//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Parallel 
// by Octave Storm 
//------------------------------//

Lemon stared out of the tinted car window, watching everything she had ever known fall back behind her. This was the town she grew up in and it had grown with her, the sapling that she had helped her mother plant when she was so much littler than she was now, the paint that had faded over time, stained with the memories and the sticky childish hands that had left their mark. This town had been her whole world, she knew every nook and cranny, every other person's names, all the stray cats that roamed the streets. She knew her next-door neighbors, an elderly couple that gave the mute girl her first piano lessons, the little boy who lived across the street that she had watched grow up, babysitting him sometimes for a little spare change. There was the bakery where she and Symphony had first met Toffee Glow, where the three of them had first experimented with their little recipes, the counter they had dramatically sat on while announcing the latest grand scheme one of them had come up with. There was the adjoined cafe where they had done their homework and their projects, where they had earned their first keep by running errands and offering to clean the tables. 

There was the park where she had spent hours watching Soprano perform, after the girl had secretly acquired a busking license for the summer, it was the park that had seen her through scraped knees and nosebleeds, the one with a pond and ducks that she had named, trees that she had climbed with her brother, her just trailing behind at his heels as he took off running. Emotion flared up in her chest, bitter and orange, and she swallowed it down, resting her head against the cool glass window. Arrowshade was a small town where everyone knew each other and that was that, they were self-sufficient. Lemon had never left her hometown before unless trips to the nearby forest ever counted. Out there, that was something unknown. It was unfamiliar and it was dangerous, leaving the quiet comfort of what she knew like the back of her hand. Leaving, she thought, was just asking for a lonely existence. Her best and only friends were still at Arrowshade, unable to follow her as she moved away, and perhaps, even on. 

Lemon turned away and stared at her hands, unable to look out any more. Next to her, her brother mirrored her position. She knew it was hard for him too, leaving a town that he had spent more time in than her but there was nothing either could do to comfort the other. They were powerless to the demands of their father's job and it was best for them to obediently comply. Besides, their father was trying his best to provide for their family and he had felt bad about them moving too, giving his children expensive gifts as some sort of consolation. Lemon might have known why her father was making this choice and knew that it was for the better but that didn't make the sacrifice that came alongside it any easier to deal with. She was still giving up everything she had ever known, just for that small chance that her long term future might turn out a little better. It was a shot in the dark and it didn't seem very worth it right now. Why gamble when you just stick with what you knew was certain, what would never change?

"Hey," her brother began, breaking the uncomfortable silence between the two of them. "Do you think this is how Rue felt when she left for college? I mean, sorry, never mind, that didn't help." He ran a hand through his shaggy mint green hair, fingers calloused from the hours he spent devoted to playing his guitar. "It's just-"

"I really miss her," Lemon said, in perfect sync with her brother. "At least our new home will be closer to her school," they continued, speaking the exact same words at the same time. "I know how you feel, Lime, but can't do anything about it any more than you can," Lemon said, offering a sad smile to her brother. He attempted a smile back before looking away. It was an unspoken rule that nobody talked about Rue's leaving for very long. Even though their relationship had mended some time after, nobody could quite forget that she left on a bad note with their parents. "Hope she comes to visit soon, at least."

"Nah, college is busy, you'll see. But, Everton and college? That girl signed herself up for helluva ride," Lime said, laughing easily. "She's smart though, not like me. Reckon she soaked up all of Mom and Dad's brains before we both had a chance to come 'round." Lemon laughed, appreciating how Lime was trying to lighten the heavy, blue-grey mood. "And me? I got all of their dashing good looks. Sucks for the youngest kid, I wonder who's that?" Lime continued. 

"Oi!" 

"Okay, okay, please stop hitting me," Lime said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "You got the best, you got all of their talents. Never seen anyone who could throw a track together just like that before." He grinned and winked, leaning over to tickle Lemon. "And that? That's my revenge. You hit hard, little sis." 

"Heh, like I hit as hard as you hit the juul," Lemon managed between her giggles, landing herself in another round of tickling. "Fine, I know, I know. Everyone knows that you're too much of a prep to even loosen up and have some fun." Remembering that her parents sat just in front of them, Lemon hastily added, "Not like I do anything I shouldn't be doing either!" 

"Yeah, right!" Lime hissed playfully, quiet enough for their parents not to hear. "Like I don't know what you and your friends get up to. It might be legal but some say you shouldn't be pranking innocent people and making out in open spaces."

