As the streets were rapidly passing by through the bus's windows, Octavia took a moment to contemplate the landscape. Canterlot High was located in a less dense area of the city, away from all the skyscrapers, and the mounds, trees and lakes making up the view were truly beautiful at this time of the day.
Today had been exceptional for Octavia. Never before in her life had she lived such adventures, and experienced such feelings: the P.E class, then the infirmary ; Vinyl and Lyra kissing, meeting her friend's brother, plotting with one of her own teachers against another, and finally watching as Vinyl and Lyra protected her from that bullying girl. After all, not only had her life been lonely, it had also been uneventful, and living that much in a single day was both thrilling and scary for the young girl. She didn't know how to feel about this: it was too much. But there was something else.
She felt weak.
Weak because she didn't do anything but collapse on the ground during P.E. Weak because she was too shy in the locker room. Weak because she couldn't understand Vinyl, because she didn't dare to ask her about the kiss, because she couldn't stand up against the bully, because...
Octavia hold her face in her hands, sobbing. She had made amazing friends in an absurdly short time, and as it turned out, they were more than friends to her: they were protecting her, against the others, but also against herself, against this part of her that made her lonely and silent. It was amazing how a mute girl had managed to make Octavia feel more comfortable about expressing herself.
But could this weakness of hers mark the end of this relation? If she was too much of a burden for them, wouldn't they be forced to abandon her at some point?
No, she couldn't let herself succumb to this manner of thinking. This was part of her weakness, and it wasn't good for anybody. The only things she cared about at this very moment were her friends. She held both on that thought and on the taste of chocolate left in her mouth. Even her chemistry teacher, whom she barely knew, had been kinder to her than her parents ever had, even though he was still frightening her a little.
She continued staring at the roadside, observing every person walking in and out of the bus, until it was her turn to exit the vehicle. She waved at the driver and at an old woman sitting near the door, and took a step on the sidewalk. She walked for a couple minutes, her cello case weighing on her back, and finally arrived to her destination.
"Home, sweet home." Dana always said. Octavia didn't know what it meant exactly, but it surely didn't apply to the Melody Manor, casting its menacing shadow over the garden, like some kind of prison from a dark novel. Not much difference between here and the boarding school. Sure, the place was an architectural masterpiece, and she enjoyed the overall sight of the property, but knowing what was waiting for her inside, it had lost its natural beauty.
"Oh it's the little Ms. Harmony!"
She looked in the direction the voice came from, and recognized the gardener. Mr. Greenhooves had been here for almost as long as Dana, and even if she didn't see him quite as often as the chief of staff, he always had been kind to her.
"Hello Mr. Greenhooves, I hope your day is going well."
"Oh, you know, 'comme ci comme ça' as they say. The usual stuff... Here, I'll open that for you."
He put down his bag of ripped off weeds, and used a key to open the gate. Of course, Octavia wasn't allowed to possess such an item, since there were always supposed to be a member of staff inside the manor. The metal door opened slowly in a robotic sound.
"Thanks, sir. My apologies for disturbing you."
"Haha! This young girl, always apologizing! You're not disturbing me in any way kid. Now go find Dana, I'm sure she has prepared you a lil' snack!"
The cellist smiled at the old man and walked towards the main door. Dana was already waiting for her in the hallway, a plate of lemon biscuits in her hand. After hugging the maid and grabbing a few of the sweets, Octavia looked at the old woman, her eyes filled with excitement:
"Dana, can I ask you for a big favor?"
"Well, of course my dear, anything, as long as I can help!"
"I want to learn sign language."
}--oO0Oo--{
"And this is how to ask 'How are you?' "
"Like this?"
"That's right dear, you're doing pretty good!"
Octavia was smiling so much her cheeks were in pain. She hadn't spent that much time alone with Dana in months, and almost had forgotten how kind and funny the old woman could be.
Dana spoke sign language. Kind of. The rules had changed a bit over the years, but most of the words were still the same. Several years ago, she had told Octavia that back when she was a little child, her grandmother was almost deaf, and that she had to learn how to sign to communicate with her. Now she had lost a part of that knowledge, but what she remembered was more than enough to help the young girl with the basics. They had been practicing for one hour now, and even though Octavia knew that the maid was exaggerating her compliments, she was more motivated than ever.
"A mute friend, uh? That's not something one sees everyday. And you say it is the first person that came to you in the entire school? I'd keep a friend like that if I were you."
"Yes, that's why I've decided to learn sign: I enjoy Vinyl's company very much, and I'd hate to trap myself inside a language barrier, even with the phone she gave-"
Octavia stopped speaking all of a sudden. How stupid of her!
"A phone?" Dana asked, raising an eyebrow "She gave you a phone? Like a cellphone?"
