Mordred the concertmaster

     The twins, Nessa and I had become good friends with Braxton and Marley. I was excited to see them perform in the big talent show. Marley was entering with her Viola again and doing another lament. She and Nessa had even swapped bowing techniques for the stringed instruments.

     I had to get to sleep, but I was so excited, I just couldn’t close my eyes. I wouldn’t be performing until late afternoon. There had been so many people who entered the show that they had to draw names for time slots. I thought about it. This could be my moment to completely realize my dream of being my own definition of concertmaster and not the one defined by the orchestra. I pictured my name up in lights alongside my sister and Wila and Mina. We had become the greatest musicians in Neopia! I slowly started to drift off as my mind began to dream deeper about the grandeur only a ten-year-old could imagine.

     ***

     It was six am and everyone who was in the contest was already backstage and setting up. The show started at exactly seven thirty in the morning. The audience was continuing to file in. I kept peaking out from backstage to get a glimpse of everyone.

      Backstage my friends were all getting their instruments ready and Braxton was having a mild panic attack. When he saw the volume of the crowd he had become extremely nervous. As I looked over the crowd I saw a sign held up by a stout Tonu and a pretty Grarrl. Beside the Grarrl was a Green Ixi, maybe a year or two older than me. She had big blue eyes and bright pink braces that matched her pink hair. She also held a sign.

     The bigger sign read “Happy twentieth birthday Braxton, love Mom, Dad and Bethany”

     Bethany, the Ixi’s sign read “Happy birthday to the best big brother!”

     It was honestly adorable. The month of sleeping, January seventh was Braxton’s birthday. He had the same birthday as my cousin Lia in Shenkuu.

     I went backstage and over to him, signing for my friends and sister to follow. I signed to them first and then we all wished him a happy birthday. When he asked how we knew, I told him his family was in the audience with signs and that cheered him up considerably.

     The Master of ceremonies entered the stage. It was Sylvia! She began by greeting and thanking the audience for coming out so early in the morning and spoke of the incredible talent lined up for the day.

     First up was a tall Green Gelert, he was overconfident and rather rude. He hadn’t sung in his round but had planned on singing this time. According to a pink scorchio who had entered with a set of Rimbatubes, the Gelert couldn’t sing half as well as he could play the guitar. I found this to be true, even if I couldn’t hear him.

     After his performance, I assumed there were polite claps here and there in the audience, but for the most part, there was nothing. If silence had a sound, it was this. I could feel it when hundreds of people were clapping. I couldn’t help but peek out and look at the audience from my spot backstage. The Neovian concert stage was set up so that the stage crew could do just that for any musical numbers or theatrical performances. Yep, there were few people clapping. This guy must have been terrible. Perhaps he should have just stuck to instrumental performance.

     While observing the crowd I noticed a White Ixi, she was too far away and deep into the crowd for me to get a very good look at her, but she resembled the lady from Twisted roses. I couldn’t think of her name right now because there’s far too much going on, despite Twisted roses being my favourite. My brain was just not functioning for names today. That’s when I noticed the VIP section behind the judges' table. It had several local celebrities including the haunted woods Yooyuball team! It also held the lead guitarist and singer from the band Gruundo. My sister had had a crush on him since she was fourteen. She was eighteen now and still very much had a crush on him. The lady from twisted roses didn’t care much for following the norm, I remember reading in an interview. So it just might be her sitting in the back!

     I ran backstage to tell Nessa about the people in the audience.

     “Are you sure it wasn’t just Nana?” She signed to me. “She’s sitting in there with mom, dad and like fifteen of our cousins.”

     I insisted I saw what I saw and pointed out that our (ridiculously large) family was sitting closer than that. I also pointed out that the lead guitarist of Gruundo was in the audience, which sent Nessa straight to the backstage powder room to make sure her hair was perfect and there was nothing stuck in her teeth.

     Braxton, for his part had made the mistake of following me to see the crowd as the next contestants were getting ready to enter the stage. He started having a mild panic attacks again. I gently took his hand. I couldn’t verbally communicate with him. I had been born profoundly deaf. Assistance tools that would have allowed me to learn verbal communication were unfortunately never a possibility for a child missing parts of his inner ears. So holding his hand to try to help him calm down was the best I could do. To his credit, he had begun learning how to sign. He had thought it a good idea considering he had been hired for tasks in the Neovian concert hall that would bring him in direct contact with both orchestras.

