By: Amelia W.

Before I begin, just know that this is not how I wanted things to turn out. I didn’t know that doing what I did would cause all this. So I’ve decided to write it all down. You know, in case some genius out there decides to uncover the truth. For whoever is reading this, just know that I never murdered the prince of Parina. 

“Day and night I hear the noise. Stuck in my head, I can feel its energy swarming inside of me, like it’s begging to escape. I always hear the music, but sometimes I can see it. Other times I’m so close I can feel it. It’s not like I can actually see music notes but more like I can see its energy.  People have called me crazy. Even said I’m delusional. But I know somewhere in this enormous world, the music will lead me to the land of the undiscovered.”

 That’s what I told the press. They wouldn’t stop until I gave them some sort of answer. Agreeing to do the interview didn’t help anything. I’m still seen as the local town girl who went crazy. I just thought doing the interview would help. I couldn’t handle it anymore. Their sly comments, or their disapproving stares, always came with their frightened whispers. My parents tried to protect me from it all, but I always knew. Sometimes I acted like I was oblivious to it all, and other times I just wanted to pretend I didn’t hear their cruel voices. Even so the music would tell me, even when I didn’t want it to. 

When I was 17 I decided I didn’t want to be seen as the crazy town girl. I wanted to be seen as the real me. The only way that was going to happen was if I found the music. The real music. Not just the one playing in my head. I packed water and a first aid kit in a small bag my mother had given me, and I walked. I walked from sunrise to sunset.  I walked until the music told me to stop. It was summer break, and I had nothing better to do. 

My parents never questioned the safety of our small town. They had always seen the world as an untouchable place. To them crime and harm was obsolete. So a camping trip was the perfect excuse to discover who, or what I really was. 

 While I walked it was hot. I could feel the sun caressing against my skin. I think the music could feel it too. As my skin burned, the music got louder, constantly pounding in my head. 

 On the third day,  the journey really started. For the first time, the music stopped. My mind was completely blank, empty like a vase without flowers. It was as if I was completely naked. I knew the music wanted me to stop, and not walk anymore. 

 I began to question my entire existence. I had grown fond of the music, It was like my friend. And now, for the first time in 17 years the music was gone. Even when I was a baby I heard the music. When I was younger the music was softer, like it was waiting for me to get older to tell me the truth. 

 Then, the strangest thing happened. I heard the music. Yet this time the music wasn’t in my head, it was coming from below the ground. At that moment I knew this time the music wasn’t just meant for me. In a hast, I dropped to the ground. My scrawny hands tossed piles of dirt to the side as I struggled to dig. I felt the music guiding me, and I didn’t want to lose it again. 

As I dug, the music got louder. Like it was an unraveling story waiting for the next piece of the puzzle. After digging and digging, I didn’t find the music, instead I found that I’m allergic to ants. With bloodshot eyes and puffy cheeks I slowly started to accept the fact that I may have been going crazy all these years. 

Tears began to trickle down my puffy cheeks. I sat feeling defeated against a nearby tree, contemplating everything that’s ever happened to me. Leaning against the tree I felt the rough bark embrace me like a hug. I could’ve sat by that tree for hours. Its soft green leaves shadowed over me. It’s tall slim figure towered over the whole forest! But like how all great journey’s end, it was almost sunset and I needed to return to my tent.

 I prepared to go home, and that’s when it happened! I saw a dim figure standing. I couldn’t make out who he was. His figure was mixed in with the iridescent colors of the sunset. I walked closer, wondering what another person could be doing in the woods at this hour. As I got closer the music got louder like it was following me. Still the music was coming from elsewhere, and still it continued to get louder. 

Then, within seconds I was face to face with this boy.  He looked the same age as me. 

He smiled and said, “I’m so happy I finally found you.” 

This boy was as tall as a tree. I gazed up into his hazel green eyes. As I looked into his hypnotizing eyes, he looked into mine. And noticed my swollen face and bloodshot eyes. 

“Do you need me to help you?” he asked and I nodded my head, speechless. 

I had grown up with mothers and fathers shielding their children away from me. No parent wants their child to turn out like the town’s crazy girl. Yet here was this boy whom I had never seen in my whole life, simply just talking to me. 

The boy waved his hands over my face and began to hum. The melody was soft, like a lullaby. As I listened to his angelic voice, something was nagging at my mind. Something so familiar about this boy, about this song. I noticed the music coming from elsewhere had become silent, like it was being controlled by some imaginary force. 

I thought he was trying to bring me into some sort of cult. But in a blink of an eye, my face was healed. With my face back to normal my mind was clear and the music was normal. The music began to play again, not from the boy’s voice but from underneath the ground, and that’s when it hit me! The very song that this boy had been humming was the same song that had played in my head for years. The shock on my face must’ve said it all. 

The boy just chuckled. I glanced back at the ground hoping to maybe see the music, to look for an answer. That’s when the boy surprised me even more. “You won’t be able to see it.”

 For the first time I got a good look at the boy. Not just at his majestic eyes. He had a gentle smile, with hair like a golden retriever. His hair was dusty, and mysterious. It wasn’t untamed or knotted, just different. 

 “What?” I asked, surprised by his ability to read my mind. He extended his hand. “My name is Felix. Come with me. You’re not the only one. I can take you somewhere where we all have it. We can show you how to work with it. How to control it.” he told me.

 I know I should have been scared. And I know I shouldn’t have told him yes. But I couldn’t help it. I knew he knew me, even if I didn’t know him yet. So I said yes. I placed my hand in his and he grasped it with a firm grip.  And that’s when it all went wrong. 

About the Author

Born on November 9th 2008, Amelia has always loved writing fantasy, as well as writing poems. She loves spending time with her family and friends. And she loves the outdoors!