Sweet Harmony

by A. M. Evanston

  "Um, sorry." She took a step back. "Wrong person."

  Even she was embarrassed as she returned to her family. Yuri sighed, flattened his hair with the palm of his hand again, and scowled.

  "You're even stranger now than when you left," he said. "I didn't think that was even possible."

  Normally she would have punched the kid in the arm for a remark like that, but she was too busy looking over her shoulder, searching the crowd.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  A week later, Annamarie lay on the bed after a therapy session. Her king-sized mattress was top quality, but she couldn't seem to relax. Talking about the kidnapping for an hour and a half made her feel queasy. Plus, she'd spoken about her life at the academy and her relationship with her mom too. She rolled onto her side and studied the wall that was covered with rock band posters. Suddenly, she wished she was back at the academy again. Right now, she'd be under the oak tree eating breakfast pastries. Daniel would come and yell at her and she'd yell right back. There would be no annoying therapy, no sessions with a private doctor.

  There would just be Daniel.

  She groaned and grabbed her head. Don't think about him, she told herself, staring determinedly at the wall. As crazy it was, the rock band posters mocked her. Why did every single guy, even the ones with piercings and black hair, look like Daniel? It was revolting. As much as she loved classic rock, the posters had to go. She couldn't live every second seeing Daniel in the musicians' faces.

  She hopped to her feet and yanked the posters down. Just as she removed her Led Zeppelin picture, somebody knocked on her door.

  "Come in," she said.

  It was Yuri. Since it was early Saturday morning, the kid wore a silk crimson robe over his expensive black pajamas. He was eleven going on eighty. Probably she should have heckled him senseless, but right now she was too busy trying to get rid of everything that reminded her of Daniel. Seeing him everywhere was a sign of weakness, dang it!

  "What are you doing?" Yuri watched as she tore another poster from the wall.

  "I'm getting rid of all of these," she said.

  "It's not that I don't approve—I've always found hanging posters on the wall to be juvenile—but why have you suddenly decide to tear them down?" Yuri asked. "Whenever Dad asked you to get rid of them before, you always said you'd remove them when you're dead. I don't see any ax wounds or anything, so I'm assuming you're very much alive."

  "Hardy-har-har." She rolled her eyes. "I just don't want them anymore, okay?"

  No way was she confiding in her pre-pubescent little brother about her love life.

  "Fine. Don't tell me." He sighed. "I approve of what you're doing, at any rate."

  "I'm glad I have your approval." Not. "How come you decided to visit me anyway?"

  Normally her little brother avoided her like the Black Plague. Besides, it was Saturday. He usually hung out with his friends in town.

  "Well..." Her brother's face went pink again. Was there something wrong with him?

  She tossed the posters on the floor and plopped down on the bed.

  "Sit with me a minute, little bro," she said.

  "Stop calling me that!" Yuri sniffed indignantly but sat down next to her.

  "Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes.

  Her brother sighed and pursed his lips. She still couldn't figure out how somebody so young could manage to look so old.

  "What's eating you?" she asked. "Do you need advice? Are you having girl trouble?"

  "If I was having girl trouble, you'd be the last one I'd talk to. I'm not even sure you are a girl." Yuri's eyebrow twitched. "No, the reason I'm here isn't because there's something eating me. I'm worried there's something eating you."

  Okay, this was worse than girl trouble. Even her little brother had picked up on the fact she was depressed.

  "I don't know what you're talking about." She let out a nervous laugh.

  "You've been home a week and you only come out of your room to go to your lessons. You don't drive me crazy like you normally do. You don't eat, either." Yuri sighed. "There is obviously something wrong with you. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I want the old Annamarie back. You know, the one who once replaced my face cream with paint."

  "You actually miss me picking on you?" She raised an eyebrow.

  "Yeah. I can hardly believe I'm saying the words myself." Yuri nodded solemnly. "It feels like it's only me and Dad living in the house. I guess I never realized how boring life is without your explosions."

  She was touched.

