Enchanted Violinist (part 2!)

It only took Eliza and I three days to reach The Enclave. I am scared more than I wish to admit, but even so I came with her. I need to see the others who are like me. I need to know how to control my talent.

I know now that I should have stayed with those I first met, the ones who were so interested in my music. I'll see them now again, I suppose. I hope they don't hate me for running away.

Eliza had been teaching me along the way, more about the emotions conveyed through music and a little bit on how to convey them properly. She teaches me how to not get carried away like my first experience. Other than that, we didn’t talk much. I was unwilling to bring up my past, and Eliza wasn’t ready to share hers, either.

The Enclave is smaller than I expect, only about ten people grouped together.

"Only the most talented of us all," Eliza whispers when she sees my surprised gaze. I only nod in response, shyness taking control of me.

Eliza clears her throat and everyone stops talking and looks to the entrance of the building where we stand.

"Hello everyone, it's good to see you again," Eliza begins, talking casually as if she has known everyone there for a long time. "I've found another one of us, Aaron. The one we've been searching for the longest."

Eliza pushes me forward slightly and I awkwardly wave. I have no idea what to do and I begin to turn away when one of the people calls out to me.

"What instrument are you gifted with?" he asks. I look towards him and hold my violin aloft.

"I play the violin, if that's what you mean," I reply softly, still a little nervous. The murmuring starts up again and I turn to Eliza for help.

"Aaron, do you see anyone you know?" she mutters in my ear. I look at the ten again and start to shake my head- then I suddenly stop.

"Lily!" I cry. An older woman stops talking abruptly and turns towards me.

"Aaron?" she asks. "It's you, isn't it?"

"Yes! Yes it is." Setting down my violin, I run to her and she gathers me up into her arms.

"I've missed you," I sob into her shoulder. She pats my back reassuringly. I pull away and wipe my eyes with my sleeve. Eliza raises an eyebrow but says nothing.

"She took me in when no one else would," I say by way of explanation. "She's like a second mother to me, but she was very interested in my musical skill and I got scared. I ran away. Again."

Eliza smirks, which she seems to do very often. "You seem to run away a lot, don't you? You should know that running away doesn't solve your problems. You need to face them."

"I know that now,” I say. The rest of the Enclave turn towards me again, as if expecting something.

An older man steps forward. “Well, what are you waiting for?” he asks. “Play, boy!”

Surprised, I step back and reach down for my violin. Unlatching the case, I hold the instrument under my chin and ready the bow, the perfect model of correct posture.

I close my eyes and begin to play a new piece, a song that tells them who I am. It begins with the happiness of my youth, the fear of running away, of the hard life with minimal food. I occasionally add in a beautiful melody to represent the people who took me in and cared for me.

Every emotion is displayed effortlessly; my need to fit in, my love of the violin, the longing to be with my own kind. I finally end on a quavering chord full of expectation.

Opening my eyes, I see the Enclave and Eliza staring at me, agape. My eyebrows furrow together in confusion. Did I do something wrong?

The old man is first to speak. He seems to be a sort of leader among the group. “Aaron,” he said, “that was magnificent. Magnificent, I say! You… you are the most talented of all of us. With a little bit of proper training…”

“H-huh?” I say, bewildered as to what was going on. The man says nothing, only narrowing his eyes.
Then suddenly: “Who are your parents, boy? Where are they now? Why aren't they with you?” Startled, I jerked back.

“Sheila and Geoffry Patterson,” I say angrily. “And they’re dead!” My feelings towards the Enclave suddenly change. What gives them rights to talk to me like that, to interrogate me on my past and personal life?

Eliza begins to back away from me and the man in front of me slowly nodded his head. “Everybody out,” he announces. The rest of the Enclave walks out of the building.

“Lily!” I call, but she merely shakes her head and continues walking away. Only Eliza stays. “Eliza,” I say. She and Lily are the only ones I want to see right now, to talk to. Not this strange man. Looking ashamed, Eliza turns away as well.

When the doors finally close, the man smiles. Something is off about it…

“Aaron Sylvain Patterson,” he said. “Your parents were the greatest of us all. Your father played the bass and your mother the cello. That and your difficult past makes you the most talented Manipulator of us all. You don’t need any training whatsoever, just practice.”

“But… you said…” I falter, slowly taking a step back. “When did I say that my middle name was Sylvain?”

The man grins evilly and whisks the cover off an object in the corner of the room. It’s a piano. He sits down on the bench and stretches his fingers, looking over at me.

“I lied, Aaron. I am the greatest of us all. I always was. Only your mother came close. I loved her, but she despised me and ran off with your jerk of a father. We haven’t seen her since then. I wanted revenge, but lacked the skills to track your parents. Instead, I became the head of the Enclave, of all Manipulators. I acted nice, befriended them, and began preparing for you.” I continue backing towards the door.

“Of course, I didn’t know who you were at the time, only that Sheila had always longed for a child. I knew it wouldn’t be long. I also knew that the child’s talent would be greater then any before seen on this planet. Except for mine. And now, I shall destroy you and have my revenge.”
At this point I reach the door. As I grasp the handle and pull, the man plays a chord on the piano and the door bolts itself shut. I ready my violin once again and swallow nervously.

“My name is Antonio Meluchi,” the man says, “and today is the day you die.” Antonio begins to play and my legs move forward towards him unwillingly. Instantly, I begin playing a counter melody and gain control of my own body once more.

“Very good,” Antonio says, “and just as skilled as I thought. But what about dealing with pain?” He begins to play a series of jagged, minor chords on the lower end of the keyboard.

At first, I am not affected, but then all of the horrible feelings from when I was younger rush back, all at once. Then I begin to feel spikes of pain all over my body, enough to bring me to my knees. I do my best to play a healing song on my violin and it certainly works, but I cannot win this by staying on the defensive.

I pummel Antonio with the worst depression imaginable, enough to drive one to suicide. However, the man practically ignores the feelings, only momentarily looking pained, and one piano note later he is perfectly normal.

He chuckles. “You’ll have to do better than that, boy.” For the next thirty minutes or so we battle, and I can barely hold my own, let alone strike back at the man. I lie on the floor, exhausted and covered all over with bruises and scratches. 

“Do you give up, boy?” Antonio asks with a smirk. In response, I draw my bow across the violin strings and a long, hollow, pleading note sings. The man looks momentarily confused, and I offer a weak smile.

Moments later, Eliza breaks down the door and bursts into the room. She takes one look at me and then turns her attention to Antonio.

“You,” she snarls. “I knew you couldn’t be trusted! I shouldn’t have left Aaron alone with you.” Eliza twirls her silver flute between her fingers and brings it to her lips. Her music has little to no effect on Antonio as well. Antonio merely has to twitch his fingers and she goes flying across the room, sliding to a stop beside me. She is breathing hard.

She looks me in the eye and nods. There is only one thing we can do. My lips twitch upwards in a slight smile.

“One..” Eliza whispers. “Two… Three!” We begin to play, harmonizing perfectly together. Antonio freezes and then begins to hammer away feverishly at the piano. Our song waxes stronger and the man grows more frantic. Finally, the man screams and faints. The violin slips out of my hands and my head slumps to the side.

Eliza crawls over to me and gathers me into her arms. “I’m so so sorry,” she whispers. “Aaron. Aaron, I’m sorry for not coming sooner. I’m sorry for putting your life in danger.” I try to say something, to tell her that I’m okay, but before I get the chance to, I black out.