     My friend looked down at me and smiled. Wila had noticed what was going on and had taken his other hand and we both pulled him away from the curtains so he wouldn’t see any more of the audience.

     Braxton, Wila and I watched as the next act went onto the stage. They were a pair of identical twin Blue Kacheeks with ringlet dark brown hair and goofy, happy-go-lucky grins. Both of them had accordions.

     “What are their names?” I asked Wila.

     “Al and Yang Kovic,” she signed to me and then began grinning. “They’re playing Polka!”

     Polka was a distinct genre of music that delighted people. I didn’t have much experience feeling this type of music in the instruments I played. I looked out at the crowd a final time before leading Braxton away from the curtains. The audience was smiling, clapping and laughing at the silly Kacheek twins. Everyone backstage enjoyed their performance as well. I briefly wondered if mom would let me learn the accordion. One of my aunts knew how to play, I was sure she could teach me.

     ***

     The morning dragged on with a myriad of great performances. At noon there would be an hour-long intermission so the performers and the audience could stretch and have a quick bite to eat. It was only eleven in the morning though. One more hour to go.

     Suddenly, I saw someone running out of the corner of my eye. She ran up to my sister and was speaking far too fast for me to even guess what she was saying. Lip reading as a rule was guesswork at best. I went over to her and asked what was going on.

     “Someone caught a minor dark faerie sabotaging instruments!” She signed to me, “She snapped the strings on Braxton’s Guitar and on a few cellos.”

     I ran over to the last place I had seen Braxton and sure enough, his guitar strings had been snapped. He was deeply upset. His performance slot was after the intermission, around one-thirty I think. Two and a half hours wasn’t a long time! Someone had to do something outside of chase the darkness faerie away.

     “Nessa….I’m going to run as fast as I can to the music shop!” I signed to her as serious as I could be. “I want a list of which strings I need!”

     She nodded and got me the list. Instrument strings were cheap and I had brought two months' worth of allowance because Nessa, the twins and I had planned on going out for a pizza and to the local arcade after. Saving the show was way more important! The performers weren’t supposed to leave until intermission in an hour but this was an emergency.

     Normally, it was Wila and Mina who were sneaking out of things and getting into trouble, this time it was me while my sister and friends cause a mild distraction, which by all honesty was telling the stage manager that a dark faerie had been making mischief.

     I bolted for the exit behind the stage that would take me to the lobby. I had borrowed Mina’s satchel. She and Wila never went anywhere without at least one bag between them. I had my allowance plus what Nessa and even Marley had given me to buy their instruments new strings in case the faerie came back and got the rest of the stringed instruments.

     I ran down the stairs and almost made it to the lobby doors before I bumped into the guitarist from Gruundo. He must have just been coming back from the washrooms.

     I saw him trying to talk to me, he looked more concerned than angry. I held up my hands to try to get him to stop talking and then reached into Mina’s bag and pulled out a notepad and pen. I explained to him that I was deaf and was sorry that I hadn’t heard him. I wrote down everything that was occurring backstage and my mission.

     When I looked up at the orange Grundo with green hair next, he had a serious look on his face and asked for the pen. On the notepad, he wrote. “No worries. Let’s go get those strings!”

     We left in a rush to the Music Store!

     ***

     My watch now said eleven thirty. We had made good time. We marched right into the store and were greeted.

     “Ah, Mordred, good to see you!” Came the clerk’s quick signs to me. I was a regular here with the twins and Nessa. I handed him the list of strings I needed and a note explaining what was going on. Off to the side, I noticed a cute little Faerie key chain. Like the kind you would stick on your house keys or on the zipper of your instrument case. It was an earth faerie playing the cello with sparkly green hair and eyes. I grabbed the keychain and asked for it to be included in the items.

     I dug out my allowance and to my surprise, the Gruundo guitarist helped me by splitting it. He wrote on the notepad that I was a great little guy and everyone needed a buddy like me who was willing to go above and beyond to make sure people had what they needed. A real concertmaster. He didn’t even know I was performing. I hadn’t mentioned it. I had only mentioned the damaged instruments. I DID tell him my sister was a huge fan and she would be performing, however. Perhaps he thought I was the heroic kid brother. He’d be getting a big surprise in a few hours.

     We made it back to the concert hall with time to spare. It was just after noon. Some of the distraught participants had stepped out for lunch and some fresh air. Braxton was one of those people. I saw his guitar, he had left it with Marley and my sister. He had promised to bring our little circle back lunch. I got down to business. I distributed the cello strings to the people who had stayed and fished out the violin and viola strings Marley and Nessa had sent me to get as backups in case the little faerie returned for more trouble.

