Autumn focused on taking deep, even breaths as they waited for the curtain to open on the stage. Heidi had assured her that she would be fine without any intervention, but she wasn't so confident.
All too soon, the curtain slid open, and the spotlights lit up the stage, illuminating the orchestral band. Miss Devons had finally convinced Heidi that the three main singers should be at the front of the stage. Autumn was the main singer for many of the songs. She felt butterflies fluttering around in her stomach as the crowded auditorium focused their collective attention on them. She was thankful for the blinding spotlight that made it difficult to see anything off of the stage. Miss Devons had informed them at the last minute that there was also a television crew broadcasting the event on Channel 4. No pressure here.
Heidi sang lead vocals in the first song. As Autumn fell under the spell of the music, she forgot about the crowd and gave herself up to the magic of the melody. Emotions ran high in the room as Heidi's music struck powerful chords in the spectators. A huge screen above the stage displayed imagery from the digital media class. The scenes corresponded to critical points in each song, adding a visual element to the powerful melodies. The applause after each song grew steadily louder and more enthusiastic as the entire audience fell under the same spell. There was an air of synergy that filled the large room, inducing a sense of familiarity between strangers. The final song was followed by a deafening cheer that seemed to shake the stage with its intensity.
As they ended the show, Miss Devons walked out onto the stage and took one of the microphones.
"I promised not to do this, but it just feels wrong to accept credit for something so amazing," Miss Devons began nervously, avoiding Heidi's gaze. "I think you all deserve to know that Heidi Rockwell is the person who composed and arranged all of the music you have heard tonight. She'll probably kill me for giving her the credit she deserves, but I can live with that. She's spent countless hours throughout the year composing the music for every instrument in our orchestra. I think I speak for everyone in my class when I offer Heidi my gratitude for being chosen to be involved in something so special. Her music has rekindled the mystery and awe that I have been without since childhood. Thank you, Heidi."
"You're in so much trouble," Heidi told her with a sigh.
The audience laughed good naturedly, applauding louder than before.
As the curtain went down, Autumn couldn't stop smiling. It hadn't been awkward at all, and she hadn't made any mistakes on her guitar or with her vocals. The energy from the crowd had been contagious, and she had felt more alive than any other time in her life.
Aria had been on fire with her leads as well. She had one of the most captivating voices Autumn had ever heard. Heidi's voice had definitely ruled the night though. Her voice was so filled with emotion and power that it was like a tangible force. Heidi had sung a duet with Stefan in German that left most of the audience in tears with its sublime beauty. Cody sang several songs as well, surprising everyone that didn't know him with his amazing voice.
They had an after-event celebration for the orchestral students in the cafeteria, with drinks and food. Shortly after sitting down and relaxing with their classmates, Miss Devons entered the cafeteria with several men in suits. She brought them over to Heidi and introduced one of them as a senator and another as a congressman. The remaining man was the district superintendent.
"That was one amazing show you put together," the senator declared with a wide smile. "I've never really been into music before tonight, but you've changed my outlook."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Heidi replied with a polite smile. "I know we certainly enjoyed putting it together."
"Where did you learn how to make such beautiful music?" the congressman asked curiously.
"From life," Heidi replied with a shrug. "Music is just an expression of our consciousness, and I happen to see a world full of endless beauty and wonder, so my songs reflect that."
"Those are pretty heavy thoughts for a young woman of your age," the senator noted in surprise. "How old are you, anyway?"
"Fifteen," Heidi replied. "You might say that I age differently on the inside though."
"Well I can tell you have a bright future ahead of you," the senator told her cheerfully. "I just wanted to say hello and thank you for the beautiful music."
The congressman and superintendent echoed the senator's sentiments as well before leaving.
"Do you think Miss Devons will get the funding she wants?" Aria asked thoughtfully.
"Probably," Heidi nodded. "I sure hope so. If anyone deserves it, Miss Devons does."
"It looks like people are complaining about the footage taken by Channel 4 tonight," Cody informed them as he sat down across from Heidi. "Apparently, there was some kind of blurry light that blocked the cameras from seeing Heidi's face, no matter where she was on the stage."
"What a coincidence," Aria said dryly. "The same thing seems to happen in the YouTube videos."
"That's why people are complaining so much on Channel 4's forum," Cody said with a short laugh. "They thought we were the one's putting the light blob in front of her face on the YouTube videos, and that they were finally going to get to see what she really looked like tonight."
"Life is full of disappointments," Heidi noted with a shrug.
