(!NOTE: SPOILERS!: THIS IS AN EXCERPT OF A NOVEL I AM POSTING ON SCRATCH.) This is what I chose to submit as my writing competition entry. This chapter has not been posted yet. If you want, look below to read: When Water Whispers and Music Dances
Fingers Are the coiling of smoke Wrap around each other Bloom like a flower Feet l e v i t a t i n g then F a l l To the rhythm of the music Body flowing like the shape of water itself The music is not controlling her As fingers raise The music is spinning out of Her fingertips Like magic Like silk Like gold And then the magic The song F a d e s… …and Naia rests her arms on her lap. She smiles a little at Lumi. She looks tired and energized at the same time. “Ridiculous, right?” “No,” Lumi blurts, her eyes wide as she remembers what she has said - all those hurtful things she’s said to Naia days ago. “No, NOT ridiculous! That was amazing! You actually did that - like - how???” She pauses for a long while. The two of them look into each other’s eyes. After a moment, Lumi looks down silently. And then something that Lumi never planned to say skips out from her tongue onto the open air, a soft, quiet whisper: “I’m sorry-” “No,” interrupts Naia sharply. “No sorry.” Lumi’s eyes snap back onto Naia’s. She’s never heard Naia use that tone before, ever. Lumi takes a deep breath and opens her mouth, but then she closes it. She doesn’t know what she wants to say anymore. But Naia’s milky brown eyes seem to understand. She doesn’t have to say anything. The two of them stare again, deeply into each other’s eyes. She sees Naia’s mouth stretch slightly, which makes Lumi’s mouth crinkle. And then they’re grinning. Naia’s lips part. Lumi makes a choking sound which sets off fits of laughter from both of them, bubbling in the air around them. “You know,” says Naia, still giggling, “the only apology I’d like to receive is if you go dance and embarrass yourself right now.” “Naiaaaaaa,” Lumi wails, her lips dropping to its normal size, now not smiling. “Whyyyy? You’re making me want to dance even less!” “As long as you dance!” Naia sings, her peppy energy rising, as usual. “Nope. Not doing this.” “You know you have to!” “Wow, you’re more stubborn than Rowen,” Lumi grumbles, but she makes her way into the center of the room. Naia grins as she goes through a series of taps and slides to maneuver the app on her mother’s phone. There is a final tap and music struggles to get out from the tiny speaker. Lumi starts to tap her toes. She waves her arms meekly in an arch shape. Naia looks amused. “Hey, it’s a rainbow!” She protests. Naia raises her eyebrows. “Fine. I don’t know what I’m doing,” Lumi admits. “Don’t care. Do something!” “I am doing something,” Lumi snaps suddenly. Naia doesn’t say anything. It is so annoying that she almost regrets apologizing. Almost. Naia grabs the phone again and clicks a button twice on the side. The music starts to play louder. Lumi has no idea why Naia’s done this, because the volume level before would probably break anyone’s eardrums. Every time she makes a movement, thoughts like “you look ridiculous!” begin to type themselves into her mind, and she feels very conscious about how weird she looks. But then she lets go. The music is so loud now that it doesn’t leave any space for her thoughts. She lets the thoughts out of her mind, and all that is there is her dance. She closes her eyes and lets herself fall into the dance of the music. All she is doing is copying it. Her fingers wave and flow like water downwards in a stream, like soft ripples from rainfall - “Wowie!” says Naia in her chipper voice. “How did you do that? You’re…like a…wait, actually I don’t know.” She tries copying Lumi dramatically. “You look like a woodpecker!” Lumi gasps, and they burst out laughing again. Lumi’s thoughts start to reveal the truth, one that she will never really admit to herself willingly: maybe, just maybe, Naia isn’t all that bad.