     I saw the lead guitarist and singer from Gruundo approach Marley as I was handing her the viola strings she requested. I watched him ask where the owner of the acoustic guitar was. Marley told him Braxton had stepped out. I didn’t quite catch the next question, but I think I saw him ask if Braxton would be mad if he changed his guitar strings for him. I was going to assume Marley had told him to go for it, because the Orange Grundo with the green hair began fixing Braxton’s guitar.

     Meanwhile, Marley, whose face was turning an impossible shade of red for an already Red Nimmo was trying to hide in her mess of dark blonde hair. She stood mesmerized. The Orange Gruundo got my attention…..in hindsight I probably should have asked his name when I initially met him in the lobby.

     He scribbled down on a piece of paper asking me to find my sister. He wanted to meet her (as I had mentioned she was a huge fan) so I went and found her and told her someone wanted to meet her. Cautiously, she followed me, unsure if it was a little brother’s pranks or if some new development had occurred. To say she was shocked would be the understatement of the year. I watched her struggle to introduce herself as she stumbled over verbally saying her own name. When Braxton returned, he shyly accepted his restored guitar and thanked the Grundo profusely.

     It was rounding on time to get back on with the show. The orange Grundo returned to his seat in the audience and those who had fixed their instruments assisted those who were still in the process. Immediately after lunch was the pink scorchio with the Rimbatubes followed by a few of the cellists. Two of them were another duet and played a hard rock song.

     ***

     The Rimbatubes had been an interesting act. The twins had described it as strange hollow-like music. The cellists were interesting too. Although, one of them had another, unforeseen malfunction when the hairs on his bow started snapping during play.

     Braxton was set to play next after a Shoyru with an oboe. He looked super nervous. That was when I remembered the faerie keychain I had bought at the Music Store. I had gotten it for him. I went over to Mina’s bag and fished the trinket out and ran up to him. I stuck the keychain on his belt loop. Much to his surprise and gave him a note I wrote out which said;

     This is Arlee the earth Faerie! She likes the cello and music and she’s your fan! She’s here to remind you that it’s ok to be nervous and to take a step back and that you have a support system who are here for you.

     He thanked me in what little sign he had been able to learn and smiled. He then went out and took his place on stage. He captivated not only the audience, but everyone backstage as well. He was doing a love song. The twins had described his voice as silky and caught somewhere between a high bass and a tenor (whatever those sounded like.) and Marley and Nessa had described his voice as warm and smooth and comforting.

     You know that face girls make when they see something so ridiculously cute that it makes them cry, but they try super hard not to by getting all wide-eyed and scrunching their faces up? That was the look of pretty much all the girls and several guys backstage and even in the audience! Needless to say, I think good old Braxton would be celebrating his birthday with a high placement in the talent show!

     When he was finished he received a standing ovation from the audience. I could see them all cheering, (Braxton was trying very hard not to lose his composure and pass out.) he had done it! He made his way backstage and got a supportive hug from Marley and one from Nessa. He sat down because his legs had pretty much turned to jelly at that point. The twins and I also took turns congratulating him on an excellent performance. He was very happy. Even though he had severe stage fright he had gone out there and he had performed. It made me very happy to see a friend succeed.

     ***

     I was set to go on after Wila and Mina. The talent show was starting to wind down on contestants. The twins were just finishing up. I had the hot pink seven-string electric violin Nessa and I had borrowed from Melanie. It was primed and ready, the bow had a generous helping of rosin on it and was ready. I was ready! The twins took their bow and returned backstage. We exchanged brief high-fives and they went to put their flutes away. A gentle nudge to my shoulder from Braxton told me that I was being called to the stage. I went and took my place in the centre under the dazzling spotlights.

     I could see the audience clearly now. I could see my family, Braxton’s family. The twin’s family was there. The VIP section was loaded with pretty awesome people. I noticed Zo Jr. Smiling at me. I had met him and even hung out with him a few times. I was in the same grade as one of his younger cousins. This same cousin was also in my advanced placement math and science classes.

     I began. It was a gentle opening. Even on an electric violin, the opening for Canon in D had a rock sound to it, Nessa had told me. It quickly was apparent I wasn’t playing regular Canon in D, but was spiralling into Canon rock. As soon as I hit the arpeggios it became clear.

