Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Once more... with Passion. ❯ Via Dalla Sede ( Chapter 2 )

Daniel put away his instrument sorrowfully, a twinge of pain racking his heart as he understood that he would now have to return back to his normal school day. Well, what some people would call normal. Daniel went to the Belmar Academy for the Artistically Gifted or 'the BAG' as some of the students less respectful of the school called it. He would never dream of referring to the only place that brought him some true companionship a nickname as simple and crude as bag. It was a small strip of release from his Ohio upbringing in a hick town where the weekend attraction was the monster truck rally and not the concert pianist. Thus Daniel, starved for a stage on which to prove his rapidly improving skill, as well as a respite from the football players jeers; convinced his parents to scrape together the money to send him to somewhere better.

 

'Belmar?" they had questioned leafing through the brochure, "Honey this is in New York, that's 10 or 12 hours from here. You aren't really considering this are you?"

 

"That's okay, I don't mind, really! Think of it as an learning experience for me. It can be my birthday present. My next two birthday presents!" He said trying his hardest to assure them.

 

"It's a little expensive. I don't know if we're in the right financial situation to deal with something like this. I mean we just sent your sister off to tech school, that's a burden enough."

 

"That's the price before a scholarship, I know I can get one! It includes food and transportation, and we would get to have musicians come in and talk to us and see live performances... I'll get to be around people like me, I'll get to be normal. For once."

 

Though the debate continued for a few days after this first discussion, that was the point that Daniel made sure to drive home to his parents. Normalcy, it was something every teenager lusted after and perhaps this was the chance to give their son that gift. At last they agreed, on the condition that he get some sort of scholarship to reduce the price and that he pay for half the tuition through a summer job. Daniel leapt at the offer, praising and thanking his parents profusely. He practiced harder and more passionately than he had ever done before, in preparation for his scholarship rehearsal in front of one of Belmar's instructors.

 

The day arrived in which he would have to take the train from Cleveland to New York. Along the hour long drive to the station his mother wept and his father laid out the guidelines of city life. Daniel was rather sheepish. Both of them were acting as though he had already been admitted into the academy when the truth was his stomach was tumbling from many uncertainties. He had never really been away from his parents for this long and he was petrified at not playing well enough to earn a deduction.

 

As they drove into the city the Cleveland skyline rose imposingly in front of him. A soupy mist shrouded the tops of the tallest buildings, leaving visitors wondering just how loftily they rose. As their station wagon rolled onward into the metropolis the precisely spaced divisions between one stretch of pavement and the next amused Daniel with their rhythmic thumping. Just like a metronome he thought. An omen or a coincidence? He couldn't decide. He felt much like the great skyscrapers shrouded in fog, his mood was apparent in his excitement and nervousness, but there were also thoughts and emotions that were mysterious and out of place.

 

His fingers tapped restlessly against the window as they got further and further into the city. He felt his palms beginning to sweat and he hastily wiped them against his shirt. Why, why was he so nervous? He had been long preparing for this trip, he believed his skill was as finely tuned as he was going to be able to get it. The trip was long but... the trip. Of course! It was the journey, not the goal that lay beyond it that had him feeling He had never really been away from his parents for anything more than a rare school fieldtrip. Now his was staring a four or five day absence even if he failed, months if he was accepted.

 

He was not allowed to stew in such feelings any longer though for their car had just pulled up to the train station and his parents were hugging and kissing him goodbye, smattering in praises of confidence and love. They would not be able to wait for the train with him as they both had jobs to attend to back home, and almost as quickly as they had stopped they had left. For the first time in his life, Daniel was all alone.

 

He strode into the tall double doors of the station, attempting to exude more confidence than he really felt, towing a rolling suitcase in his right hand and his violin in his left. The station was large but not in itself overbearing. It was the tumultuous sea of people chattering, shouting, clicking their shoes across the hard floor. A computerized voice managed to carry over the din, telling passengers to be on the train with their tickets fifteen minutes before departure and not to leave bags unattended among other things. Daniel listened carefully to these instructions until the voice began to repeat them in other languages.

