344 Days of Ash

Prolouge 

For as long as I could remember there was always flowers tied to the handle of my window, along with a sheet of music. Rain or shine, every Sunday it would always be there, waiting for me to open my curtains. In spring, the flower would be a tulip, in fall, Chelone, in summer, Gloriosa Daisy and in winter it would be forget-me-not. As if I was supposed to remember a broken promise or forgotten dream.

What about the sheets of music you ask?

Well, when placed together all fifty-two pages, all those many pages, they told a tale of that year. A tale of joy, hope and forbidden love a secret tale only for me. Sometimes before I go to sleep I swear I hear its bittersweet melody drifting through the air. The sad lifeless keys of the piano sending me to an undisturbed sleep. And once though I think it was in my dreams, I swear I heard a voice call out to me.

But on my seventeenth birthday that Sunday morning, the sheet of music wasn't there. Just the flower with a note that said...

I'm sorry.

And after that, I never received a flower or sheet of music again....

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Chapter 1

"Lizzy, oh my gosh. Lizzy wake up!" I opened my eyes slowly squinting as the sunlight burnt my eyes. "Lizzy get up, you have to see this!" I sat up peering at my alarm clock. I rolled my eyes yawning.

"Rachel it's six in the morning, what the hell could be so important?" Rachel was practically dancing with excitement.

"A hot guy is moving in with Mr. and Mrs. Johnson." This caught my attention. Grabbing my glasses from the nightstand, I scrambled out of bed, throwing myself at my window pulling my curtains open. Rachel wasn't joking. I stared at him for a while watching him carry bags out a large black car. I couldn't tell how long his hair was as he had on a black beanie and even though it was the middle of winter all he wore was a pair of joggers and a plain white tee. As if he could feel my gaze his head suddenly snapped in direction. Like the professional starer I was, instead of ducking I pushed open my window, pretending I needed some air in my room. He watched me for a few moments before dropping the bag in his hands and crossing the street, walking in the direction of my window. Wait, wait why was he coming over! I jumped, turning as my bedroom door slammed shut. Rachel that son of a gun has left me on my own. I heard him clear his throat before talking.

"Morning" I turned back around gasping as my eyes caught a pair of bright blue eyes. I didn't know eyes could be so blue. It took me a moment to realize he had said something.

"Oh crap. Good morning" He chuckled, kicking some gravel with his feet before speaking again.

"You got something on your... erm" He ran his hand over his lips still chuckling. His teeth were so white. "You got drool around your mouth"

I felt my face pale before going bright red. I quickly wiped my mouth trying to drown out his laughs. Oh crap, I still had bed hair. I'd never been so mortified in my life. "It's Lizzy, right? My name is Ash." I looked back up at him my eyes widening at his smile. Wow. Just wow. I shook his outstretched hand. Raising a brow, I asked the question that was at the tip of my tongue

"How do you know my name?"

His smile seemed to widen "My mother spoke about you." Well for all he knew I could have been Rachel. "I have to get back to unpacking, but I will see you around Lizzy." With that, he turned and left picking up the bag he had dropped walking back into the house. So he was the Johnsons son. I didn't know they had a child my age. I shrugged well oh well rather get some sleep. Gosh, how did people function before twelve? I shook my head not bothered, as I crawled into my bed my eyes caught sight of my cello and stacks of music sheets. I need to remember to throw those out. I closed my eyes falling back asleep.

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Chapter 2

The breakfast table, as usual, was quiet. I took a sip of my coffee, frowning it was bitter. I could tell by the lines on my mum's forehead that she was going to say something. I put my mug down quickly so I wouldn't be tempted to throw the content of it at her.

"So Lizzy have you decided to stop being a child and accept the scholarships that you have been offered. Your sister has already accepted hers."

From the corner of my eye, I could my sister sit up straighter a nervous habit she had picked up. She always hated when mum brought up her decisions.

"I told you, mum. I don't play the Cello anymore."

My dad glared daggers at me as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. "You keep saying that Lizzy but you still haven't said why not."

I sighed. "I told you. I can't feel the music anymore. No matter what I played it sounded exactly the same. It was as if I wasn't playing at a-" My mum slammed her hand down on the table standing up.

"Enough of that bullshit Lizzy! That's enough of you going on and on about feeling and what you hear. Who cares if you don't feel it? who cares if you can't hear it? As long as it sounds good to everyone else who cares!" I stood up, I had officially lost my appetite.

"I care mum. I care. Don't you think after practicing five hours a day, every day? Don't you think that I deserve to hear and feel what I play? If I don't feel it how am I supposed to convey the music to a large audience? Like I said I don't play the cello anymore stop bothering me about it." My mum opened her mouth to argue when the loud chimes of our doorbell signaled we had guest stopping her. "I'll get it, don't worry." I made my way to the front door. I could see the outline of three people. I threw open the door shocking the johnsons. I slapped on a fake smile onto my face. Mrs johnson spoke up first.

"Hi, Lizzy Ash said he spoke to you this morning." I raised a brow didn't expect that.

"Yeah, he did actually. I didn't know you had a child."

Mrs johnson nodded "Yes well no one ever asked and he barely left the house. He's always had a serious heart condition, was practically bed bound till just recently." Well, that explained that.

"Do you want to talk to my parents?" Mr. Johnsosn peered over his wife and nodded eagerly. Ahh, must have been a good football game yesterday.

"Yeah come on in, they're in the dinning room." I left them to handle themselves. As I climbed up the steps to my room i could hear my fathers loud cheers. God, they were too loud. I slammed my room door shut catching sight of my Cello one again. I walked over staring at my reflection in its polished wood. I picked up the book dated December 2007 flicking through the music sheets. I closed my eyes trying to imagine the sound of the cello playing it, but nothing came. I closed the book putting it back on the pile on the floor. I grabbed my mp4 player putting on my headset blocking out the sound around me with the screeches of some unknown heavy metal band. I hated this kind of music nothing about it was elegant. I most have fallen asleep at one point as when I woke up it was getting dark outside. I removed my headset, my ears ringing. It took me a moment to register the sounds of a piano playing. No Rachel always listened to piano music this was different. This was the sound of a song of song that I was sure I had only dreamt about. I jumped out of my bed running to my window but as I stuck my head out trying to figure out where it was coming from it suddenly stopped. The street fell quiet once again. I couldn't have imagined it this time, could I?https://www.wattpad.com/story/104747875-344-days-of-ash