  "I'm sorry I haven't been myself lately, but the last couple of weeks have been hard." She shrugged. "It may take me a little while to find myself again."

  "I know. Getting kidnapped would scare anyone. Then there's the situation with Mom..." Yuri nodded solemnly. "I know that you think I'm just your idiotic little brother, but if you need somebody to talk to, I'm here."

  The boy wasn't even looking at her because he was so embarrassed. She wasn't normally the type to choke up, but she could feel tears burning her eyes.

  "Come here, you." She seized him and pulled him into a hug.

  The two of them embraced for thirty seconds before the first tear trickled down her cheek. She didn't want him to see it. There was only one thing to do—tickle his side. Her little brother was always defenseless against her magical fingers. She immediately attacked.

  "Annamarie, stop it." Her little brother's face contorted as he laughed uncontrollably. "H-hey."

  She straddled him, tormenting him senseless. His perfect hair became messy and his robe wrinkled.

  "Give!" she cried. "Say uncle!"

  A second tear fell down her cheek. She sniffed, but it was drowned out by the sound of Yuri's rambunctious laughter.

  The door creaked open and her dad stuck his head inside.

  "What's going on in here?" he asked. "Yuri is laughing so loud my walls are shaking."

  For a fleeting second, she and her dad made eye contact. Oh crap. She immediately hopped off the bed and turned her face away. With an indignant sniff, Yuri marched toward the door.

  "Dad, Annamarie was tickling me," Yuri said.

  "And you look like you enjoyed it," her dad pointed out.

  "I most certainly did not." Yuri sounded nervous. "That would be childish."

  "Mmm-hmm."

  Yuri muttered something and then left the room.

  Her gaze remained fixed on the wall. Only a few tears had escaped, but she could tell that her eyes were swollen. She might as well wear a 'Hey, I'm weepy!' sticker on her forehead. Pretending to be busy, she scooped up the posters she'd tossed onto to the floor and clutched them to her chest.

  "Are you okay?" her dad asked.

  "Of course." Her voice sounded bogusly happy, even to her.

  Her dad sighed but didn't leave.

  "Your walls are looking bare," he said. "Why are you taking down the posters? You love them."

  "I just thought the room would look a little better without them," she lied.

  "Do you realize this just makes me worry about you even more?" Her dad groaned.

  "You don't have to be worried." More bogus happiness. Hurrah!

  "I really think I do," he said. "I can tell you want to be left alone, so I'll go. Just make sure you come down to dinner today, okay? The doctor told me that you've lost weight."

  Darn it. Stupid doctor, ratting on her.

  "Just a few pounds here and there." She shrugged, still keeping her face turned away. "I'll be down for dinner. Really you don't have to worry."

  "Okay…" Her dad sounded hesitant to leave, but then he shut the door with a click.

  Finally I'm alone again, she thought, sinking down to the bed.

  ****

  Annamarie stared at her steak but didn't take a bite. Her dad cleared his throat and eyeballed her. Even her brother, who usually was focused on eating, watched her like a hawk. She picked up her fork and forced herself to take a bite of meat, even though she'd rather chew roc
ks. With how her dad looked at her, he might use a funnel and force the food down her throat. She'd rather not go through that.

  "How's the steak?" her dad asked. "I thought the chef did a good job. It's perfect."

  It could have tasted like dirt and she wouldn't have noticed. Food had lost its flavor.

  "It's fine," she said.

  "I think the seasoning is adequate," her brother said, his eyes still on her.

  Geez, her brother sounded so pompous, just like Daniel. Darn it. She was thinking about the guy again. The fork slipped from her fingers and hit the table. That only made the staring worse.

  "Sorry." She picked up her fork again and speared another bite of steak.

  Silence fell for a few minutes. It was strange how something as great as eating could become awful when she felt bad. Finally, she decided she'd had enough. She hadn't eaten much but at least she'd had something. Her dad should be appeased. It wasn't like she was going to die from a few small meals.

