a headcase.”

  “She touches you?” Alvin asked with a shocked look on his face. Ethan nodded but his color continued to darken, “Yeah. I put my hand on her shoulder early on. She sorta freaked out.”

  “She was a student here years ago. Her name is Sara.” He picked up the paper and opened it with a soft smile, “I don’t know what all of this means, but I did some quiet research and asked a few questions of the older staff and I found this yearbook picture.” He turned the paper for them to see, “Lower left corner. Sara McAllister. This picture doesn’t really capture her.”

  Alvin looked at the photograph and tipped toward Edward only to see his eyebrows go up. Kelli plucked the paper out of Alvin’s hand, “Lemme see.”

  “Ehem,” she cleared her throat, “Um, wow. She’s very attract…what else do you know about her?”

  Ethan hesitated, “She disappeared from campus in 2004. It was a big scandal here at the school. They never found her.”

  “You did.” Kelli said with a side glance to a suddenly quiet Mikayla.

  “To be honest,” Ethan said shaking his head, “I think she found me. She’s told me about listening to me practice in the beginning of the school year. It’s so odd because I was playing so little. She somehow knew that.”

  “Stalker ghost.” Kelli chirped, “Interesting.”

  Mikayla slid her chair back, “Right back,” she said without another word. Kelli sighed, starting to slide her chair as well. “I’m good,” they heard from the hallway. A minute later she was back with a tissue, “Sorry. It’s really sad. It makes me sad for her.” She blew her nose and fumbled with her phone. “Seems like a good a time as any. Are you, um...sorry, just a second.” She apologized as she struggled to bring up the recording.

  Kelli snatched the phone out her trembling hands, “Next Thursday. Any chance you have a little concert planned in the Union, say round two o’clock?”

  Ethan sat back stunned, but first looked at Kelli, “That’s where I’ve seen you. You’ve both been there.” He turned to Mikayla, “You have issues with soda cans.”

  Equally embarrassed and thrilled, Mikayla seemed relieved, “I can hear the music. I can hear her playing with you. She plays in green and you play in blue.”

  Alvin pointed at Mikayla, “We take her word for that. Cool, huh?”

  “Is she helping you to play in front of people again?” Mikayla’s voice was soft, almost trembling, “Is that what this has been about?”

  It took a moment before he answered, “I started small. At first, just walking out into the lounge was terrifying. I just sat there the first three times. Seems like such a long time ago.”

  “She’s helping. That’s wonderful,” Alvin said. “We can tell there’s something else happening when those chords are being played. If you’d allow us to record with our stuff, maybe it could help you more.”

  “I heard sixteen measures at first,” Mikayla added, her smile slowly returning, “We can help you too. The song you’re both playing, it’s beautiful.” She stared down at the photograph, “Guess I can see the inspiration.”

  Alvin agreed, “I would suggest we switch gears to concentrate on this and postpone the other one for a while.” He looked at Kelli, “You okay with that?”

  “What other one?” Ethan asked, “I don’t want to interrupt your work because of my emotional shortcomings.”

  Edward waived off Ethan’s comment, “We’ve had a pretty powerful apparition show up in the Annex next to the Music building. We have some footage of it. We all have our own issues, by the way so don’t feel pressured here.”

  “In the Annex,” Ethan repeated, “I thought you were gonna say the quad dorms. I know some of the security guys since I sorta keep odd hours, being the hermit and all. They’ve been freaking out for the last few weeks”

  “Sorry,” Kelli repeated, “It’s not like I’ve heard that word a lot. I won’t say it again. And yes, by the way, I’m okay with that.”

  “It’s fine. I think it’s kind of funny now.” Ethan smiled, “Beginning of the year, way less funny. The dorms are having a lot of strange goings on. That’s what I thought we’d be talking about when I came over.”

  Alvin was quiet and Edward nudged him, “Dude, I can hear your wheels spinning, spill it.”

  “I was just wondering, if Ethan can see Sara and Mikayla can hear her, what if we put the three of them together and see what happens? Could you reach out to her and ask?” He started to laugh, “Words I never
expected to say.”

  Ethan smiled, “I’m sure she’d be fine with it. I’ll ask her tonight when I get back to my room.”

  “She comes to your room?” Kelli asked, her jaw dropping.

  “Yep, she has the run of about half the campus. She’ll say yes for sure. She’s really supportive of me.”

  “When you’re with her, Ethan. What’s she like?” Kelli turned to look at Mikayla and shook her head.