 

He turned to move toward the ticket counter when a jarring impact into his suitcase tore it from his grasp, and caused him to nearly drop his instrument. A disgruntled man more preoccupied with his cell phone conversation had tripped into his bag and though he did not say he was sorry or offer to help him, he found adequate time to throw a 'Jesus Christ kid, watch it!" over his shoulder before shuffling off. Daniel apologized to no one in particular before pulling his bag off the ground and righting it.

 

With slightly more savvy and a awareness that rivaled that of antelopes avoiding lions on the Serengeti he managed to wheel his way up to the ticket counter. Or rather the line leading to the ticket counter, for ahead of him stretched a curling snake of a line going this way then that through a maze of queue ropes.

 

He glanced up at the clock. Though he had time to spare he did not look forward to this long wait. The line moved fast enough to make reading a book awkward but avoiding boredom impossible. Seconds turned to minutes and he found him self only 20 or 30 feet from where he began. It was hot in the building and the masses of people around him did nothing to alleviate that fact. A trickle of sweat ran down his forehead, over the bridge of his nose and onto his lips. He instinctively licked the moisture off and regretted it. The taste of sweat filled his tongue and he reached for his bottle of water to wash the taste out of his mouth. Slowly oh so slowly he moved closer to the front of the line. When at last by the clock's estimation he had spent 24 minutes and 44 seconds in line a voice called out 'Next!'

 

He looked up. There was no one ahead of him, it was his turn! He happily grabbed his things accidentally tipping his suitcase over before blushingly going up to the counter. A smiling blond women in a navy blue uniform greeted him,

 

"Have all your stuff under control maestro?"

 

"Yes." He replied turning a darker shade of red.

 

"I'll bet you are going to MarrisOak aren't you."

 

"I am." He replied a little surprised, "How did you know?"

 

"The instrument case. Its a dead give away, I've probably seen a couple dozen kids come through here just like you these past few days, all wanted a ticket to MarrisOak." She said counting numbers on her fingers.

 

A couple dozen, Daniel thought anxiously. He didn't think he would have near that many other kids he would have to compete against. His mood sunk considerably though he hid it well.

 

"And how much will the ticket there be?" He asked already pulling out the money his parents had given him.

 

"One or two way?"

 

"Two," He said at first before shaking his head, "no, I mean one." I might as well prepare for the best now, he thought.

 

"That'll be eighty dollars please." Daniel counted out the requested amount of money carefully before handing it to her. That left him with about 2/3's of his money for the remaining time in MarrisOak. He was not especially eager to spend it as it was given to him with the clause that he had to work back every dollar he spent. She handed him his ticket and he stowed it deeply into his coat pocket.

 

"Good luck!" She called out to him as he walked away.

 

"Thank you." And these words were not spoken automatically but truthfully from Daniel's heart because good luck was precisely what he needed the most.

 

 

**********

 

Authors notes:

I like to do these at the bottom so as not to disrupt the flow of the story. Any thing I want to comment on will be down here.

 

Pheobe Meryll: Thank you very much. I am the first to admit that I make proofreading errors (mostly due to my laziness to actually go through and edit my work) It's cool that you could identify with what I wrote, that's a good feeling for me as a writer.

 

La-vita-bella: Yes I'm a whore for constructive criticism! I must admit the problem you had (the writing sounding to textbookish) was my very biggest fear when I posted this. Though I am not sure if I completely understood your 'tone of the author' segment it is certainly something I will strive to improve upon. And no it's not a boy/boy fic because as a straight male I'm not sure I could write such a story! That would defiantly not writing be adhering to the 'write what you know' rule. Sorry if that is a letdown for you, I should maybe make myself more clear in the summary. Thanks for your review.

 

Lacyoriginality: Thank you. It's always nice to receive praise for one's work.

 

PaiselyAvenger: Thanks! Hmm, my writing apparently has the unexpected effect of acting as an aphrodisiac for at least one person out there. This matter will require closer scrutiny...

 

Acquiescence: I did play the viola a few years back actually and I could remember most of what I learned, though I won't lie when I tell you I did need to consult some friends for answers to questions. I also read stories through the username and find it a rather nice way to find good work. The ending should be more to your liking. Thank you.