Music

It has always been my refuge, my passion, my world. I started singing when I was five and started playing the guitar when I was eleven. I have this deep connection with words and rhythm, I feel like I'm floating everytime I sing or play the instrument.

I stopped singing for years to focus on my studies and build a career, but deep down I knew I stopped because I didn't want to remember him--that one person I had deep connection with. He's the type of person who will accompany you to sing, we were already communicating..expressing ourselves.

Yet, I still found my way back to music. The moment I felt like I was ready again. I came back here.

Music keeps my blood pumping. It gives me purpose.

"Hey girl, you're so good" Elise Shen opened to me when I arrived at the cafeteria. She's not wearing make-up today which is unusual. Elise and I went to the same college but we never really talked then. When I saw that we were in the same company that's the time I initiated to talk with her. Although she is assigned to another department.

I put down the tray I was carrying and sat in the empty seat. I turned to her. "Why"

"What, why!? Haven't you been online yet!?" She looked at me through her round glasses."Your video went viral! You already have 600 thousand views and counting!"

"Yes xiaoxiao" Feng Lichen turned to me, her boyfriend. "Your voice is so beautiful and also the song you sang is nice. What is it? Made by you? It doesn't look familiar."

I frowned and remember the video I uploaded recently. It was a video of me singing one of my compositions while playing the guitar.

"Yes I wrote that song. But seriously? It went viral? Impossible!" I laughed "Almost no one listens to my work."

Elise shen took out her phone and open her facebook account. "Here, ow wait let me just find it."

I started eating while she was fiddling with her facebook. Deep inside, I am thinking of what I uploaded. 600 thousand views? It's impossible. I uploaded that video out of boredom and most of my uploads are barely 500 view. So that's imposs--

"Here" Elise shen showed her phonr in front of me.

My eyes widened when I saw that they were right. Now it has 800 thousand views, 300 thousand likes and 200 thousand shares.

Holy shit!

I tooked Elise's phone and unbelievably scrolled down in the comments. Most are compliments and others also mentioned their friends. Oh my God! This is impossible! I looked at the video again to check if that was my video and affirmative!

"See? Geez! Xiaoxiao how could you miss this out?" Elise laughed

"I don't know.. Isn't that I went home to the province. You know the signal there is weak so I also have no internet connection for a few days." I pressed the log-out button. "Can I log-in my account for a minute?"

And when I opened my facebook account, I was inundated with notifications and messsges. Shit! Elise is right. How can I miss out like this! I just ignored the notifications that were all comments, likes and shares. I immediately opened my messages and again full of praise.

There's a message I finally opened from a woman named Wu miaoji

"Good day Ms.chen

I am from the Music festival and we are holding this event in the whole country A. We have seen your video and we saw potential in your talent. We would like to request for your appearance and performance for the said Music Festival which will be held in country X this 14th-15th of the month. Transportation and accommodation with complimentary breakfast will be on us.

Immediate response and confirmation is highly appreciated. Thankyou!"

I was shocked and immediately covered my mouth.

"Oh my god" i just whispered

"What now?" Elise took her phone and read the message. "MyGod! Xiaoxiao will you perform here? Geez! you are famous now!"

"Wait, Let me search it if who's band are they gonna featured this time"

I stood next to elise and watched her search for the bands that highlighted this music festival. I saw a list of different neophyte and popular bands. Then my heart skipped a beat when I saw that name of the band:

SERENITY...

"Hi, Ms.chen?" A woman greeted me with a big smile. I nodded. She's holding a bunch of papaers and wrote something on one of them before shaking my hand. "Im Su wen, one of the organizers"

I smiled at her. She's wearing jeans and white shirt. She has this long hair which suits her little face. I am probably a couple of inch taller than her.

"Im really glad you accepted my invitation. The producers really like you and you never know, this maybe your big break!" She exclaimed with excitement. We started walking towards a white car.

"I should be the one to thank you. I've always wanted to be part of this. I've watched many of this but it's very overwhelming if your the one who will perform."

"Of course! Just organizing this festival is already a pleasure for me. I felt like, I give life to the many people who did concert through music. It's amazing, how different people can be drawn together by music." She chuckled "I'm frustrated singer, unfortunately I was asleep when the God poured a beautiful voices, you caught it all."

I laughed

"Well, I hope you're ready" She winked.

I hope I am. I only feel mixed of nervousness and excitement. I haven't perform for something this big, although I've been performing since highschool but this one is different. This is the one of the most anticipated events in the music industry.

I hold my bag and guitar carefully as we approach the car. A man wearing white shirt and a jeans greeted us.

"Jungxi this is Ms. Chen"

"Oh our automatic superstar" He laughed and we shook hands.

"He's one of the organizers." Su wen explained

"No it's not" I smiled and shook his hand. He opened the door of the car and pointed inside.

"Sit wherever you're comfortable," Su wen said

"We're just waiting for the others."

"Let me have this,"Jungxi pointed to the guitar I was carrying. "Let's just put it in the back."

I nodded and gave it to him. I sat in the back and farthest part of the car. I grabbed my phone and earphones from my bag and plugged it in. I started playing the new song I made, trying to internalize the whole music.

Oh my God, this is really happening isn't it?

After my son, the song from serenity is next to my playlist. Damn, I can't believe I'll be meeting him again. They started to shine when we were just in college but they firsr founded the band when we were high school students, and ever since, they stuck to each other. No one quits and there's no new member, they were the originals.

I'm complete with their albums and I actually brought them with me now. It's been a long time since I last spoke to them, and now, I think I'm ready. I surely am.

