The Virtuoso

Luna sat curled up on a bench near the giant bonfire on the lake shore, watching the rest of the party-goers as they danced, drank and hooked up. She chewed on her hoodie’s drawstring and picked at a particularly stubborn bit of dried mud on the side of her trainers.

She looked down at her old, battered violin case which was on the bench next to her as the music pounded in her ears. She sighed and stretched anxiously, looking around the crowd for someone. Just then she glimpsed his fiery red hair weaving erratically through the dancers.

“Sorry that took so long. This place is huge,” Max said, holding out a red plastic cup to her.

Luna took the cup readily and nodded at Max to show her appreciation. He smiled at her and sat down beside her. He took a long sip from his own drink. His green eyes glinted in the firelight as he turned to face her.

“So, Luna, are you having a good night?”

“It’s fine,” she shrugged, taking a sip of her drink.

They sat in silence for the next few moments, looking up at the clear night sky, watching the embers from the fire crackle and ride into the air as if to join the stars, only to drift back to earth, unsuccessful in their impossible task. Max took a deep breath. Slowly, he moved his hand towards Luna’s.

He nudged her hand. Luna interlaced her fingers with his. His palms were cold and for the tiniest moment Luna could have sworn she felt his hands tremble. She turned to him, her dark brown eyes locking with his. As if by magic, the thunderous music sounded distant, like they were miles away, in a world where only they mattered. She smiled sweetly at his gleeful expression.

“I have a lot in common with those embers,” he whispered.

Luna looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Just before she had time to ask him to explain, his head quickly snapped to someone who was approaching from the crowd.

“Well, if it isn’t the two little nerds!” Jessica’s shrill voice echoed around the bonfire.

Jessica was the resident school bully, the life of the party, and had boys fawning over her every second of every day. Everybody either wanted to be her, or be with her. She clearly hadn't changed in the short week after graduation.

She looked perfect. Her long blonde hair drifted elegantly around the tops of her thigh high white boots. A tight, pink latex dress hugged her curves, and she wore thick makeup, contouring her beautiful face into the image of a goddess. She had a pair of piercing, icy eyes which always held a sadistic gleam.

She stopped right in front of them and clicked her tongue. Luna felt the comforting warmth of the bonfire disappear as Jessica stared down at them with daggers in her eyes, a malicious smirk curling at the corner of her lips as she snatched Luna’s violin case. “What’s this? Did the little princess bring her precious violin to a house party?”

“Stop!” Luna cried as Jessica opened the case

“Make me.”

Jessica removed the violin from the case. Its varnished wood gleamed in the firelight. Luna lunged at her in vain. She carelessly tossed the violin to her boyfriend, a square headed jock named Brad. The strings whined as he caught it. He caught it and looked vacantly at the delicate instrument in his hand.

“Good pass, babe. Hey Jeremy, go long!”

Luna watched as her most prized possession went sailing through the air. Her heart sank as the violin met Jeremy’s meaty hands. The strings sang as he caught it, inches away from the ground. He raised the violin above his head.

Luna felt her eyes well up. Her body moved by itself as she tackled Jessica, pinning her to the ground, her hands gripped tightly around the girl’s throat. She saw nothing but a red haze, feeling only slight prickles as the struggling girl she was pinning scratched at her forearms with perfectly manicured nails.

Luna felt a darkness in the pit of her stomach, a hollow, gnawing void as she sought revenge. Images of memories flashed through her mind. She saw all the tricks and pranks Jessica had played on her. She heard her classmates' laughter ebb and flow around her as she squeezed.

As Luna tightened her grip, Jessica began gasping for air. She spluttered, scratching even more frantically as Luna was beginning to cut off her airways.

Just then, a deep bellow erupted from the crowd that had gathered. The music abruptly cut out as the voice brought the entire party to a still silence.

“Stop this foolishness!” it commanded.

Luna was thrust out of her trance when she heard the twang and crack as her violin fell to the ground, shattered. Jeremy had dropped it when the voice startled him. She spun her head to see the owner of the voice.

He was a lanky, devilish-looking man in a well fitted three piece suit. His long black hair was neatly combed back, and he wore a cartoonishly well-kempt goatee. Luna could have sworn she saw fire burning in his dark eyes as he surveyed the scene before him.

“Honestly, is that any way to behave?”

He slowly knelt down and picked up the pieces of the broken violin. Running a long, slender finger over a large crack running through the violin's body, he glared at the two jocks.

The boys straightened, standing at attention, seeming to shrink in the strange man's presence. He gestured an open hand toward them.

“Past your prime with no real ambitions for the future. How sad.”