"Dude, isn't that kind of creepy? You've got to live a little and Mom and Dad's real chill anyway." Lemon retorted, laughing. Even with all their petty bickering, at the end of the day, the two still got along just fine. They shared a strange dynamic, one only siblings could have without ripping each others' throats out. Though Lime was the cool older brother, he wasn't nearly as wild as his sister, always cautious. Lemon, on the other hand, was bolder, always living in the moment and unafraid to take risks she knew would benefit her. Rue was the different one, several years older than both of them. She was the more levelheaded and logical of the three, even if a bit of a mad scientist at times. She could easily get caught up in her own experiments, pursuing knowledge above else. 

Symphony, Soprano, and Toffee were Lemon's first real friends outside of her family and once she'd come out of her shell, there was no turning back. She might have been quiet by herself but with her friends, she had all the confidence in the world. Symphony was bubbly and eager, always a daredevil. Soprano, on the other hand, was the more sensible one, less likely to act on impulse. Toffee was sweet and kind, the one who would give second-chances and warm hugs. Though Lemon rarely ever showed it, under all her coolness, she was still at heart the same girl she always was. Even though she'd grown to be more confident, that was always because she knew that her friends had her back. Sometimes, one just needed others to believe in them for them to truly shine. 

Lemon leaned back, turning her new headphones over in her hands before slipping them over her ears. They had everything she could ever need, they were wireless with active noise cancellation and the whole shebang. She paired them to her phone and hit shuffle. 

Oh, what's the vibe?
I wouldn't know, I'm normally in bed at this time
You guys, go do your thing
And I'll just leave at nine
Don't wanna bore you with my frail state of mind

She hummed along, feeling the lyrics radiate yellow-turquoise-grey. Lemon listened to many things, mostly due to her learning to appreciate her friends' music tastes. Soprano was always for something more classical which was far from Lemon's thing but it really wasn't that bad, especially since Soprano kept recommending her songs that made her think of Lemon. She never just heard music, she always listened, she always felt. Melodies sang to her, bringing with them colors and emotion and in turn the memories she had made. There were the good ones with her friends and there were those that were not but music was music, her constant companion through life's challenges. It could take her to a whole different world or a safe place in her mind where she was the only one, open and unjudging. There was nobody, she was certain, that felt music the way she did. 

It echoed and resounded in her, unlocking emotions and sensations she didn't know could exist. Music hadn't unlocked her to the world, rather it had given her a reason to care about what the outside world was doing. It was her solace when things became overwhelming, too much for her to bear with the world rushing around her. It slowed time and calmed her heart, bringing her into a little bubble where nobody could intrude so that she could catch her breath and appreciate the little things around her. Lemon always longed to share her music with others but she never knew how, not with others so quick to reject someone who was even slightly different from them. Yet, music was something that could cross borders and break down walls, something that anyone could appreciate. There was music deep inside of Lemon and she learned first how to here it and then how to share it with those she cared for, harmonies that were spun from the deepest parts of her mind. 

It shattered her that so few people had the patience for music. They had the patience for artists of course, just not a little girl's music. She had so willingly bared her heart and people were quick to respond with harsh criticism and insults. Her friends had stepped in, defending her and reassuring her again and again and again that her best was always enough, that nobody could create music the way she did and maybe, just maybe, that made things a little bit better. Music became something private, something she would only share with her friends and family and for a while, that was enough. They showered her with praise and suggestions on how to improve but something in Lemon itched for more. It wasn't that they didn't matter, it was just that she wanted the world to hear her. She had spent the first few years of her life silent and even until middle school she could barely speak. Now she could and now she had things to say. Music wasn't just a hobby, it was so much more to her. Music to her was like what baking and cooking were to Toffee, it was like what researching was to Rue. 

And then there were the colors. The colors were beautiful, something only she could see. She had asked and yet, nobody else saw the colors. C major was yellowy-orange but the minor was a little more like apricots. The letter E was green, always green while X was metallic yet too grey to be silver all at once. Saturdays were turquoise and Tuesdays a pale orange-red. She wanted so, oh-so-badly, to share the colors with others but nobody understood what she was saying. They just didn't get it. She could talk about them for hours, every little detail mentioned, but nobody else could so very much about them. Maybe, one day, someone would get it. They would see the colors too.