"Just out of curiosity, why don't you want people to see your face?" their lead violinist, Angela, asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't want people gawking at me any time I go out in public," Heidi replied with a sigh. "Have you ever seen how difficult it is for anyone who becomes famous to go out in public without paparazzi hounding their every step? The last thing I need is the world viewing me under a microscope. I have too much to do before that nonsense can begin."
"So you do anticipate it happening at some point?" Cody asked shrewdly.
"Oh yes, it will definitely happen," Heidi muttered with a grimace. "It's just too soon for it to start right now."
"I think we have another god alert," Stefan announced as he joined them with his phone in front of his face. "Apparently some guy in Brazil just fell off of a massive cliff, but just before he hit the bottom he came to a stop and floated down to the ground. Then he started babbling in what people think is Ancient Greek. It took him almost twenty minutes to remember how to speak his native language again."
Heidi's eyes went distant for a moment. She suddenly smiled as her eyes came back into focus. "It looks like our plan is working."
"Which plan would that be?" Stefan asked curiously.
"The plan to save the world, of course," Heidi replied with an exuberant laugh. "It was a long shot, but it looks like it's working."
"Do you know who he is?" Stefan asked, his eyes alight with curiosity.
"He has many names, but the one you would probably recognize is Hermes," Heidi replied with a chuckle. "We always called him bitch boy, or Sarama."
Everyone stared at Heidi in shock. It wasn't just the revelation of Hermes—none of them had ever heard Heidi use a derogatory term against another person before. It was jarring to hear it come out of her mouth.
"Don't look at me like that," Heidi told them defensively. "It's a rough translation. Besides, you would have to know him to understand what I mean."
"Can I call him bitch boy when we see him?" Cody asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
"I wouldn't recommend it," Heidi replied firmly. "Not if you enjoy the use of all of your limbs anyway."
"What makes you think we're going to see him?" Aria asked Cody.
"Just a hunch," Cody answered with a glance at Heidi.
Autumn could only agree. With Athena already scheduled to visit later in the week, Autumn was pretty sure Heidi would be summoning Hermes as well.
"How many other gods are going to make an appearance?" Stefan asked Heidi carefully.
"We're not gods," Heidi replied automatically. "A lot more, if we're lucky."
"What's all this talk about gods?" Angela asked uncertainly.
"Lethe," Heidi said absently, and Angela's eyes glazed over. "We don't want talk of gods getting out yet. It's going to cause enough trouble when the world becomes convinced all of the Greek gods are returning. We don't need to start that process any sooner than it will happen naturally."
Miss Devons came back into the room with another woman following. Autumn recognized her from the Channel 4 film crew. Her eyes were pinned on Heidi as they came to a stop in front of their table.
"Heidi, this is Ms. Adams with Channel 4," Miss Devons introduced the woman. "She wanted to know if they could get an interview with you."
Heidi stared back at the woman unblinkingly as the silence began to stretch out uncomfortably. Ms. Adams began to fidget nervously as Heidi's intense gaze began to unnerve her.
"No interviews," Heidi finally responded with a note of finality. "Not now, not ever."
The woman looked taken aback, but when she opened her mouth to protest, Heidi flared into full god mode. The woman gasped and stumbled backward in sudden fear as the overpowering presence focused its displeasure on her. She kept backing up until her back hit the door. She spun around and fled, knocking over another student in her haste to escape.
"That was a little harsh," Miss Devons said disapprovingly.
"That was actually very lenient," Heidi replied coldly. "There is no place for her kind in a civilized world."
"Her kind?" Miss Devons repeated in perplexity. "What do you mean?"
"I mean the kind of people who would sell their own children for their own selfish desires," Heidi answered bleakly. "Beneath the thin veneer of polite behavior that woman harbored the heart of a soulless monster."
The room was silent as everyone stared at Heidi in awe as her overpowering presence made it clear that she was something so much more than a normal girl. She turned her gaze back to Miss Devons and some kind of information seemed to pass between the two of them. Miss Devons gasped, her face blanching as sudden tremors shook her slight frame.
"How could she?" Miss Devons whispered in horror.
"People will do terrible things in the name of personal ambition," Heidi told her quietly. "If I didn't have more important matters to attend to, I would rid this world of her kind."
The silence in the room grew even more pronounced as everyone caught the unveiled threat in Heidi's words. Autumn could tell that some of the students were wondering what more important matters Heidi was referring to. Autumn almost envied them their ignorance.
"Heidi?" Aria spoke hesitantly.
Heidi blinked, and suddenly the overpowering presence vanished. "Yes, Aria?"
"Are you going to finish your chocolate pretzels?" Aria asked with a hint of a smile.
Heidi rolled her eyes and slid the plate of chocolate pretzels down to Aria as nervous laughter rippled through the cafeteria.