Girls will be Girls [Alena] ●

[Diana Maksim]

The door to the school's main office closed behind Diana. A tacky neon orange visitor sticker with her name on it was adhered to her shirt. The white haired, blue eyed eldest of the Maksim girls wanted to peel it off and chuck it in the nearest waste receptacle, but she knew the importance of security in this day and age. As low tech as it was, it still served its purpose. An unfamiliar face without the sticker would immediately earn the scrutiny of security and staff. And in Di's case, it was a must. She already stood out since she towered over most of the high school girls around her at 6' tall.

Diana couldn't help the bittersweet memories of her stint in high school. She almost let herself fall into them and dwell on all the "what if's" of the choices she'd made and what would have happened if she'd chosen a different path. Instead she pushed those thoughts and memories away. That's not why she was here. There would be no reminiscing this day.

Nikolai's surprise visit to her job the other day, made her think about her current standing in life. They'd had a nice lunch together, and it touched her that Nik took the time out of his busy schedule to see her. She thought about how busy she was in comparison, and came back with how wanting and hollow her excuses were for not making an effort to spend time with her siblings. I mean, sure, she made the holiday family get-togethers. But she'd not spent any one on one time with her siblings in a long time. Ironically enough, there was a small wooden country sign in one of Robbin's bookshelves who's saying said it all. 'Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life'.

With that in mind, Diana resolved to make time for her family. Her first choice by a wide margin was the sibling she felt the most protective of. Alena was the baby of the family, and the most vulnerable since blind. Di had taken a special interest in the girl from day one. Diana had never made a distinction between her biological and adopted sibs. They were simply her sisters and nothing less. She'd taken the quiet girl under her wing and helped her come out of her shell during the firsT few months after her arrival. The girl said not a word at first. Diana wondered if she was mute as well as blind, though her parents assured her it was not the case.

The students in the hall thinned to almost none since they were on their way home at the end of the school day. Di knew Alena often stayed late after classes to practive her music and composing. Diana reached the music room, as per the directions from the office staff, and stopped at the door. She wondered what she would say. This was a spur of the moment thing, and she hadn't even thought of where they would go. With a sigh, she reached out and turned the door knob and pushed the door open. She'd think of something.

"Hey, Kiddo" She said to announce her presence. She was sure Alena would recognize her voice instantly. "Any chance you might be able to skip on this today?. I need a date for a girl' s night out". Diana asked, getting to the point quickly. A smile at her lips would go unseen, but Diana knew Alena well enough to know that her sister was very perceptive. Its like Alena could see a person's face by their voice. It never ceased to amaze her.

Alena Maksim

[Alena Maksim]

Classes were done for the day but unlike most students, Alena wasn't in any hurry to get back home. Instead, she had opted to go to the music room for the sole purpose of working on one of her songs that she had been stuck on for the better part of the week. The music teacher had been kind enough to let her use one of the adjoining practice rooms whenever she wanted. Today, Alena had decided to bring her violin to school so that she could work on the composition. Sure, there was a piano readily available in the room but this particular song needed the violin's voice in order to make it come alive. Usually, Alena didn't like bringing her precious violin to the school because she didn't want to risk it getting damaged in any way. It couldn't be helped however when it was difficult at best to find time to practice at home, not to mention the song in question was for one of her siblings and she wanted to surprise them, something that was difficult to do if they could hear her practicing to say the least of thing.

Carefully placing her violin case on the piano bench, Alena felt along the case, tracing along the edge to find the clasps that held it shut. It was a simple matter to find the clasps and open the case before carefully lifting the violin out, smiling a little at the familiar smooth, almost glassy texture before setting her chin on it before locating the bow. The sound it made as she ran the bow along the strings was beautiful, even for a simple scale to ensure that it was tuned correctly. Alena could easily get lost in her music, she loved composing, it was her way of expressing herself in a way that words never could sufficiently express. With music, she could 'say' what she wanted and let the music weave a story in a way that words never would have been able to. To Alena, her music was an extension of herself and the one thing she would never give up as long as she lived.

The first few notes of the song hit the air, causing a small smile to appear on Alena's features as she painted a picture with sound. In many ways, composing was like creating a work of art except the picture was left to the listener's imagination instead of strictly what was seen on the canvas. Vibrant tones filled the room as Alena created the scene in her mind of flowers blooming in spring. She could almost see them blooming in her mind's eye as the earth awakened from the long winter, casting off the white blanket that had enveloped it before. The soft, almost somber tones gave way to vibrant, bright tones as Alena made the violin sing about the birth of new life and of the changing of seasons that she could see so clearly.

