The Academy

[Raven]

Symphony ducked her head, pleased that he thought so, though she wouldn't admit it, and definitely relieved to be going next, but then a thought struck her. "Does it have a title?"

[Gifted]

"Yes." Rick replied, but didn't elaborate on it. The teacher called on them and he headed up to the front. He waited for Symphony to be ready at the piano.

[Raven]

Symphony went to sit on the piano bench, placing her fingers over the keys and looking at Rick, wondering if he was going to tell the class the title of the song.

[Gifted]

He didn't. He just waited until the commotion died down and counted her in before beginning to sing his song in a slow, melancholic tone.

"I walked through the graveyard alone,
Every day I'd read the stones,
You'd say, I could be there, some day.
On top, of, the world so high,
Didn't believe that I could die
until the day you, gave me, my name.

You hand me the gravestone of my dreams,
Expect me to treat it like a trophy,
Held over my head...
Held over my head..."

His voice gathered stregnth as he reached the chorus, taking an almost pleading tone.

"But all... I... all I want to know--
Is how... do... how do I crack this stone?
I want to watch the rubble 'til the end,
Feel it cascading down on my head,
It ain't something you can mend, and I know,
That's when I will finally let go--."

It fell back into the sad tones of before, reminiscing of better times.

"Some mourners came today,
Standing 'round, admiring graves,
And they don't know, how lucky, they have it.
Young and full of wild dreams,
just like I used to be
before death, with nothing to, atone for."

His voice picked up speed, still with the same sad tones but more bitter than before. If Symphony bothered to look, she might notice that Rick seemed to keep his eyes on the teacher a bit more than was natural during this part before falling back to the tones of the chorus.

"But apologies are worthless from me,
You left me six feet under, but seven feet deep
But they do all say a dead body smells sweet...
Sickeningly sweet.

But all... I... all I want to know--
Is how... do... how do I crack this stone?
I want to watch the rubble 'til the end,
Feel it cascading down on my head,
It ain't something you can mend, and I know,
That's when I will finally let go--."

He got very quiet and sad, repeating previous lyrics for the slower bridge between the high energy chorus and the end.

"You hand me the gravestone of my dreams,
Expect me to treat it like a trophy,
But they do all say a dead body smells sweet..."

The end came and the chorus sounded just like the other two times. But the changed parts had a different feel to them. It was no longer a hint; by the end, his voice seemed genuinely pleading.

"But all... I... all I want to know--
Is how... do... how do I crack this stone?
Smash the symbol of the end,
Take it beyond what you can mend,
believe me I would, I'd fight back if I could...
Take on the world, give it one more whirl,
I'm chained to a grave but rest assured,
Until it breaks I will never let go...
Please, I want to finally let go--."

They finally finished the song and the class broke out into applause. He looked worriedly at the teacher to hear her comment.
"See? After all that complaining, you two work marvelously together." The teacher said, and Portia's shoulders sagged in relief.

[Raven]

By the end of the song, symphony was staring at Rick, shocked by the sense she'd made of the song. But it was probably just what she wanted to believe after he'd been so nice to her. He just wanted the grade. What was she thinking? It wasn't like he'd just told the government, which would have been bad enough. He'd pulled the trigger. She looked away, nodding to the teacher and going to sit.

[Gifted]

Rick hadn't noticed her staring at him, having been watching the teacher who still didn't appear to get it. The fact that it flew right over her head was a huge weight off Portia's shoulders, and he was smiling as he took his seat. "See? We did great."

[Raven]

Symphony didn't speak. She would have sat somewhere else, except all the seats were full. How could she have gotten so friendly with Portia?

[Gifted]

"What's the matter?" He asked, noting her silence and looking back at her. "We aced it, didn't we? You did really good."

[Raven]

Symphony looked at Portia with a look that clearly implied, 'You have to ask?'

[Gifted]

Portia looked genuinely confused for about a minute, and then the realization hit him. Even though he hadn't expected her to believe it, he still felt crushed. He turned away and looked out at the next performers without a word.

[Raven]

"Why did you do it?" Symphony asked as the last group went up.

[Gifted]

"Which one are you asking me?" He asked without looking at her. It was the only way he could ask if she eant writing the song or killing her mother without sounding like a heartless bastard. He'd answer either honestly. But if either wan't asked, he wasn't intending on volunteering the answer.

[Raven]

Symphony glanced at him, taking a moment to realize which other scenario he'd been talking about. And then, even though it hadn't been the question she asked, she specified, "The song." She wasn't sure she could bear the answer to the other question.

[Gifted]

"Because I do nothing but fake my way through this class.... I feel bad enough doing that without you hovering over my shoulder. I couldn't fake any emotion, so I wrote how I genuinely felt and hoped nobody would notice."

[Raven]

Symphony looked uncertain. "Really?"