Flying Together Ch. 07

Goblin's Note: The author extends her sincere apologies to RAs, actual attendees of religious universities, and anyone who's ever actually been in an orchestra and knows the ways she got it wrong.

The concert was in eight hours. Nobody was coming. Melissa couldn't tell whether she cared about that.

Mary had every reason to hate her. She would, eventually, when she understood better. She'd understand what a horrible, deluded liar Melissa was. Melissa had never meant to help Mary. Not really. A sinking ship could tell itself it was a submarine all it liked; people still drowned.

There weren't any classes on a Saturday for either of them, so she'd spent most of the day holed up in the dorm room, drifting in and out of empty dreams. Mary was out, had been out all morning. Lizzy knew she ought to go get lunch, but lying in bed pretending she was a fallen log also felt very important right now for some reason. She just wasn't hungry.

Well, no, she was hungry. She'd just eaten two bags of honey cookies, so clearly she was hungry. Just not for. Eating.

Sylvia had put the paperwork through last night. It would be finalized first thing tomorrow morning. She'd be moving into Lucy's dorm room by 5pm tomorrow, and. That would be that.

Lucy had given her permission to sleep there for tonight, even though things weren't official yet. Lucy hated saying no to anyone. But did Lucy even like her? Did anyone here like her? Mary had only liked her because Mary was... new. She was a freshman. She was younger than Melissa. She was, what, eighteen? Nineteen? She'd needed someone to walk her through things, to guide her through the adult world, and she'd gotten a predator.

Melissa Charm let out a groan and sat up straight. She couldn't sit with this anymore.

She went over to open the window. She peered outside--nobody seemed to be out there, but her dorm was lucky enough to face the courtyard. Trees rose to flank the window, close enough that she'd thought once or twice about hanging a hummingbird feeder from a branch.

She popped the screen out, pulled it inside, and flew out of the fourth-story window. Her wings buzzed to life, carrying her down into the trees.

They weren't strictly allowed to use their windows to exit except in emergencies. They also weren't allowed to seduce freshmen. Melissa preferred that people notice one affront instead of the other.

The courtyard was empty. It was a cloudy fall day, and the leaves glistened with rainwater, telling Melissa it had just showered. Normally, the risk of rain, too, would be a deterrent for flying. Today, it felt like a guarantee she'd be left alone. She flew up to a branch and took a seat, resting her chin in her palms.

She'd just been so... so bored at the start of the semester. And lonely. And there was Mary, all cute and shy and... and confused about the littlest things, the simplest things. So easy to tease, to flirt with without admitting she was flirting, to suggest things to. And so kind to Lizzy.

Melissa heard a soft rattling from above, and a droplet of water struck her cheek as she looked up. It had started to rain again.

She felt a sting of regret. Beegirls couldn't fly in even slight rainfall--as strong as their wings were, they handled water very badly. Now she was stranded in a tree for who-knew-how-long.

Her shoulders slumped. Well, there were six hours until the concert. It wasn't like she'd had anything better to do.

Melissa leaned back against the mossy trunk and listened to the chorus of drips. Was this what it was like to fly alone? Everything felt so quiet and peaceful.

No wonder Mary liked it.

~ ~ ~ ~

"Seriously, though, what the hell do you think's going on with them? I've never seen roommates switch on each other so fast. You think it's politics?"

Alexis's shoulders heaved. As they passed by the common room's table, the vespinne retrieved a nickel from her pocket and dropped it into the swear jar. "I haven't got any idea, and it isn't any of our business."

"You aresuch a fibber." Denise shouldered her roommate.

"I'm lying that it... isn't our business?"

"Alexis, you're basically the dorm's oracle. You've got ideas about everything." Denise glanced at the jar. "Hey, what do you think Sylvia does with that money, anyways?"

"I genuinely have no idea."

"Yeah, she's tightlipped. I bet she's embezzling it. I mean, she gave me a whole lecture about pirating my textbooks, but there's no way she can afford--"

"It gets put into a pool administrated by the Resident Director, and she uses it to help fund events. Stop pirating your books, by the way. It's a crime."

"You literally photograph your books at the library, narc. I thought you said you didn't know?"

"That's not piracy." Alexis rolled her eyes, taking a seat on the couch and setting her dinner tray to the side. "And I meant about Mary and Lizzy."

"You're so full of bull."

"About--"

"About both things!"

"Nessie, it genuinely isn't our business!"

