I Will Be Free (Caitlin)

As usual, Alex arrived for her vocal lessons. She was a little sharp on her C4 and somewhat flat on her A3, but every other note she sang in the scale was in tune. I prepared her for singing for the Mindcrack sixth grade choir, something I knew would develop her voice. Obviously, Cory's piano lessons had been working for Alex.
          "I think this will prepare you for singing with the sixth grade choir" I handed her the music for 2.75. It suited Alex's personality and vocal range. She has a powerful chest voice. Her head voice is still somewhat breathy, but, as with any musical flaw, it can be fixed with practice. Alex looked at me like I had suggested that she should drink poison after glancing at the music. She sight-read reluctantly and shook her head when the time came where she had to sing "Someday I know that I will be free."
          "I can't hit the 'free' note," Alex complained. "I'm never going to be able to sing this."
          "You will. Let's start with the note a third below it." Alex sang the note. "Now, slide up to it." She sang the next note with ease, but her voice cracked. After groaning, she agreed to try it again. She hit the note momentarily, but soon dropped flat. "That's it! Now, keep it there!" We dedicated some time to having Alex hit that note. "Now, let's put it into context." She sang the line successfully three times in a row, which was not bad.
          "Did I tell you that I'm doing band next year?"
          "No. What instrument are you going to play?"
          "Probably flute. Or trumpet." Alex had the voice of a trumpet. Learning to play a delicate instrument like the flute would do her music good. We ran through the song again, but I was on the floor the next moment.

I felt like I had stood in a nether portal for too long. People rushed around me. Their once familiar faces I could not recall. I had no idea what time it was or where I was. I couldn't understand anything anyone was saying. The lights were very bright, the machines beeped loudly, and I felt like someone was splitting my skull open with an axe. I couldn't stay awake, but I couldn't sleep either. A man with blue eyes was sitting next to me talking to someone, probably a doctor. Oh, good. My memory bank didn't get too scrambled! A nurse put some headphones on my ears. They helped with the noise, but the lights were unbearable. So was the headache.
          "Her head hurts," the same blue-eyed man said. "Very badly."
          "Okay." The doctor took more notes.
I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. The man, who I now recognized as Steve, took my hand. He looked at me with a kind concern that make me cry.
          "No need to cry." Steve wiped my eyes and put a mask over my eyes since he knew the lights bothered me. I would have been screaming and crying incoherently at this point, but I was too tired to do so. I fell asleep easily, dreamlessly. Seamlessly. Into soothing respite.

After I woke up, I looked around at the others in what I now identified as the neurology unit. A young girl of about what I thought to be eight seized next to me. I felt her pain. The movements stopped and her mother gave her a plush doll to sleep with. The doll looked like the one Vivienne gave to me on my fifth birthday. I hoped the girl would be able to leave soon. I'd take her place if I could.
         "I hope she will be okay." I managed to squeeze the words past my lips. Steve looked confused, frustrated even, as I said this.
         "I don't understand. Not at all." 
         "She's going through the same thing. It's only natural that I empathize with her." Why didn't Steve get it? I seemed to be wired to notice the pain of others, but be unable to heal them. I could only hope that the girl next to me would be okay. He ran out of the room and vomited in a trashcan.I could see the pain he was trying to hide like a creeper in the vines.

I could only replay 2.75 in my head wondering if my worth was measured by my 9 to 5. If so, did others believe that what I wear dictates my place? Though I'm fed up, I'll keep my head up. I'll be fine as long as I'm a live because someday I know that I will be free.