  "I'm done." She tossed her napkin on the table.

  "Hold on a second," her dad said.

  For a moment she was worried he was going to make her finish her plate.

  "Yeah?" She chewed her nails.

  "I want to talk to you before you go hide in your room again," her dad said. "It's about Nathan."

  Even the mention of the guy's name made her remember the warehouse. Her body went into fight mode despite the fact she couldn't defeat a memory.

  "What about him?" she asked.

  Her dad paused, then grunted and wiped his mouth on his napkin.

  "I don't have much of an appetite tonight either," her dad said. "Let's go to my office and I'll explain."

  She nodded. Yuri looked intrigued but didn't whine about not getting to hear what was going on. Probably he was trying to act adult again.

  Her dad led her to his office and shut the door behind them. Even the sight of the large mahogany desk gave her the chills. Normally she was only brought into the office when she was about to be yelled at.

  "Sit down, sweetie." Her dad waved at the leather armchair in front of the desk.

  She sunk onto the seat, feeling like she was in the principal's office. Her dad went over to the desk and opened a drawer. He handed her a piece of paper from inside.

  "Mrs. Carmichael sent me some information about Nathan," her dad said. "The police are keeping in touch too. They're going to need you to go back to New York to testify."

  She'd forgotten about testifying. That meant she'd have to look Nathan in the eye. Would Daniel be in court too? She didn't know much about what testifying entailed. It was enough to make her wrinkle her nose.

  "You okay?" her dad asked.

  "Um, yeah," she said.

  "You look pale," her dad said. "I just want you to know that I'll be there for you through it all. I'm not making any more mistakes."

  "Thanks, Dad." She nodded.

  It was hard to say what scared her more—staring into Nathan's face or seeing Daniel's reaction when he saw her in court. She'd have to find a way to evade him somehow. That would be tough considering the fact she wanted nothing other than to be close to him.

  "You should read the email from Mrs. Carmichael." Her dad pointed at the paper. "You'll be intrigued."

  Anything was better than thinking about testifying. She looked down at the message.

  Dear Mr. Chadwick,

  I'm writing to inform you that Nathan Dawson is being held at Bare Hill Correctional Facility. I have spoken with his mother, Mrs. Dawson, and have been informed that Nathan is attempting to make the insanity plea.

  Once again, I offer my sincerest apologizes for what occurred at Harmony International Academy of Music. As principal, I should have noticed a problem. I understand your reasons for removing your daughter from this school, but please know that I would welcome her back at any time. If you do choose to re-enroll her, I assure you that she will be safe due to extra security precautions.

  Please accept my apology and reconsider enrolling Annamarie Chadwick at Harmony International Academy of Music. Her antics are missed by the faculty as well as some of the students she has made friends with.

  Thank you for your time.

  Sincerely,

  Philomena Carmichael

  She met her dad's gaze.

  "The woman is really persistent," her dad said. "She wants you to go back to the academy. Are you sure you don't want to re-enroll—"

  "I'm sure, Dad." She hopped to her feet. "If that's everything, I'll be going to bed."

  Before her dad could say anything more, she headed to the door.

  Just as she twisted the handle, her dad said, "You have the right to be a little selfish, you know. You can go back."

  It took her a moment to realize he was talking about the situation with Jaiden. He'd heard their conversation, after all.

  "Just because I have the right to be selfish doesn't mean I should be. I'm not Mom," she said quietly. "Goodnight, Dad."

  "Goodnight."

  She fled to her bedroom.

  ****

  Annamarie sat in a courtroom beside her dad. Nathan was in the row across from hers, but he wasn't wearing the awful orange attire of a prisoner. Instead he wore a black suit and a blood red tie. It was Daniel who was dressed up like a prisoner as his head hung low. Jaiden sat behind him, murmuring words of comfort.

  What the heck is going on? she thought, wondering what Daniel was doing dressed like a jailbird. She turned her gaze toward the judge. It was a plump woman wearing robes.

  "Annamarie Chadwick is called to the stand," someone said.