"First off, it is!" Denise sat down next to Alexis. "Because we live with them, ergo any problems they have are gonna turn into our problems sooner or later, and then the drama's gonna spread to the whole hall and we can have another Rice Cooker Situation. And second, I'm really, really curious! Like, when Mary came here, she was clinging to Lizzy's leg like a baby duckling. They were watching movies together every night, Lizzy was always getting called away to help her with things, and Lizzy was... like, she was in a better mood than I think I've ever seen her. Then one day, Lizzy starts refusing to talk to Mary, Mary acts like she shot Lizzy's puppy, and now they're fighting over who gets to move out of the room? A room which, by the way, just to draw attention--" Denise held up her hand while she took in a breath. "--is positioned directly between the exit and the bathrooms and faces the courtyard, which makes it it objectively, scientifically, the best room in the hall?"

Her monologue delivered, Denise leaned back in her seat and started pulling stuff out of her lunchbox.

"So." Alexis was rubbing her forehead, her eyes closed. "Can you... remind me why you never enter your 'legs form' when you're in public? Out here, I mean?"

Denise blinked. "Okay, so this is the bit where you ask a question that seems totally unrelated to make a point, right?"

Alexis gave a small smile. "Yes."

"Ugh." She rolled her eyes. She hesitated, but simply refusing to take the bait was never really an option with someone as stubborn as Alexis. "It's easier to sit down with two legs. And it's easier to fit on the couch with you. You know."

"Is that the only reason?"

Alexis's gaze was relentless. Denise avoided it. "Also, a lot of people are scared of spiders, and I don't like confrontation."

"Denise, you love confrontation. You'd make a great vespinne."

"I don't like that confrontation." Denise grimaced. "And you'd make a great aranea, with how you always weave around the issue like you're trying to trap me in something. You wanna make that point now?"

She met Alexis's gaze. Alexis's dark green eyes glittered with intensity. "My point is that people keep secrets for a reason. Us knowing the issue might make things even worse. I mean, it might cause more confrontations than it prevents."

Denise considered this for a moment, nibbling her bottom lip.

All eight of her eyes lit up. "... so, you do have an idea!"

"Well, yes." Alexis couldn't hold back a smirk. "I mean, I'm the dorm's oracle. Of course I have an idea."

"Yesss. I knew it. I'm the Alexis's oracle."

"I guess you can call it that~"

"Maybe I will! You can't get away with playing dumb when I know you're the second-smartest girl in the hall."

"The smartest being you."

"The smartest being me, as the Alexis's oracle. Because I always know when you know."

"You do know. And I do have a guess."

Denise bobbed her head smugly.

"But I'm not going to tell you." Alexis leaned back in her seat, her voice almost singsong as she started to dig into her dinner. "Because it's none of your business~"

Denise's smirk burned away into an infuriated pout. "Oh my God, you are such a bitch!"

Alexis gave a weary sigh, taking out a nickel and tossing it onto the table. "Swear jar, Denise."

"No throwing stuff, Lexy," Denise mimicked.

Alexis rolled her eyes and turned back to her meal, finally taking a bite.

"You think they're homosexuals?"

Alexis choked, and a bit of bread lodged in her throat. She coughed and sputtered, clutching at her neck, hacking and coughing.

"Whoa!" Denise lunged over and banged her fist on Alexis's back. "Easy does it! Chew your food, Alexis."

"That doesn't--" Alexis shook Denise's hand off, finally clearing her throat, reflexive tears in her eyes. "You complete nonce, that's literally the opposite of what you're supposed to do if someone's choking!"

"... chewing your food?"

"UGH."

"Hey, um, Alexis? Denise?"

They both looked up. Mary stood in the hallway entrance, hands clasped behind her back.

"Oh, hey, Mary!" Alexis cleared her throat again and smiled. "How's it... how's it going?"

"Um. Great, actually." Mary returned the smile, although it looked distinctly fragile.

"Really?" Denise asked. Alexis shot her a look.

"Yeah." Mary nodded. "Actually, though, there's... something I wanted to talk to you two about." She hesitated. "By the way, do you know where Ksenia is?"

~ ~ ~ ~

Moonvine was just about to close up the damn shop when that girl walked in. Two minutes to closure. May was going to be pissed with her if she got home after dark again.

It was a mothgirl. Skittish-looking, in the uniform from that university down the road. Vine didn't see folks come in here much from that place.

