I 

Downstairs, before getting in, Tom helped me store my luggage at full speed. I noticed he scanned me from head to toe and then smiled with a paternal condescension. I had dressed exactly as he instructed: comfortable for a long trip. I was wearing denim shorts, my favorite white sneakers, and a pink t-shirt with a small peach printed on the chest. It was my "battle" uniform for moving boxes or cleaning shelves, and by his reaction, I assumed it was fine.

"What a cute thing," Tom said, pointing to the keychain hanging from my bag.

It was my guilty pleasure: an Asian idol named Nappoky. She wore long colored wigs, a giant bow, and platforms almost the same size as her.

"Thanks. Do you know Nappoky?" I asked him.

"Not really, but it caught my eye," he replied kindly.

The subject died there. 

Tom opened the door of his late-model car with an excitement that clashed sharply with my mood. As we drove the first few meters, my feelings of anger and disappointment mixed with uncertainty and expectation. With that jumble of emotions, I began my journey toward String Woods.

As soon as I settled into the back seat, a figure turned around from the passenger side. It was a woman of serene beauty, with a very kind gaze and short brown hair in a French bob cut.

"Your name is Mia, right?" she asked.

Her voice had a marked French accent, soft and melodic. I recoiled; I didn't know we weren't alone.

"Tom hasn’t introduced us; I’m Yvonne. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” she commented, as if she had been told about me for a long time. “I’m from the first division and EOS’s tutor for this year’s challenge. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other in the coming months.”

“Nice to... meet you,” I replied.

Her genuine kindness made my shoulders relax for the first time all day. There was something in her tone that made me feel safe.

“Before we hit the highway, we have to pick up some things for the girls.” She handed a small sheet of paper to each of us, and Tom kept two more.

Yvonne read the first one aloud:

* Painkillers and anti-inflammatories.

* Disposable earplugs.

* Sunscreen.

* Three spare A-strings.

* Violin rosin.

* A real manager.

“'Rosin and a real manager'...” Yvonne laughed tenderly. Then, I read the next list:

* Rose’s tea; she’s going to need it. Bring a bulk pack, not a small box.

* Bubble soap.

* Rose stole my Perrubia (?); bring me 6.

* Pick up my pajamas from the dry cleaners.

* Bring something to toast to your success; make it strong so we can forget we know you.

* Cookie cereal. Not chocolate, chip—but without the chips. Vanilla only, and in mini size, don’t bring the medium ones. I don’t like them.

They asked us to repeat that last part several times; it was hard to understand the logic, and Tom began to lose his temper. What should have been a brief stop turned into a nearly four-hour ordeal driving around the city.

“I don’t know why they need so much crap!” Tom exclaimed, hitting the steering wheel. “Bubble soap? For God’s sake!”

“Who the hell takes their pajamas to the dry cleaners?” I thought, looking at the protective case hanging from the window.

“Come on, Tommy dear,” Yvonne put a comforting hand on his shoulder, “think of this as a small incentive for the surprise you’re bringing them today.”

“Surprise?” I grew alarmed. “Don’t they know I’m coming?”

“Of course they know, don’t scare her, Yvonne,” Tom cut in with a raspy voice.

“So, Mia...” Yvonne decided to change the subject. “Tell me a bit about yourself. Do you have any artistic experience?” she asked, turning a bit more toward me. “Did you take singing lessons, music theory, anything we can start with?”

“Hm...” I thought for a moment, scratching the back of my neck. “When I was twelve, I was the little cow in a school play. I only had to 'Moo' three times and that was it. I told myself: ‘Sounds easy, let’s do it,’ and I did well, for what a cow can be on stage. People say I sing horribly, but I’m good at Music Hero—it’s a music video game; actually, they released a new version this month.”

Silence.

“Why is she looking at me like that?” I thought, immediately overthinking. It’s that bad habit of not knowing when to shut up when I’m nervous.

“How cute,” Yvonne laughed in a way that made me feel less ridiculous.

“Any start is a good one,” Tom chimed in from the wheel. “Look at me, I dreamed of being a tour guide and look where I ended up.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Yvonne asked, arching an eyebrow.

“That you never know what life has in store for you.”

“But this was very risky, Tommy...” Yvonne sighed, hiding her worry behind an elegant gesture. “Well, Mia, you’ll have to put a lot of effort into studying once they choose your instrument. Being part of something like this isn’t just the splendor of fame and fans; there is an excessive responsibility that our feet must bear.”

After a while, we all went silent. I stared out the window, trying to memorize every turn of the road to know exactly where we were headed, but the exhaustion of the last few days overcame me, and without realizing it, I fell fast asleep against the glass.

I was awakened by the screeching of a large gate opening. Shortly after, the roar of the engine died down, letting the silence of the forest surround the car in front of the main entrance. I was terrified; my pulse quickened with such force that the buzzing in my ears prevented me from hearing my own thoughts. I felt miniscule before the immensity of that mansion.

The luxury screaming from every part of it reminded me of how indifferent and simple I was, and it made me wonder: how grand was EOS to be embraced by such magnitude? And how did I dare intrude upon it?

I got out of the car.

From afar, through the window of a high floor, I spotted the backlit silhouette of a woman watching me with her arms crossed. I didn’t like how things were going.

“Welcome to your new home, Mia,” Tom said timely, carrying my luggage.

I ignored that; there was nothing I could really do. However, uneasiness made me stop before entering.

“Yvonne... do you think that I... that I can make it?”

