that m

bye. No

door closing and the low h

after him

as t

re listening now

w what to do

rs until he came back and

d, I w

It was too clean. Like no on

with no color. Art on the walls tha

and narrow. Like they wer

keep e

me

oked like a sitting room, but with

a piano in

mean to

s brushed the

Soft. Th

ilence

e something breaki

everything. Before life

bloomed beh

you

he doorway. A low mal

ply, heartbea

k hair. Kind eyes. A black button-down, ro

ntly when he

scare you," he s

n't s

ominic's cousin. I come by sometime

n back at me. "You can play

ght I wasn't allow

e shrugged. "Bu

ike it made

being nice to

ed a little. "Beca

hit so

e did?" I asked, so

said. "But Dominic doesn't always know th

e my ski

ll you to

"You think he tel

f you're smart, you'll survive him. Don't challen

llowe

e challenge

at first. Then he sai

my hands. They

o go, then paus

t he'll cut you with silence. He'll make

no. "Play something

hen h

alone

ot th

ne else saw me. And some

hey didn'

e keys again. T

another. A melo

into the silenc

ow if it wo

elt like I wasn't just

a girl

th hands.

maybe a piece