  “Always happy and an almost constant smile. I think some of what she’s able to do is new for her as well. We don’t talk about the past much.”

  There was a break in the conversation as if they all took a minute to let everything sink in. Alvin and Mikayla sighed at the same time and Kelli broke out in laughter, easing the tension.

  “Looks like we have some work ahead of us,” she offered with a wary glance to Alvin, “Soon as we figure out what’s going on.”

  Seemingly relieved, Ethan stood, “I’m glad I came. I’m sorta surprised you guys didn’t laugh at me. I’ll head back to the dorms now and talk it over with Sara.” As he made his way to the door, Kelli grabbed Alvin’s arm to hold him back and inserted Mikayla instead. She didn’t notice until they were in the hallway and glared at Kelli, receiving an innocent shrug in return.

  “Thanks, Ethan for coming over,” she stammered.

  “I’m happy it’s you guys,” he said, “So that we have music in common.” He looked down to the floor, “And you understand some of the stresses that come with it.”

  “We get it,” Mikayla said quietly, reaching her hand up to his shoulder, then withdrawing, “I can’t wait to meet her.”

  Opening the front door, he smiled, “I’ve heard you play. The Mozart piece, we should work on some stuff together.”

  Mikayla nodded, “I’d like that,” she said, hoping Kelli wouldn’t add anything extra.

  As the door closed, she turned to them, “I know I’m the new kid here, but what if we can help him play in front of people again?”

  “He’s normal,” Edward said agreeing, “That would be cool as a side benefit.” He held up his hand dramatically, going into a deep announcer voice, “Ghosthunters bring prodigy out of shell, live on eyewitness news.”

  He looked at his stunned friends, “You know I’m kidding right? This absolutely needs to stay a secret.”

  Chapter 19

  “Hi,” Ethan said opening the door to the practice room with a smile, “I’m glad you could come. Sorry for the short notice.”

  “It’s fine,” Mikayla said, secretly thrilled at the solo invitation, “You just surprised me…a little.” She took her violin out of its case as he sorted through a thick stack of sheet music, “What did you have in mind?”

  “The Mozart piece,” he said softly, “the one I first heard you play, like a while ago.”

  “Oh, um,” she winced, “no pressure. I’ll be honest, Ethan, I’m still struggling with it. It’s not very easy for me.”

  “I disagree. I’m not worried about perfection, Mikayla.” He hesitated, then chuckled, “There was something about how you played it. Sara does the same thing. There was a section towards the middle, I don’t know if it’s on purpose, but you sorta dropped back in the tempo and I...” He sighed, “It’s something I couldn’t ever do, wasn’t allowed to, I guess.”

  Setting the music in its holder, he pointed to a passage on the chart, “It starts here, just before the big solo. It’s like your anticipating how difficult it’s going to be to play.”

  Mikayla nodded, “You’re probably right. I’ve played this close to a hundred times and I always take a deep breath just before that passage. Now it’s become a habit, I guess.”

  “The pause, the emotion you convey in the pacing,” he shrugged, “probably not how it was written to be played, but how you play it is the way I think it should be heard.”

  Mikayla gasped as Ethan put his hands to the keyboard, “I was wondering if maybe you and I could work up a duet using this as a framework. It might be fun.”

  Mikayla’s mind began to race. Any chance to spend time with him would be a gift but the thought was fleeting “What would Sara have to say about that?” she asked for so many reasons.

  “It was her idea,” he said with a grin, “Give it some thought but I thought we could run through it a couple of times to see if it fits you.”

  They ran through two versions of the piece. During the first one, Mikayla slipped twice as her nervousness got in the way of the notes that she had almost memorized. The second time was better, but still not to her liking.

  “You seem a little tense.” Ethan said as he turned the sheet music back to the beginning, “One more time?”

  Perhaps it was the closeness of the still room, maybe something else entirely. Mikayla wiped a bead of sweat from her temple, “I don’t mean to be. I can do better.”

  “I’m definitely not complaining,” he smiled, “the break I mentioned, it was there for both versions. Your ability to show your emotions through your playing is a gift I don’t have.” He shrugged, “I think that’s what Sara has in mind by suggesting this.”

  He glanced at the door to see it open just a crack, “She’s here. Probably just outside.” He paused, then grinned happily, “She wants to meet you.” First his smile melted the rest of Mikayla’s heart, then her curiosity got the best of her. “Yes, please, I’d love to.”

