The flaming gift of the first note
The flame of the candle flickers with warmth as Ms. Shine sparks it to life. The scent of vanilla fills the house as she approaches a rectangular gift wrapped in pink adorned with a teal bow on top, seemingly forgotten on a table from when she first arrived.
It was Till’s sixth birthday. It was a day filled with joy—his mother peppering his face with kisses while his father ruffled his hair in acknowledgment.
Most children his age had classmates and friends to invite to their birthday parties. Yet, Till was surrounded only by his parents and his mother’s old school friend—coincidentally, his first-grade teacher. He knew it was because of his brash behavior that more often than not landed him in trouble causing them to steer clear of him. Despite this his smile never wavered, excitement bubbling within him. The private celebration although shattered his heart, had also filled it with warmth being surrounded by his family. Ms. Shine weaves through pieces of furniture to place the gift to where he is seated at the center of the table.
“Now, what do we say Till?” his mother peered from behind his shoulder, gently nudging him with a warm smile.
The newly turned six year old flashed a quick thanks as small hands rushed to unravel the wrapping, eager to see the treasure underneath .
Unbeknownst to him, this gift would shape his future in ways he could never imagine.
A black sleek rectangular case embellished with silver latches laid contrast to the now ripped but childish pink wrapping paper that littered the table.
“Go on now. See what’s inside.” Shine
encouraged with a patient yet expectant smile. Till glanced at his parents, catching their curious gazes as they, too, wondered what lay inside.
Flicking the latches open with ease as the case creaked when opened.
There, nestled perfectly in its lining, rested a violin. Its polished wood gleamed under the soft glow of the lights, the strings taut and waiting. The case held everything—rosin, a bow, spare strings—small trinkets that, to Till, meant little now but would soon become second nature.
“Oh my, Shine this is beautiful,” a small gasp was let out by his mother “You really didn’t have to. How much did this cost?” His father only crossed his arms in contrast. “Not to worry. It was quite the prize from my daughters dance competition. My dear Mizi has no time for an instrument in her schedule and I would hate to stress her out. Especially since she’s so young” as Till lifted the violin from its case, Ms. Shine’s eyes glimmered—not just with pride, but with the quiet certainty that this moment was the beginning of something far greater. Till’s father only nodded with skepticism yet curious to see the future of what will be with the instrument. “Till has always excelled when it comes to the preforming arts in class, I figured this would be perfect for him.”
“We’ll put it to good use, won’t we, Till?” His mothers voice was gentle as she asked yet it didn’t seem to be a question, moreso a promise. But Till wasn’t listening.
The candlelight flickered across the violin’s varnished surface as he ran his fingers along its curves, his touch reverent. A spark ignited in his chest—small, but undeniably there.
“I’ll do the best I can,” he whispered, determination simmering beneath his awe. “Just wait and see.”
Ms. Shine smiled. “Of course. I look forward to seeing how far you’ll go.”
Then, almost as an afterthought, she turned to Io. “How about we all take a photo? I know you still have that old camera from high school. You’ve always been so fond of it.”
Io chuckled, shaking her head. “You know me too well. What a wonderful idea.”
She disappeared briefly, rummaging through a storage closet before returning, the vintage camera in hand. With a flick of her fingers, the countdown was set.
3
2
1
“Everyone together now! Smile.”
They huddled close—his parents on either side, Ms. Shine’s arms wrapping around him from behind.
The camera clicked.
A moment frozen in time. A moment he would one day look back on, not yet understanding its significance.
Not yet knowing how much would change.
—
The soft melodies of the violin soon felt like second nature to Till, and rapid growth followed. It wasn’t long before he was entered into musical competitions, the most notable of them all occurred when he was 10.
It happened backstage after the interviews with the podium competitors concluded. His parents (moreso his mother) gushed and congratulated him on his win. The sweet moment was however stopped short as a short blonde approached the family, who Till recognized as his runner-up.
“Sorry to interrupt. Hello, my name is Luka Lovett, I’m sure you’ve heard of it, correct?” a white gloved hand reached out to politely shake hands with each family member. “I have a rather important request courtesy of my parents who were unable to attend today.” Confidence leaked from his words but the fidgeting of his gloved hands told Till otherwise.
“They’re requesting for you to aid in my violin lessons. I’m soon to start schooling at a prestigious academy focusing on the preforminh arts and they believe you can help with my practice, especially with us being similar in grade level.” The offer surprised Till, he knew of the Lovett’s name weighed heavy with respect. With thick air and silence, he still continued speaking.
“Do you accept? There’s nothing we can’t offer, I’m sure of it. I can recommend you to the academy, they’d be fools not to accept. Money and business deals are even easier to give, does that interest you, Mr. Urak?” Luka squinted his eyes as he smiled.
Naturally, it did interest the family, how could it not? With parents who worried of the future more often than not, refusal was not an option.
A friendship formed quickly between the two despite their differences. Luka was polite in an overly proper way, his behavior laced with artificial kindness that Till could see right through. Not that Till could judge. He, too, was forced to wear a smile—one that often felt like venom for the sake of reputation. A reality he begrudgingly grew used to.
