Timidly I walked over to her.
"You have a beautiful voice, don't be shy. You could have such a strong voice if you just came out of your shell."
Mrs. Cage arms flared out in the open to exaggerate her point yet. Her words made me turn red. I thought I had no problem hiding my voice behind the others; apparently, I wasn't doing it well enough. I could feel the embarrassment across my face realizing she could hear me against the other thirty-nine voices.
"Thank you," I whispered, shifting my weight from one leg to another nervously.
"I want you to do a solo for the concert. I know typically Chamber Choir does the solos, but after going through your schedule, you won't be able to switch into that. Now the solo will be for the concert. Oh, you'll have so much fun with this!" Mrs. Cage spoke with pure excitement as she made her way across the room through the cubbies. She kept all the music in. "I'll be giving this music out tomorrow, but you can have it the day before to go through it. Now here is a pass. Where are you going?"
She took a piece of computer paper out of the printer and started to write out a pass for me while my stomach became uneasy.
"Lunch," I finally answered, then she handed me the paper as I rushed out of there to lunch.
My books were pressed against my chest like a life preserver. My nerves were shaking all over, making my stomach so not ready for lunch. Before I realized it, I was at the lunch table, not sure how I got there. Pulling the chair out with one hand as the other, I placed my books down. Trying to take deep breaths to calm my shaking nerves, I curled into a ball on the chair, not believing what had just happened.
"Madeline?"
I nearly fell off my chair as I turned to look to see who the owner of the voice was. Feeling my heart racing from the shock, I turned to glare at Sawyer.
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
I looked into his brown eyes seeing a few specks of green starting to show up. Knowing I couldn't even be mad at him.
"Mrs. Cage wants me to do a solo for the choir concert."
He started to smile.
"Are you serious?"
I just nodded my head.
"You'll do fine."
"She'll do fine with what?" asked Ricky carrying a tray of food while joining the table.
"Our little Maddie just got a solo for the choir concert," answered Sawyer.
"Our little baby is growing up!" Ricky patronized me, causing me to glare at him.
"Well, it's not a whole song, but it's still me singing…by myself…in front of all those people," I spoke, pausing in parts then giving a final shudder.
"Are you telling me you have stage fright?" queried Ricky.
"Yeah, remember every time I've been on a stage has been with Dr. Vodola."
"I don't remember ever hearing you sing or mention doing choir," Ricky commented after taking a bite out of the sub on his tray.
"Don't be offended Ricky, I live with the girl and have yet to hear her sing."
I covered my face in my hands as my elbows rested on the table. I was going to be sick. Why did Mrs. Cage have to pick me to sing? There were so many other people in the choir.
"When is the concert anyway? I'll go with Sawyer to hear you sing."
I was about to open my mouth when Justin sat down across from me.
"What concert and whose singing?" he inquired, looking at everyone at the table.
"Our little Maddie has a solo for the Choir concert. Now Maddie, could you answer my question before he interrupts again?"
"December twentieth, I think."
I started to open my mouth then Sawyer cut in.
"That date sounds familiar," Sawyer said with his face scrunched in confusion.
"I can't think of why it would."
Justin turned to look at Sawyer as if he was crazy for saying that.
"Maddie, when is that dinner?" Sawyer asked slowly.
"December third," I responded with a sigh.
"Are you sure?"
I glared at him.
"Yes, I'm sure! I know every day of that schedule that Dr. Vodola calls my life."
Sawyer shrugged and went back to eating.
"So, what song do you have to sing?" questioned Justin trying to get me to meet his brown eyes.
"I haven't looked at it," I answered; glancing at the folder, I shoved the music into it. "All I know is that Mrs. Cage said she wasn't picking any holiday music because she was sick of people complaining that there wasn't the right balance between the holidays."
Ricky laughed as he took my folder to get the music out. His eyes went a little big then connected with mine.
"This is a major solo piece. You need a nice strong voice for this song."
Justin stared at him in disbelief.
"Why would you know that?" Justin asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend.
"Play nice, Justin, or he won't drive you home. He'll probably put you in the trunk," Sawyer spoke while smiling with Ricky joining him.
Ricky then became serious.
"This is a full solo song, Madeline."
"Are you trying to scare me more?" I yelled with my voice coming out in a hyperventilating squeak.
"What's the song?" Sawyer questioned, then ripped the music out of Ricky's hands. "Wow, deep song for you, kind of fitting."
Sawyer was reading the lyrics. Of course, I remember it being in Disney's Mulan, and every little girl sang along with it, of course, but I so didn't want to sing that in front of people! Reflection was a beautiful song, and I knew I couldn't do it justices.
"It fits your situation kind of," Ricky continued as he read over Sawyer's shoulder.
"I can't wait to hear you sing it, though," Justin added again, trying for eye contact.
I turned to see Sawyer scowling at Justin, leaving me confused and even more uncomfortable. Just then, the bell rang to release us.
My backpack was on my back. As I walked towards Sawyer's locker, I was zipping my coat up. I dodge people as they were going in different directions. I rolled my eyes as I turned sideways to avoid someone. Sawyer's locker came into view, and there was a girl next to him. She was facing me as Sawyer was facing her. She was closer to his height with reddish hair that was to her shoulders.