“Learning to play an instrument isn’t the problem, honey...” she replied with an enigmatic half-smile. “The real problem has just arrived.”

The sound of heels approached me with haste, but without desperation. The sound was rhythmic; they seemed unconsciously in sync even in that. I felt them draw near and, as I looked up toward the other end of the long staircase, there they were, the four of them.

“What is this?” That was my welcome. Three words loaded with disgust and disappointment.

II

I felt someone behind me take my shoulders, trying to give me support. 

“Ehm...” Yvonne said, “this is Mia, your new member.”

“Where are my things?” one of the girls immediately interrupted. 

She was a redhead with brown eyes. She acted as if the rest of us didn’t exist or as if she lived in a parallel reality.

“In the car,” Tom replied, tense, exchanging looks of fury with Rose. 

Rose was, without a doubt, a woman as beautiful as she was arrogant. She had short brown hair that barely grazed her shoulders and a face that seemed sculpted. Her temperament made it clear she was the leader of the group, but it also revealed she didn’t want me there. Something was definitely wrong.

“Have you gone crazy?” she asked, face to face with him. 

“Rose, we already talked about this. There’s no need to make her uncomfortable,” Tom replied, adopting a closed-off pose mirroring hers.

I hadn’t seen Tom like this; it was one thing how annoyed he was fulfilling the shopping list, but the rage he exuded speaking to Rose was not normal. She was probably the only one capable of getting under his skin like that. Or rather, I think she would drive anyone crazy.

“And how are you going to deal with my discomfort right now?” she insisted. 

Yvonne tried to pull me away from the conflict and moved me toward the other two. 

“Mia, these are Alice and Luna, cello and second violin of EOS,” she introduced them. “They will be your tutors for theory, music reading, and staging.”

Alice was a girl who at first glance seemed sweet; she had beautiful wavy blonde hair and amber eyes that tried to be compassionate toward me. Seeing that even she felt fear because of my arrival, I looked down in shame; I didn’t get to see the other one. 

“Eh... hi,” I murmured.

Involuntarily, I gripped my arm tightly because of how intimidated I felt. I didn’t know what to say; I hadn’t prepared for another closed door. I thought it would be very different. Alice pulled Yvonne aside to speak with her. I managed to hear her question in a whisper:

“Are you sure about this?” 

“I’m sure you’ll know how to handle it when it spirals out of control,” Yvonne replied quietly.

“What is it that’s going to spiral out of control?” I wondered. “What is all the secrecy they’re carrying?” My energy was being consumed by enduring this horrible moment; I wanted to leave, but the weight of a gaze upon me subdued me. I felt forced to look up and find her.

“It’s her!” I shouted in my mind. Even though the rejection I was experiencing in that house was so strong it could crush me against the floor, I could only think that I was standing in front of the woman from the red perfume. Now I knew her name... Luna.

“Mia...” Luna said. 

I shuddered. An electric current ran down my spine; it was a sensation I couldn’t define, but it made every part of my skin crawl to hear her voice pronounce my name.

“By any chance, do you have any previous musical foundation?” Luna had asked me the same question as Yvonne. I couldn’t give her the same answer. “It could even be some class you had in school. Is there anything we can start from?”

“No, to be honest... no.” Everything was so depressing. They should know this; this hadn’t been part of the agreement. “I don’t know anything about music.”

“I see...” Luna’s expression darkened, becoming analytical and distant.

I realized what Emily had warned me about. Luna watched me thoughtfully, without blinking; her blue eyes forced me to see my own fear reflected in them, and mine began to blur from the accumulation of awful feelings that were beginning to overflow.

“Tom, was she really your best option?” she asked without changing her expression. “Don’t take it the wrong way, Mia... I have no problem trying, it’s just that we...”

She stopped short. She noticed. Her eyes widened with a flash of surprise as she noticed my hand squeezing my arm with desperate strength, trying uselessly to stop my trembling. Then, her gaze transformed. With an enveloping sensuality, she smiled at me.

“Oh, Mia...” Luna began to play with her hair, analyzing me. “It must not be easy for you either, right?” 

My novelistic moment was destroyed by a burst of frustration that broke the trance.

“Why are you talking about her as if she were a member of EOS!” Rose approached aggressively. “What are you! How did he choose you! What are you doing in my house!”

“This Perrubia is for you...” The redhead interrupted the moment. 

She was exaggeratedly relaxed, with a half-smile and half-closed eyes. She distributed small boxes of rosin for the strings with an insulting calm.

“This other one is for you,” she placed them in Alice’s and Luna’s hands, approaching Rose with a little hop. “And here is your crisis control kit, so you don’t die of an attack until I can take you to therapy.” 

She handed Rose a small bag, ignoring her shouts.

“Everyone has their Perrubias now; stop stealing mine. Kleptomaniacs.”

Her attitude took a 180-degree turn as she turned toward Tom with malice and irony.

“Hey, Tom… I heard the director almost kicked you out of CDC. Everyone thinks you used your 'special charms' to convince him. I see it worked.” She squeezed his shoulder, tensing him. “Congratulations on being to the director’s taste, Tommy-Tommy.”

“How did we go from auditioning academy professionals to job interviews in a café?” Rose blurted out, squeezing the bag furiously.

“Yesterday I explained the selection process to you and Mia was the best I saw,” Tom replied, pulling out a tablet where the contract document glowed. “Enough, Rose. We’re going to sign.”