If May'd been here, she'd probably go and try to help, but Vine considered asking for help to be the customer's job, so she just held in a sigh and decided to make herself busy. The calathea still needed some care. That was a way to pass the time.

Every now and then, she stole a glance at the moth. There she was, fluttering from flower to flower. She looked furtive, which made Vine paranoid that she was contemplating stealing a cutting. Vine hated when customers thought they could get away with that shit.

But no, this girl didn't read like a thief. She was hovering by the bouquets, but she was barely even looking at them. Actually, she seemed a little afraid to do so.

After about five minutes past closing, Vine had had enough. "Hey, you," she called.

The mothgirl froze as stiff as a board, then took two hurried steps away from the flower display. She stared up at Vine, eyes as wide as doilies.

Vine gestured to the door. "'S past closing. Best be makin' up your mind soon."

"Oh!" The moth looked at the door, then back at Vine. Her voice trembled. "Right, yes! I'm--I'm very sorry, I didn't notice."

"I could tell." Vine tried to keep her voice light. This girl looked fragile. "You findin' everything okay?"

"Oh, um." The moth glanced nervously at the flowers, then back towards Vine, her gaze aimed carefully over the dryad's head. "Well. I was, um, wondering about..."

"Saw you dwelling by the picked roses." Vine came over, though she kept her eyes on the plants. "Got someone in mind for 'em?"

"No!" the moth squeaked. "I mean, yes, but--well, I don't want it to seem..." She hesitated. Precious past-closing-hours seconds ticked by. "I mean, a rose is so..."

"Too much?" Vine raised an eyebrow.

"I just don't know if she'd... I mean..." The moth glanced at the clock, then at her hands. Her cheeks were red. "I don't want it to seem too. Intense."

'She'.

Vine chewed her inner cheek. Ah.

She gave a sigh. "Well... you know, you could pick someone a handful of dandelions off the road and they'd probably like it just fine. Don't need a florist's help for that."

"Right."

"But givin' someone a bouquet at all is a little dramatic, don't you think? Obvious, and all. Don't want to come in too hot. In fact, I wonder if what you really want," Vine said, tapping the poor, doomed churchgirl's shoulder and leading her over to another display, "is more of a slow burn."

~ ~ ~ ~

Lizzy had decided she wasn't going to the concert.

Well, it had been decided for her. It had rained for three full hours while she'd been in that tree, and she'd had to wait another fifteen minutes to be sure her wings were dry before flying down. By then, too exhausted and worn down to even worry about Mary, she'd stumbled into the dorms and flopped onto her bed, barely registering she'd left the window open and the bottom mattress was soaked.

When she'd woken up, it was an hour to rehearsal, and she'd realized she'd forgotten to do laundry. All she had was what she was wearing--her damp, wrinkled school uniform.

So instead of going to the concert, she'd decided to go on her laptop and play every game embedded into the search engine. That took a while. It was crazy how many little games they'd put on this site instead of figuring out how to filter the AI garbage.

It was now fifteen minutes to rehearsal. Even if she showed up now, she might still get yelled at for cutting it close. Was there even any point?

Sure, it would fuck up her whole semester, and with that, her whole four-year plan. Sure, everyone in her program would hate her. Nothing she could do about it now. The choice had been made for her.

We are not compelled.

The phrase popped into her head like a bubble simmering to the surface of hot water.

She pushed it away reflexively, focusing on her game, or trying to. But she wasn't very good at this game, and every time she lost, it made her wait a few seconds to start again, and that phrase kept... bubbling back up.

Not compelled.

What was that from? Was it a Bible quote? It nagged at her like one, like something she had to feel guilty about. She just couldn't put her finger on...

We are not compelled. It was Mary's voice saying the words.

Now Lizzy remembered. That was from Week One, right after the... the first time. Mary had said that while reassuring her.

It was such... such bullshit. Mary had no idea what she was talking about. She'd barely understood what Lizzy had done. Lizzy had been so, so good at lying to herself about it that she'd fooled Mary, too.

And still, the phrase... itched. Mary had been so firm about it. If it wasn't from the Bible--and Lizzy knew the Bible pretty well--it was definitely a quote from somewhere, right?

Lizzy closed the tab, then the browser. She sat there in her chair, chewing on her lower lip.

"Screw it," she muttered, rising to her feet.