I got to them, and Sawyer looked down at me with a wide grin. The girl's smile dimmed slightly. My eyes went back and forth between the two.
"Madeline, this is Lisa."
It clicked. The girl's green eyes stayed on me.
"Hi, Lisa."
I smiled. Was this awkward? Why did it feel awkward?
"It's nice to meet you finally." She paused. "Sawyer said you had bio with Mr. Sharp. Isn't he terrible?"
I laughed. "Mr. Sharp speaks in such a monotone voice it's hard to stay focused."
Lisa giggled and rolled her eyes. "Big time. I still have my notebook from that class if you need it. Especially with his projects, because heads up he doesn't give a lot of directions on them, then grades harshly."
"Thanks for the heads up. I'll see you at Ricky's car."
"Sounds good."
"Nice to meet you," I called over my shoulder as I headed out the doors.
The next day I slid into the passenger seat of Ricky's SUV heard the radio turn on with the engine's roar. My nose started to wrinkle as a yelling, harsh rap filled the car. I rushed to push the numbers for the other radio stations making Ricky laugh.
"Ah, that wasn't your favorite song there, Maddie?" Ricky didn't look at me while he smiled, and he turned out of the jungle of moron drivers, the school parking lot. And no offense, I didn't mind him not giving me eye contact.
"Oh yeah, it's her fav. She plays it every night before she goes to bed," Sawyer chuckled as he leaned forward to hang over my seat, so his head was just above my shoulder.
"Oh yeah, just as you play Barbie Girl before you go to bed."
I smiled at my song choice to annoy him as his two friends laughed. I could hear him chuckle from behind me, knowing I didn't over
step anything.
"How about Madeline sings for us?" I heard Justin say behind Ricky.
I turned to look at Justin like he was nuts.
"Yeah, um, no."
The laughter was gone from my voice as I peered over at him.
"You might as well practice singing around others with the solo coming up and all that."
"Leave her alone, Justin," Sawyer came in; his face was flat.
"Aren't you curious about her singing too?" Justin pushed more.
"She'll sing when she's ready to be, now shut up, children, and don't make me come back there." Ricky came in, making me grin; he was more of a big brother than Sawyer was to me.
"That's easier for Sawyer to do. He lives with the girl so he could get a preview before everyone else."
"You realize how wrong that sounded, right?" Ricky inquired, looking in the review mirror at his friend, while I could feel the heat coming to my face.
"Hey, we're not going there!" Sawyer's voice strained.
"Yeah, could we seriously not go there?" I piped up.
The car became silent just as a bad song came on the radio, causing me to change the station again. Ricky gave a small laugh.
"You're so picky with music."
"So, sue me."
"So that you know, you're the only one allowed to touch the radio other than me."
I laughed.
The room was still steamy from the shower, with the moisture swirling around me. I pushed the brush through my hair, humming while I wore my pajamas. Finally getting the last knot out, I bent over, wrapping my hair in a towel turban, trying to dry it. I walked out of the bathroom towards my room, still humming to myself, enjoying the few moments I had the house to myself. On the way to my room, I turned on the radio in Sawyer's room, adjusting the volume to hear it in my room.
Sawyer was out on a date, and his father was at a meeting, leaving me to have the house to myself for a short time, so I enjoyed turning the music a little louder than needed. I went into my room, getting ready for bed. Taking the towel off my head and throwing it into the laundry hamper in the corner of my room. I started to brush my hair straight, singing lightly with the radio.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Jumping, I turned around with wide eyes to see the Doctor standing in my doorway with a blank look on his face. His back was straight, with his arms crossed firmly over his chest.
"Getting ready for bed, Sir," I answered quietly, staring at my feet.
"On my way home, I picked up a few things at the food store. While I was there, a very enthusiastic woman came over to talk to me. She thought I wanted to talk to her," His voice wasn't like his face; it was stone cold, making me shake by the sound of his voice. "Is there a reason you didn't tell me you had a solo in the choir concert?"
I gulped.
"I'm not sure," I finally answered, feeling my throat closing in.
"It doesn't matter. I told her you couldn't go to the concert anyway." He spoke as my eyes stung. "The ball's date was changed to the night of the concert. By the way, you're grounded until I say you're not."
I looked up.
"What am I getting punished for?" I squeaked.
Dr. Vodola's eyes narrowed.
"Are you questioning me?" Dr. Vodola moved forward, getting closer to me.
I took a step back, stopping when my back hit the closet door. I was trapped. My insides shook.
"No! No, Sir, I'm not questioning you!"
My bottom lip quivered.
"I don't feel like I need a reason to punish you. You and Sawyer live under my roof, under my rules, and I don't feel like I need to explain myself to either of you. You might be spending too much time with Sawyer."
Dr. Vodola was standing right in front of me, his eyes red with fury. I wished with all my might Sawyer or anyone would come into the house at the moment to save me, but I knew it wouldn't happen.
His fingers wrapped around my neck, not enough power to strangle me, but just enough of a squeeze to let me know that his hand could snap my neck easily.