Alena was so absorbed in her music that she didn't hear Diana walk into the room, nor did she comprehend the words that her older sister had spoken. She was lost in her own world, enraptured by the sweet, bright tones that came from the violin in her hands. Perhaps it was because she was enjoying herself too much to understand what Diana had said or simply hadn't heard her sister. Either way, she was too focused on the sound of her violin and the masterpiece she was weaving to register the fact that there was now another person in the room with her.

~~~

Diana Maksim

[Diana Maksim]

It did not take Diana long to realize that she'd been ignored. She walked forward towards Alena with intent on getting her attention, but slowed in her approach as she let the music fill her ears. She could not place the tune at all and knew it had to be an Alena original composition. It was amazing. Diana stopped and closed her eyes and listened. The blackness started to take on color. The notes seemed to come alive in her mind and took on a life of their own. Alena's music was like an artist painting a portrait. Where there was nothing, there was now the vibrant color of each note. As it all came together, the world Alena created filled in like scenery on a stage.

Her eyes opened to gaze upon her youngest sibling, and Diana found herself dumbfounded. She could feel the notes in her heart and it responded by starting to play a melody of its own. If only Diana had her own instrument. She couldn't possibly use any in the music room. They must each belong to a student there. Then there was the communal piano, but while Diana could play, it was not to the level that would do Alena's playing any justice. So then she moved closer and lent Alena her voice. Not in words, for it was not in her to be able to create lyrics on the fly. She simply hummed what resonated to what she was hearing.

Diana had no clue what notes to lend. She had no script or bars on sheet music to follow. Nothing at all to give her any clue as to what notes Alena would play next. So she did not think about it, for thinking would lead to mistakes. She simply hummed along. Half and whole notes as a filler for the music that was already there. Somehow it worked. She watched Alena for the changes, like a musician following the conductor.

And somehow the world began to sparkle.


Alena Maksim

[Alena Maksim]

Alena wasn't aware how much time had passed since she started to play. For all she knew, it could have been a few hours or even a few minutes, time seemed to come at a stand still whenever she was composing. It was almost as if Alena was transported to a different world whenever she was creating her own music and for a few moments it was like she could see. That was one of the things Alena loved most about music, she could 'see' the world in her mind's eye and to her, it was beautiful. She didn't need to be able to physically see the world, not when she could envision it so clearly just by composing.

It didn't take long for Alena to recognize the sound of her sister's voice accompanying her melody and turned in the direction Diana's voice was coming from. She hadn't expected Diana of all people to come to her school but it was certainly a welcome surprise. The tune her sister was humming seemed to just work with what she was playing and Alena saw no reason to stop. Why would she when the music seemed to fill the room with light and Alena could almost swear she could see flowers blooming right before her very eyes.

With Diana continuing to hum, Alena continued to make her violin sing, painting the scene in her mind's eye of the gentle spring rain watering a beautiful flower bed before drawing the song to a close. The violin almost seemed to sigh as she drew it away from her chin and oh so carefully placed it back in its case. Snapping the case shut, Alena turned on her heel and immediately wrapped her arms around Diana as tight as she could. "What are you doing here, Di?"Alena asked excitedly, smiling up at her sister as she spoke,"I didn't think anyone else was in here. Are you on your way to work or something?"she continued, practically beaming up at Diana.

~~~

Diana Maksim

[Diana Maksim]

There was a slight change in the way Alena's violin was being played shortly after Diana joined with her voice. It was unmistakable, her younger sister had acknowledged her presence and adjusted to include her. It was easier now for Diana that her youngest sibling was queuing her to the changes. Alena turning to face in her direction also confirmed this. The two went on for a bit and Di found herself wanting. Gods! If only she could have picked up an instrument. It had been so long since she'd played with Alena. She really missed it. And she missed the family concerts most of all. The rare times that they all got together and played as a family. It was rare indeed, yet unforgettable.

It was strange. For all the talent in one family, few, if any, expressed interest in taking their talent public and join a band or perform as a career. In Diana's case, she just didn't see it being exciting enough. Diana liked living on the edge. Adventure and excitement were key in her choice to be a Bounty Hunter. Simply playing on a stage just didn't cut it.

Alena's playing drew to a an end and Di couldn't help the feeling of loss. She did not want the music to end. If Alena's playing could somehow be continuous as background music and play forever, all would be perfect with the world. Well... almost perfect. There was still the matter of finding that perfect someone to share your life with. And of course, Diana did want children after all.

Diana watched as the violin was lovingly placed back into its case and carefully secured. She took the last few steps to close the distance, and not a second too late. Her younger sister turned on her heel and hugged her tight. Di embraced her in return and kissed the top of her head. 'What are your doing here, Di' her sib asked looking up at her and smiling.

"I missed you , Kiddo" was Diana's reply. Her job kept her busy and it had been a while. Yeah, there were the family gatherings for the major holidays, but Diana wanted some "one on one" personal time with her siblings. Nik's visit had brought that fact to the forefront. It highlighted how her wants kept getting pushed aside and forgotten to the point that Diana decided to put them in the "needs" category. Diana never let anything get in the way of things she needed.

Alena's question of whether Di was on her way to work or something, made Di feel guilty. Her sister was beaming up at her, yet was expecting her to be just passing through. Was that the expectation of her now? Diana knelt down to be on equal height with her sister and gave her another hug as an apology of sorts. She had her own brilliant smile for her sister as she locked eyes with her and said. "Not this time, sweetie. I took the day off for some R&R and you're the first person I thought off." Diana said honestly. "I need a date for a girls night out. How about you and I storm the mall and spend ourselves into a coma?" She joked. Or was it? It was a playful exaggeration, but the promise of fun was genuine.

Another pang of something hit her as she looked into her sister's beautiful eyes. What she wouldn't give to have those eyes focus on her own instead of looking through her. 'Anything' she thought in answer to her own question. The devil was in the details.

Alena Maksim