Jeremy and Brad opened their mouths in protest, but quickly shut them again. They trembled under his spiteful glare, not daring to move or even breathe.

He spun on his heels, approaching the two girls. He knelt next to the girls and looked down at Jessica with pity, clicking his tongue as he did so. His furious gaze softened, filling with a strange sadness, as though looking at a wounded puppy.

“Jessica Miller, looks will only get you so far in life and with an attitude like that,” he winced, mocking her.

He smirked softly, his face turning from something caring into something mischievous. He fixed his hair and turned, standing back up.

His fiery gaze settled on Luna, and a glint of pride filled his eyes. He helped her to her feet and offered his handkerchief for the tears that had streamed down her cheeks.

“Luna Elmswood, you burn with passion and ambition. You have potential.”

Beaming brightly, the strange man gave Luna a curt bow, holding her shattered violin out to her. Luna sheepishly accepted her violin, quickly and carefully placing it in the case.

A loud grunt echoed as Brad rushed forward. He swung wildly at the strange man.

"Terrible form, Bradley. You really want to throw punches from your core."

The strange man pivoted quickly, striking Brad in the stomach. Brad crumpled, landing on his knee. The man stood calmly, Brad's winded gasping and the faint crackle of the fire twisting together in harmony.

Brad stood back up and rushed forward again. His opponent grabbed his arm and effortlessly flipped him. Soaring through the air, Brad's silhouetted body contorted. He landed on the ground with a thunderous thud, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

The man smiled sadistically as Brad's beefy body lay squirming on the ground. He groaned and winced as he moved, dazed by the impact.

The cacophony of pained moans washed over the now assembled crowd, enthusiastically watching one of the town's biggest bullies lie helpless on the dusty ground. Every tiny movement caused shadows to dance on his pained face, and he let out more and more raspy groans.

After a few moments, Brad stood back up. Clearly weakened and still dazed, he stumbled forward, swinging a wild and lazy punch at the man who was at least twenty years his senior, who was chuckling.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you violence is never the answer?" the man asked in a coy and mocking tone. "Very well, enough fun."

Two sickening clacks ended the comedy of blows. The strange man struck Brad squarely on the jaw in two perfect punches. Brad's vision swam as he sailed through the air, turning black as he collapsed.

The strange man shook his hands after the punches, looking down at the unconscious body at his feet.

After a few tense moments, Brad slowly came to. His gaze washing over a stunned crowd. He grabbed his head as he weakly staggered to his feet. Walking slowly to Jeremy, who placed a comforting arm around Brad.

"Allow me to add some salt into those fresh wounds of yours,"

The man clapped his slender hands elegantly, and three burly men stepped through the crowd. He glanced over at Jessica, who had just gotten to her feet and joined Brad and Jeremy, tears streaming down her cheeks.

The three teenagers looked defeated. Jessica and Brad were dishevelled and covered in dust. They glared daggers at Luna and her saviour as the crowd's laughter echoed and rang in their ears.

“Remove those three. They are no longer welcome.”

The men nodded and escorted the three away from the bonfire. The elegant man faced Luna once more and smiled. His dark eyes flashed with another glint of pride.

“I’m so sorry about that, my dear. I’m Luci, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

He took her hand and bowed. Luna noticed a mischievous gleam in his eye as he righted himself. She smiled at him, her tears glinting in the firelight.

"Thank you, Luci."

"Don't mention it, my dear."

Luci looked over the crowd that had gathered. He walked to the DJ's booth and the loud music started up again. Luna could feel the heavy bass pounding in her chest.

Max clasped Luna's hand tightly. They silently watched as Luci began calming the storm and restarted the party. Luna turned to her oldest friend.

She stared into his sparkling eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest like a deafening drumbeat. She hugged him softly, and he gently combed his fingers through her hair as they began to sway to the music.

The two of them danced together for the rest of the night. Luna's mind swam, and her anxieties melted away as Max held her tightly. They spun and twirled and danced like the ebb and flow of the waves against the shore.

Soon the party began to die down and more and more people were making their way to their tents. Luna and Max followed suit but were stopped by Luci, who bowed deeply when he spotted them.

“Now, Luna dear, to convey my sincerest apologies, instead of making your way back to the campsite, I insist you and Mister Elliot spend the night in the house. I have something to ask you in the morning.”

Luna spluttered and was about to decline when she felt an eager Max tug at her hoodie's sleeve. She nodded slowly.

Luci smiled, "Splendid! Right this way."

With that, he turned and left, walking up the stone steps to the lake house. Luna and Max looked at each other excitedly before following him.