  Her heart thundered in her chest.

  "Annamarie, get up." Her dad elbowed her. "You were called."

  Shaking, she teetered over to the wooden chair by the judge. She sunk onto the seat, her palms slick with sweat.

  "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" the judge asked.

  "I do," she whispered, even though her voice raised a pitch.

  Nathan marched over to her, his eyes cruel and mean. It took her a moment to realize he was acting as Daniel's lawyer.

  "On the afternoon of March 13th, did you or did you not admit your feelings for Daniel Marino?" Nathan asked, his voice as sharp as daggers.

  What the heck was he asking? What right did he have to question her about that? Her cheeks were so hot she was surprised they weren't steaming.

  "That's really none of your business," she snapped.

  "Answer the question." The judge's tone was harsh.

  She turned to look at her dad—surely he would find this situation odd—but the man looked disappointed by her non-answer.

  "Um, I guess I did," she whispered, feeling so ashamed she could have melted.

  "You did." Nathan nodded, an evil grin crossing his face. "And did you or did you not request that Daniel Marino sleep next to you in bed earlier that week?"

  Okay, her dad was going to flip out now. No way would he believe her actions had been innocent. When she turned to look at him, though, his face was expressionless. There was definitely something wrong. Any father would react. She turned her gaze toward Daniel once again and he shot her a furious glare.

  "Ms. Chadwick, I'm losing patience with you," the judge said. "Answer the question."

  "Y-yes." She nodded. "I did ask Daniel to sleep next to me."

  "Right." Nathan nodded, looking like a fierce beast ready to devour his prey. "Do you admit you still have feelings for Mr. Marino?"

  Oh gosh. Why did she have to answer that? She wanted to argue with Nathan, but the judge looked enraged enough.

  "Yeah." She turned her face away so she couldn't see Daniel's reaction.

  "And do you admit that you know of Mr. Marino's feelings for you?" Nathan asked.

  It was hard not to know about Daniel's feelings. He was as subtle as a hammer to the head.

  "Yeah, I do." She nodded.

  "Then why is it that you left Mr. Marino wit
hout a word?" Nathan sounded nasty now.

  "I didn't have another choice," she said.

  "There's always another choice!" Nathan screamed right in her face.

  "I swear there wasn't," she said, her hands clenching in her lap.

  "Hostile witness," the judge said. "Take her away."

  What? She wasn't hostile. Guards streamed in from the double-doors as her dad groaned and hid his face in his hands. She gazed at Daniel who was still watching her with anger in his eyes.

  "Daniel, I swear leaving was the only option I had," she said.

  One of the guards seized her arms and pulled her from the chair.

  "Help me, Daniel," she said as she was yanked to the door.

  "How dare you ask me to help you?" Daniel snapped.

  "Yeah!" Jaiden agreed. "You left him."

  She was pulled out the doors of the courtroom and into darkness.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  "I didn't have another choice!" Annamarie wailed as she awoke with a start.

  It took her a moment to realize she was in her room safe and sound. She groaned and climbed out of bed. Since it was eight o'clock in the morning, she might as well begin her day. Her tutor would be at the house at nine anyway. She stretched and decided to head to the dining room. If she skipped another meal, her dad might just murder her.

  She left her bedroom and went to eat breakfast. When she entered the dining room, her dad was already at the table nibbling on a piece of toast.

  "Good morning, Dad." She sunk into her chair, feeling like she'd been beaten up by an army of thugs.

  Her dad looked up from his toast and did a double-take.

  "Did you sleep at all?" he asked. "You look exhausted."

  "I'm fine," she said, taking a sip of water but not eating.

  "I could tell your tutor you need rest and send him away," he said.

  "No, I can do my lessons," she said.

  "You used to do everything and anything to get out of studying." Her dad raised an eyebrow. "You even lit your tutor's pants on fire once."

  "There's no reason I shouldn't do my lessons." It would keep her mind off of her nightmare.

  Her dad groaned again.