  He stood from the piano bench, “Let me make sure she’s out there. Honestly, I got so into listening to you, someone could have walked in and I wouldn’t have noticed.” He walked by her, “Your playing is remarkable.”

  “Thank you,” she said but it came out as a whisper.

  Ethan opened the practice room door and looked down the long hallway. Mikayla watched him smile warmly then open the door fully for a moment, then shut it behind him with an impish grin, “Don’t be afraid. She’s here.”

  Mikayla took a step back, “I’m...I’m okay. I think.”

  “She wants to know if you want us to play first so you can see the colors first. Just to ease into this.”

  “No, I’m fine,” Mikayla said softly but her voice wavered enough to show how afraid she was. The thought of playing again was suddenly too much for her.

  Ethan reached out for her, “Give me your hand and maybe close your eyes. We want to try something.” He was standing off to Mikayla’s right side and as she took his hand, Mikayla felt herself blushing.

  “We, yeah, nerves, I guess, right?” she said trying to hide her fear.

  There was a moment before he answered, and Mikayla suddenly felt like a third wheel. “Yeah,” he said after a moment, “we get that.” He turned, looking across Mikayla. He was listening to something.

  “Sara thinks that I could see her because I was ready to…maybe.” He splayed Mikayla’s fingers out into a fan, “I can only imagine what’s happening that this world would allow me this moment. Hold your hand like this. She’ll be between us.”

  He put his hand beneath Mikayla’s, just an inch away. “She’s asking you close your eyes for this first time. Just suddenly appearing in front of someone makes her feel weird.”

  “What’s gonna happen?” Mikayla asked, her heart pounding in her chest as she fought the urge to touch him.

  “Just a theory,” Ethan said, “might be nothing at all.” He tapped his temple and blinked his eyes, “Just for a second or two, okay? Now put your hand on top of mine.”

  As Mikayla closed her eyes, the offer of Ethan’s hand burned into her memory. She held still for a heartbeat then felt the warmth of his hand under hers. Soft and warm, she sighed as she closed her fingers on top of it. A second later, she felt another set of fingers slid in between them. She gasped.

  “It’s alright,” she heard him say, “just another moment.”

  Another hand clasped gently over the top of hers. Small and gentle, it warmly embraced her. Then a soft sigh beside her, “It’s so wonderful to meet you, Mikayla.”

  Mikayla slowly opened
her eyes and Sara stood to her left, her eyes shining with tears, “Thank you,” she said with a happy smile, “Thank you so much for doing this for him.”

  Mikayla just stared. Her eyes glanced at the still closed door to make sure someone hadn’t come in to play a joke on her. She turned to Sara, “This is happen...I can see you. Oh, you’re so pretty.” She looked at Ethan, “How is this happening?”

  “Maybe you just believe,” he shrugged, “maybe that’s all it takes.”

  Sara gave Mikayla’s hand a little squeeze before letting it go. Mikayla turned to Ethan, “I’d like to hear the two of you play some more.”

  After two or three snippets of music, Mikayla could easily see how comfortable Ethan was with Sara. She suddenly wanted to anywhere but in that cramped practice room.

  “You guys are having so much fun,” she said as they finished another section, pointing at the door, “I’ve got a quiz I have to study for. I’m gonna head out.” She stood up and Sara caught her before she opened the door, “You have to come back, and we can play together.”

  Mikayla glanced at Ethan, but he was busy sorting through sheet music, He half turned, “That would be great,” he said, but it wasn’t quite the tone Mikayla was hoping for.

  “Of course,” she said, then realized there would be a great deal more interaction shortly, “I want you to meet Kelli and the guys.” She looked at Ethan, “I can get ahold of you right?”

  He finally turned around, “Yep, no problem.” He looked at Sara, “Meeting Kelli will be interesting. She’s quite a handful.”

  Mikayla rolled her eyes but turned to see Sara looking right at her, “I’m looking forward to it,” she grinned with a wink, “I’m thrilled to meet all of you.”

  “Okay,” Mikayla stammered, “Later then.” She walked out of the small room and instantly ducked around the corner, barely able to take a deep breath. Seeing the hallway clear, she went back toward their practice room and sat in one of the chairs along the hallway. It took only a moment for her to see what she was looking for.

  No sooner had Sara and Ethan begun to play, the blue and green colors she had witnessed in the Union began to stream in a continuous flow out through the closed door and billow out into the hallway. Flowing tendrils, some separate and defined swirled along with tightly wound groups of spires. Although their music was muffled from behind the door, the bright intensity of the lights brought another message for Mikayla.