I closed my eyes as I felt every note of their music. Starting with the cold voice of the vocalist up to every beat of their drummer.

God, I missed them.... This band.

I was distracted when the car's door opened again. I saw a familiar faces, the members of a neophyte band. I couldn't contain my happiness. This is really happening.

After a few minutes of introduction and chit-chat, the car was already full. I looked at my wristwatch and saw it was already eight in the morning. The driver started the engine and so, my adventure began...

This is your room," Su wen said as she opened the door of my room. "Take a rest first, eat your lunch then by 4pm, we'll start the program along the shore. We will still prepare the stage."

I nodded and scanned the whole place. It's breath-taking. The beach was a sight to behold with pinkish white sand and blue waves. It's 10 in the morning and the sun is giving emphasis to the color of the beach.

Not so far away, there is a small stage being made for the music festival. There were also speakers where Joker Xue's Like the wind is playing

There are already a lot of people because of the music festival. I can already seen some familiar faces. Starting with celebrities, journalist and of course singers.

The rooms are like mini-houses, different cottages per room, so it was like a paradise. In the middle, there's a modern cottage with big lobsters as a design. It was the bar and restaurant.

This place feels so serene.

Su wen led me inside the room I'll be staying for three days. I put my bag and guitar in the bed immediately.

"Here," su wen handed me a paper. "This is the program flow, you will be performing after Incendiary, around 6:00."

I smiled and took a deep breath.

"I'll see you later, Ms. Chen."

After Su wen left, an intense silence engulf me. I laid on the bed and pinched my cheeks.

Oh my God! This is not a dream!

Silence was broken when my phone rang.I hurried to find it in my bag.

It was Elise. I swiped to answer.

"Girl, what's the news?" She asked hurriedly

"Don't you have a job?" I laughed, "You call me in office hours."

"It's unfair you know. They didn't approve my leave. We should be there together."

I can imagine her pouting.

"I just arrived here. I feel elated. There's so many famous, then I will also perform? What have I done to deserve this?"

"I've been telling you for a long time that your voice is beautiful. And you deserve that. Just remember, keep your feet on the ground."

"Geez! you thought too much!" I take a deep breath. "I hope you are here too so I can have someone with me"

"Go ahead and make me envy you! Oh no! Mr.xu is looking at me badly. Let's talk again later. Loveyou!"

"I'll just tag you in my photos" I'm laughing so hard!

"Hmph rude!"

Before I could speak she hung up the phone. How rude! I send a message to my mother and told her that I had arrived safely. She was so proud of me.

I sat down and get my guitar. I started playing the song I've composed.

God knows how much I've waited for this moment. As I was pacing back and forth these four corners of the room, I stopped to look at myself in the mirror. They say, my greatest asset is my eyes that I get to my mother. I have this expressive light brown eyes framed by long and thick lashes. Back in high school, they used to call me arabian, which is why I hated my eyes, but as I grew older, I learned to embrace the beauty my eyes give to my whole appearance.

Perks of being kinda hairy, I also have thick brows. I love how they give emphasis on my already attention-grabbing eyes. I grabbed the flower crown by the side table and placed it on my head. I smiled, I rarely liked how I look but today is one of those rare days. I have this naturally curley jet-black hair so I often mistaken having different race. And again, because this is unusual, I was bullied because of this hair but also because of this I felt unique.

I have olive skin tone-- not too tan, not too fair but I'm already contented with how I look.

I'm wearing a floral dress and a yellow bikini underneath. After all, they were recommending a summer outfit. I also put light make-up, just so I'd look presentable.

A knock from the door stopped me from thinking. I took a deep breathe before I walk toward the door. I opened it and saw a big smile from Jungxi.

"Hi xiaoxiao! Wow you look beautiful" Jungxi said while looking at me from head to toe. "I hope you're ready."

I nodded and gave him a smile to conceal the nervousness I felt, although I know I failed because he laughed so hard.

"I know you'll do great. Let's go?"

I picked up my guitar and walked with him. I immediately felt the warm sand on my feet. Everybody looked so busy. There's so many people, the stage has beem set-up. Maybe this is the start of the fulfillment of my dreams.

Some people look at me which I wonder. Finally, a group of girls ran towards me, one of them was holding a camera.

"are you the went viral on weibo?" she said in a small voice. "I watched your video. Your awesome!Can I have a picture with you?"

I looked at Jungxi who was also watching us. He just smiled at us.

"Sure, Thankyou!" I replied.

The three girls stood next to me while the one took a picture. Three clicks of the camera and they thanked me and ran back to their seats.

"Welcome to the celebrity life" Jungxi teased me.

"They juust taking a picture, celebrity right away?" then I laughed

"This is just the beggining" He winked at me.

He took me backstage where I saw some bands again.

Time passes quickly, the next thing I knew, I was being called on the stage.

I heard some screams.I barely walked to the middle of the stage and sat in the high chair that was there. I positioned my guitar and took a deep breathe.

"Good evening" the first thing I said.

The sun was already setting-- the clouds, a combination of blue and orange, the beach was already quiet as if it was also participating.

Some applauded. I started strumming my guitat and closed my eyes. The cold breeze touch my skin. While the sound of the guitar wrapped my personality.

I start singing.....

I opened my eyes and I just felt the nervousness suddenly disappear from my heart.

This... this is the effect music has on me.

A familiar face from the crowd caught my attention. A man wearing a hoodie despite the venue with a big letter S printed on it. His mere stare gives me the chills, it was all too familiar.

Ye Mingjun∽ the drummer of the band Serenity.

The person I've given up everything for...