"Not telling me things is just as bad as lying, R187. A little lying tease, aren't you? I've seen you and Sawyer. You two will never end up together, so don't even think about it. I've seen you two, the both of you sneaking into each other's beds. I'm not blind!"
The sound of the slap echoed through the house as my face stung, and then tears started to blur my vision. I bit my bottom lip holding back cries and screams. When I thought he would hit me again, he threw me onto the mattress as he stormed out of the room. I saw him slam shut my door from the bed and heard a faint click of the lock.
5
Sawyer
I woke up with a smile that couldn’t be wiped off my face. I waltzed down the stairs, starting to hum some random tune. I peeled away the sliver wrapper of my breakfast treat to put the pastries into the toaster, feeling the excellent mood just radiating off me. Jumping onto the counter, I sat waiting for them.
“You’re annoyingly perky this morning,” my dad’s voice came from the table, reading something on his tablet.
“Yeah, the date went great.”
“This was your what, third date with her?” he didn’t even look up from the screen with a monotone voice, but he couldn’t possibly ruin my day.
“Fifth, but yeah, she’s great.”
My dad just nodded his head as I wondered if the pastries would be enough for breakfast. Looking at the silver toaster, one second the food wasn’t anywhere to being ready then BAM it was brunt to a crisp, and at the moment it wasn’t ready at all. I quickly grabbed a couple of bacon pieces to put in the microwave on a paper towel. That was when I jumped over to the toaster to get before the pastries burned. Grinning, I sat on the counter to start that part of breakfast while I waited for the rest.
“Should I go get Madeline?” I asked after taking a big bite and burning my tongue on the strawberry interior.
“Nah, I’d leave her alone. She was pretty upset when I came home last night,” His voice was still flat, while his eyes stayed on the screen.
“Why, what’s wrong?” I probed further.
I took the pieces to the table.
“How should I know? Girls get upset over every little thing.”
My jaw tightened.
“What did you do?” I pressed on.
“I told her that she couldn’t do the concert because the date of the party changed. That’s all.”
“Gees, poor Madeline,” I sighed, then looked at him. “Did you ask to move it to that day?”
My dad rolled his eyes.
“Much to your dismay Sawyer, I don’t sit around plotting on ways to make your lives miserable.”
I raised an eyebrow. He could’ve fooled me.
“Well Ricky and I are going to go do something today after school.”
“Mmm.”
Just taking the last bite of my breakfast, I went upstairs to get ready. Glancing over, I noticed that Madeline’s door was still closed. Not a single noise came from inside. Dad must be letting her skip today. Or maybe she was sick. Sighing, I went past her room and went back downstairs.
It was a weird experience, being at school without Madeline. The car ride with Ricky felt different as I was in the front seat on the way there and back. Lunch was quieter as I broke the news that none of them will be hearing her sing. My father had already told Ms. Cage since she had stopped me in the hall. She was flaying about and talking a hundred miles a minute. She mentioned something about my dad couldn’t control her forever because she would make sure that Madeline had a solo before graduating.
When I got home, I carried in the bags that Ricky and I got from the food store on the way home as I checked on my schedule for the upcoming week at work. I grinned as I skipped every other step. Hopefully, the ice cream would cheer Madeline up. Maybe we could even talk about Lisa and our date. Madeline and Lisa seemed to have liked each other.
Finally, I reached her door, hoping she wasn’t under the w
eather like she was this morning when I left. I knocked on the door, and there wasn’t any answer.
“Maddie, open the door. I got a surprise for you.”
No answer.
“Maddie, I got your favorite Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and a box of chocolate stuffed cookies.”
Still, I didn’t get a response. My stomach twisted as I could almost hear the seconds tick away.
I put the bag down tried to open the door. The knob wouldn’t turn.
“Madeline, open the door now!”
There was still no movement from the other side. I put the ice cream down. I balled my fist up and pounded on the wood door. My heart raced; each beat echoed in my ears. I ran down the stairs as fast as my feet could carry me, nearly falling as my shoes slid down. Feeling frantic, I grabbed the computer chair and brought it upstairs. Turning the chair sideways, I rammed the door with the chair. The door began to crack. A grunt escaped, and I jabbed the door again and again until splitters scattered and the wheels rolled away.
Dropping the chair down, I looked around her room to see her closet door was open a bit. I flung the door open to see her curled into a ball in the corner. Falling to the ground, I crawled into the cramped space. I wrapped my arms around her, embracing her to me. I closed my eyes as I felt her face pressed against the base of my neck, and her arms were around me.
“I should have known something wasn’t right,” I whispered into her ear, tightening my hold on her.
Madeline’s face was against my chest.
“Why didn’t you answer me?”
I felt Madeline’s lips move as her voice came out muffled.
“Want to try that again?” I asked as I guided her face to look at mine.
Madeline’s green eyes were big, full of fear as they stayed on mine. I applied soft touches to her face to calm her nerves, I’ve never been able to handle her being upset. I was leaning my forehead slowly down to touch Madeline’s.
“I’m here for you, Maddie, if he does this-”
“I was just afraid that’s all.”
Our noses were touching as I held her close.
Beaker to Life Page 4