     When I was finished I looked at the audience. The faces I saw were both delighted and awe-struck. The face of Gruundo’s guitarist was a mixture of shock, awe and excitement. I saw several people rise to applaud me and honestly, it made my entire day. I took my bow and went backstage. Handing off the violin to my sister who was next. After her just one more contestant.

     I watched my sister take her place on stage. I watched her carefully. She began and then she started dancing! She had said she had been taking a dance class at Brightvale on top of her music program, but this was amazing!

     She did a perfect pirouette followed immediately by slamming her foot down and drawing out a hard F sharp on the instrument. I watched her fingers and realized she was playing Gruundo’s hit song Moon rock rampage (no relation to the popular arcade game.) I bet the guitarist in the audience was delighted to see his song performed by a fan who could dance and play the violin at the same time.

     Honestly, if I wanted to take over the music world. I would need to know how to dance like that! I mean, she had been teaching me basic steps, but what she was doing now was far beyond that! I made a mental note to ask Nessa to teach me more. I vowed I’d follow my big sister all the way to Brightvale to do it! Her performance was absolutely stunning. When she was done, she was met with a standing ovation. I saw the orange Grundo fist pump the air in his excitement!

     As Nessa made her way backstage, the final contestant made her way out. A tall Shadow Ixi and she was carrying a jet black hurdy-gurdy! That was an amazing instrument and also a super expensive one!

     She began. My sister stood enthralled by the instrument. My sister told me the Ixi was playing twisted roses self-titled hit from their fifth album. It was completely amazing!

     ***

     It took an hour and a half before we were called back on stage. The judges started with the people who were given honourable mentions for their performances and then the people who had placed eleventh to twenty-fifth and then he called my group. The people in the top ten.

     I waited eagerly to see where I had landed. Two sets of twins beside me. Wila and Mina to my left and Al and Yang Kovic the accordion-playing Kacheek twins to my right. Marley had placed in seventh for playing one of Neopia’s hardest viola laments.

     I watched the lead judge eagerly! He was speaking too fast for me to understand anything. I saw Wila and Mina step forward. They had achieved sixth place, followed by the Kovic twins who had taken fifth.

     Braxton shyly stepped forward when his name was called for fourth. He accepted his bouquet of flowers and his medal and shyly hurried back into place. I could see his parents and sister in the audience. They looked so proud of him!

     I felt a gentle tug as my sister took my hand and lead me to the front of the stage. She signed to me what was being said, much to the shock of all four judges and a vast majority of the audience. Third place had gone to a deaf musician and to the audience that seemed like an achievement worthy of a standing ovation. The shocked lead judge handed me the bouquet and a small third-place trophy. I would be allowed to collect the prize money later. I thanked him and my sister translated for me as I made my replies. I stepped back into line and was rewarded by a gentle pat on the back from Braxton, Marley and both sets of twins.

     Second place had gone to the tall Shadow Ixi, her name was Darla. She was overjoyed at her accomplishment. The first place obviously went to my big sister. Vanessa Imogen Dulac stepped forward to claim her bouquet of flowers and her trophy. She proudly stood as straight as I ever saw her when she didn’t have a violin on her shoulder. The Pink Kougra brushed a stray lock of her jet-black hair out of her face, trying not to cry at her accomplishment. She had learned just as well as I had that our dreams of a musical career were achievable outside of our local orchestra.

     ***

     The next day Nessa and I were at the Music Store. I finally had enough for that seven-string electric violin I wanted. Vanessa had got one too! We both had some Neopoints left over so we split on an amp. Nessa said it would stay home with me, as she had access to amps back at the university.

     On our way out of the store we bumped into an orange Grundo and a pretty White Ixi. As it so happened it was the Ixi from twisted roses!!

     They spoke to Nessa who translated it into the sign for me. I was over the moon at what I was being told. My biggest dream was going to come true after all!

     Not only did Twisted roses want Nessa and I to open a show for them, but Gruundo did as well!! That was one more band than I had ever dreamed of! Obviously, we had to ask our parents, so we introduced them! Our dad who was as huge a twisted roses fan as his daughter was overjoyed at the idea his could were going to open a show for them. Even our mother, who disliked rock music was proud and began making immediate travel arrangements for us to go to the Tyrannian concert hall.

     Everything was a possibility and I had achieved my biggest dreams. I could only wait to see what adventure happened next.

     The End.