She was going to the stupid concert. It was her choice, laundry or no, and she wasn't a quitter. She'd just have to ask to borrow a uniform off Denise. Denise was close to her size, and that girl barely wore her uniform even to classes.

She went out to the common room, bracing for the stares at her disheveled appearance... only to find it empty.

Lizzy grimaced. Figures. She went to knock on Denise's and Alexis's door. There was no response. "Oh, come on."

She hesitated, then went to try Sylvia's door. Three knocks. Nothing.

"This is bullshit," she whined, knocking again, subconsciously hoping the swearword would summon Sylvia's wrath. It didn't.

She checked her phone. It was 5:25. Five minutes to rehearsal.

With a groan of frustration, Lizzy went back to her own room to get her bag. Soggy or not, she was going to this stupid concert.

~ ~ ~ ~

"Cutting it pretty close, Melissa," Joanne said with a dry chuckle as Lizzy practically fell through the doorway. "Trouble finding an umbrella?"

Lizzy was panting for breath, but she managed to straighten and smile. She knew she was drenched. "Sorry I'm late."

"Rehearsal hasn't started yet, so you're not late so much as you're not early." Their instructor waved her to her place. "Don't let it happen again."

"Got it." Lizzy hurried to the piano, flicking her wings to dry them out. She rummaged around in her bag for her sheet music, carefully secured in a plastic bag, and reviewed the first psalm they'd be performing. She knew this one by heart.

The pre-show rehearsal went by in a fuzzy blur. Lizzy played her part; it was automatic at this point. Afterward, everyone took their break, checked their instruments once more. Lizzy browsed her phone for cute animal pics.

At least she was too stressed right now to think about the... everything else. Nobody she knew would be out there tonight.

That thought put a pit in Melissa's stomach. She tried to focus on the notes.

The show was about to start. Joanne gave them a speech. Everyone was smiling. Nobody else seemed nervous.

Nobody else seemed to be relying on going numb to get through this.

I used to love music, Melissa stupidly let herself start thinking, and tears were welling in her eyes as the curtains parted.

The vocal solo started first. It was beautiful. Melissa didn't like the song much nowadays, but the way Deborah's voice rose to resonate against the curved walls of the auditorium was breathtaking. The strings coming in always made Melissa smile--and then the percussion, pounding echoes driving the song forward--and even tonight, her head lifted, and she looked at the audience to see if they felt it, too.

It was a packed auditorium. She smiled a little at that, even though it was bittersweet. Everyone else had their friends and families there to watch. It was so petty of her to resent that, but Melissa liked music because of how it affected the people she loved. Today just wasn't...

Her train of thought ground to a half. Her gaze descended upon the third aisle. Wait. Was that...?

... what are they doing here?

Ksenia was seated in the aisle seat, practically bouncing in her chair. Alexis and Denise flanked her on either side.

Lizzy stared at them, completely bewildered. She could feel the music building to her section, though, and with difficulty, she tore her gaze away and back to the music just in time to push down on the first key. Then the second key, and the melody took hold, and she stopped worrying.

She didn't need to look at the music, nor the instrument. She was good. She was good at music. Lizzy smiled, her fingers tingling as they crept across the keys, carefully efficient in every movement. This wasn't a super exciting piece to play on the piano, but the bridge was pretty fun, at least.

Of course, she wasn't really thinking about the music right now. Her head was spinning. Her dormmates were there? How many of them?

As the other musicians began to reach their places, she stole another glance, searching the same area. Alexis, Ksenia and Denise, who'd all said they couldn't make it... and there was Sylvia next to Denise, giving Lizzy a little wave. Sylvia only had a brief bout of time off in the early evenings, and she'd said she needed to spend it resting. And there was Nessa, even, who'd been the only person to outright tell Lizzy that she thought orchestras sounded boring.

As they neared the bridge, Lizzy had to return her focus to the music. She sank into the playing, occasionally stealing glances up at her friends as the concert went on. Ksenia kept going to clap every time a movement ended, only for Alexis or Denise to grab her hand and shove it back to her side. Nessa had a bunch of candies wrapped in cloth--right, Nessa was into theater, so she knew better than to bring plastic into a concert hall. Sylvia was bobbing her head to the music, hands clasped in her lap.

And Denise. Denise was. Well. Denise was recording the concert on her phone. She definitely thought she was being subtle, sheltering the phone under her coat where Alexis couldn't see. That was Denise, alright. An usher was already on their way to take care of it.