Octavia blushed in shame before her own foolishness, expecting the kind of reaction she was used to with her parents.
But it never came. Instead, Dana's face illuminated with a warm smile:
"Damn, they gave you a cell phone? Those are some really good friends you got there! It's so thoughtful! I guess most of young people these days need this to communicate after all, and if you made such good relations, why wasting them by not staying in contact?"
She took a moment to think.
"Oooh, and you were worried that I'd tell your mother? Don't worry my dear, it'll be our little secret! Just like I told you, I'd never get in the way of your newly formed friendship, even if it means hiding a lil' something from your mother! She used to tell me all her secrets when she was your age, let's just say it's a good poetic justice. You won't have to fear anything from me."
Octavia smiled back at Dana, and giggled a bit, picturing her mother telling her secrets to her maid.
"Thank you Dana. It's good to know that I can count on you."
"Of course you can count on me, dear! Here, come and give me a hug!"
Octavia got up from her bed, walked towards the old woman and curled up in her arms. It was warm, and soft, definitely like a mother. But not like hers.
After a few seconds, a phone rang in Dana's pocket.
"You have a cellphone too?"
"Hey, I'm still young!"
Dana spoke only a few seconds, in a very formal tone, hung up, and looked back at Octavia.
"We'll have to continue with the signs another time, dear. Your father is home, and he wants to see you."
}--oO0Oo--{
Crescendo Notes was a serious man like no others. Tall, slim, a straight stature for a noble man, proud of what he was, of his name, of his appearance. He definitely was a "all business, no fun" kind of person, and it was readable on his face quite clearly. The few wrinkles on his face didn't make him look older or weaker, but more determined and strong instead. Always in a black three pieces suit, that he ditched every concert for another black three pieces suit. Someone nice to talk to if you are in the music business. If not, no need to try.
As soon as he heard footsteps from the main stairs, he turned his head to land his gaze on his daughter. A shadow of a smile appeared on his face, as he called for her:
"Octavia, my dear, please come down ; we have plenty to talk about!"
"Yes, father, I'm coming right away!"
As she continued walking down the stairs, her father went inside his office, located near the main dining room.
When she joined him in, he was already sitting behind his desk, grabbing a bottle of sparkly water and serving himself in a small whiskey glass.
"Octavia, what have I told you about coming in my office?"
The girl stopped for a moment before realizing, and taking a few steps backwards.
"Oh, I... I'm sorry, father. It won't happen again!"
She got near the opened door, and knocked slightly, almost silently, on the wood panel.
"Come in, child. Take a seat." he offered in his calm voice.
Octavia sat in one of the three red armchairs facing the desk, not making a sound. She hadn't seen her father in days, and even though she was not expecting him to be any different from this, she was still scared when called for like this, in her father's dark and cold office. The only reassuring element was the soft sound of the classical music played continuously by the speakers hidden in the walls. At least there was not going to be any long, terrifying silences.
"So, Octavia, how were your first days in your new high school?"
Octavia was surprised. Usually, being called in her father's office was bad news. But now he just genuinely wanted to know how her first days had been like? This couldn't be it.
"Oh, hum... I would say that it has been quite nice."
"No trouble with the bus? Is the class's quality acceptable? Your mother and I did some research on the teachers before sending you there of course, and although we didn't find anything on your... physics teacher I think, all of them seem competent enough. It should ensure a good quality education for you."
"Yes, they are all very nice."
"It's not an affair of being nice, my dear. It's a question of discipline and rigour."
"Well, I found the classes of rather good quality."
"Good."
This was all going too... normally.
"...And what about the other students?"
Octavia almost flinched in surprise. Why was he concerned with the other students? He never did back when she was in boarding school.
"They're truly respectable and hard-working, from what I've seen."
"All of them?..."
Now Octavia was starting to get really worried. What was his point?
"O... Of course... I haven't had any problems and-"
"Octavia, I'll be honest with you: I think trust is more than important in a relationship, even more between a father and his descendants. Now let me be truthful: my driver saw you talking with some people he described as "far from respectable": a girl with blue hair if I recall, as well as another one with short hair and bad manners, both of them wearing inappropriate clothing for people of their age."
Octavia gasped, as she started to feel a lump in her throat, listening her father talking about who she could only be sure were Vinyl and Lyra.
"Now let me be clear: I know you cannot stop other people from talking to you, especially when they are studying in the same school. But you are going to do your best to avoid this type of people. I do not want you to be distracted from your studies, or worse, from your social standards. I can only hope that you didn't intentionally get close to them, or else I'll have to take measures."
"Father, I-"
"Silence, girl. From now on you won't be seeing these girls. This conversation is over."