Practices sometimes spent messing around in Lukas empty yet gigantic mansion of a house were not common but not rare either. Till enjoyed showing Luka things outside of what he was taught as the other smiled brightly with interest.
Even though Luka was accepted into the academy with such ease Till believed he never needed his help in the first place, such practices continued much to the boths joy.
The Lovett family upheld their end of the offer. Business deals were handled by his parents, leading to their move into a bigger house nearby, and luxuries soon became a common occurrence. Most importantly, Luka’s offer led to Till’s acceptance into the academy. However, his father pushed him to focus on online courses, prioritizing independent studies in the name of musical pursuits.
-
The cold breeze of winter that forced the city in soft sweaters and scarves soon changed to short sleeved arms holding cameras to capture the beauty of spring.
The duo were now forced to practice twice as hard and often. Now being in their last year at the artsy junior high academy before being pushed off to a high school in the same branch. Though that didn’t guarantee their entrance to the school. Applications were now twice as hard for they only wanted the best of the bunch to honor Anakts name.
Till didn’t mind this. Embarrassingly enough, Luka was his only friend. Online courses had isolated him from other children his age, and he was never one to seek out others. He had Luka, and that was more than enough.
The same could not be said for Luka. He rarely shared stories of his other friends at the academy, though there were times when Till would receive texts from Luka saying he’d be busy with other people.
It wasn’t long before Till met Luka’s friend group.
It was a warm mid-spring weekend, violins in their sweaty palms even with the AC. Vibrations from their forgotten tossed aside phones buzzed on the table near the lit candle while they were lost in the music and Tills stern teaching.
“It doesn’t matter if the position is uncomfortable,” Till shouted, veins threatening to burst. “In competition, they won’t care about your comfort. You’ve been completeing longer than me and you still refuse to accept this. Get a grip.”
“Well, they should care. As a Lovett, and technically speaking I’m a disabled competitor they should be more lenient and make exceptions.” Lukas lip jutted out to a pout in response.
Till had been at the Lovett household since the morning and Lukas stubbornness had him frustrated to no end. In all honesty, Till was going to beat said stubbornness out his pale face if he didn’t start listening. Before the argument could escalate, the door to the music room creaked open, and four unfamiliar faces stepped inside.
“Huh..? What are you guys doing here?” The blonde titled his head.
A tall tanned girl with equally long brown hair to match entered with an accusatory pointed finger, “Bastard, we all agreed to hang out today, remember? Did you seriously pick that violin over us-“
Before rage could take over girl, a shorter one with a black bob interjected, “We weren’t aware you had practice today.”
“Mhm! We tried texting but you weren’t responding. Did your phone die?” Long and vibrant yet soft pink locks swished as she agreed. “Be real Mizi, he barely ever even touches the thing, no way it could die.”
‘Mizi… Is that Mizi Shine..?’ Till thought as he lowered his violin.
“You’re not any better, Noona. You suck equally as much when responding to texts.” A snicker that exposed a fang escaped a blacked haired boy snapping him back to reality as he turned his head to the voice. His stare did not go unoticed like he silently hoped.
“Ah, who do we have here? Luka hyung… Don’t tell me you’ve been secretly taking someone under your wing.”The attention of the room shifted to Till.
“Quite the opposite,” golden eyes squinted at the fanged boy who matched the staring contest with equally black ones, “This is Till, my instructor since before Anakt’s applications were opened.”
The brunette seemed surprised, rushing forward to shake Till’s hand and get a closer look. “Teaching Luka himself? You must be crazy good. I’m Hyuna Revner. How come I’ve never seen you around?”
“Yeah! You’re our grade, right? If you’re his instructor—or even his friend—we should’ve seen you around. You could’ve joined us for lunch. Sorry, you probably have other friends.” Mizi stepped closer with an apologetic smile gracing her lips.
“No… It’s okay,” Till stammered, a blush creeping up his neck. “I take independent online courses. I’m… I’m Till Nivale. Nice to meet you.”
“How interesting… Ivan Opfer. A pleasure, I’m sure. This is my older sister, Sua.” He laughed as he pulled the short haired girl closer. “She’s quite shy. She plays piano, perhaps you can have a duet one day.” Ivan only laughed harder as she pushed him away.
Ivan’s laughter was contagious, and Till couldn’t help but smile as he turned to the pink-haired girl. “You’re… Mizi Shine, right?”
Mizi nodded in surprise. “Yeah! How’d you know?”
“Your mom is close with mine, she comes over often. We were in the same first grade class.” His smile now turned awkward as he cupped the back of his neck.
“Eh?! You’re Ms. Io’s son? It’s so nice to finally meet you, what a coincidence.” She smiled softly at him, “How about you come hang out with us? I’m sure Luka has had you cramped in here for a while, right? We can all get to know you, we’re going to the same high school right? Let’s be great friends, Till.”
Everyone looked expectantly at him with smiles and eyes he wouldn’t dare to refuse. The candle lit near the earlier forgotten phones burned brighter before bring blown out. A break and new friend wouldn’t be so bad.