Tara squinted at the sheet music on the piano as she repositioned her hands. "What, I was in the wrong key the whole time? Ugh!" she said allowed, despite being alone in her practice room. She replaced her hands on the piano and began to play the concerto once again. This time the music doled a haunting melody, precisely as it was meant to. "There we go, much better Tara. Now this is talent I'll say." Her grandfather beamed with enthusiasm as she hit every note precisely when it was meant to be struck, her timing immaculate. Tara had been playing the piano since she was a young girl. Between music practice and her studies, her grandmother and grandfather had kept all of her time filled with different activities, different homework. Different distractions. And she played the piece while she sat in front of the piano she could help but reminisce to the haunting melody.
"It's just so important dear. The government really needs us."
"Someone has to do the research, without research you never get results."
Her mother and father always seemed to have some Crusade, some paramount cause which they were constantly at battle with. Tara had just wanted to spend time with them. To do simple things, like go for a walk in the park. Have them show up to some of her recitals. She didn't want to feel ungrateful. She did love her grandparents, but never having her mother and father around had always made her feel empty. No matter what feat she achieved it was never going to be good enough to make them stay. To keep her family together, they were always apart. The Government sent her Mother, a political representative, off to different numbered cities all the time to give speeches and encourage their never ending reign of power. What the hell did they have representatives for when elections hadn't happened for ages. Her father, a head scientist with the Military R&D department. Often spirited away at a moment's notice to 'intensely focus' on one project or another in a top secret facility where no outsiders were permitted. DIdn't they love her? Tears were flowing down her face; she felt the stinging on her cheeks and stopped playing only when they began to fall into her grandfather's sweater as he leaned in to give her a comforting embrace.
"There there Tara, I know it's hard, but you're doing great sweetie. Let Grandpa grab you a cup of tea." Tara wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. She hated her emotions most times. "Why cry about what you can not control? Why should I keep seeking the praise of those two when they can leave me with such ease? No, I need to do what I've set my mind to, I'm going to finally win him over. It's worth the risk and then if I become his… he will also be mine. Someone who won't leave me." Tara stood and walked towards the kitchen with a nod to herself. After Tara had finished her cup of tea she had gotten a small pastry from the cupboard and then gotten dressed to begin her morning run.
While she was running she began to ponder about her plan to win Tyrion's heart." I just need to follow my plan, and it'll work. I know it'll work, it has to work." Tara had been overweight in her youth, despite being quite talented at school. She was one of the top scoring students in all of her subjects, but she often felt isolated and ignored. She never made any lasting friendships until she entered high school. Even if she performed well people would always comment on her weight or her looks. Then the summer between middle school and high school she made a change.
**
"Hey you look lost, do you need help with anything?" A man dressed in a tracksuit had asked Tara while she was sitting on a park bench looking down under shoes generally upset with herself. It was the day after middle school ended and she had decided that she wanted to go to the park for a walk. She had run into a group of students from her class, now tears streaked her face. "I just… I'm fine…" The man sat down next to her saying, " You know what, I think I was probably around your age when I used to weigh over 140 kilograms." Tara gave him a sideways glance and responded, " you? No way you're a total jock. There's no way you were ever… just no." Tara looked down at her feet again as another tear fell off her chin. "Yeah, it might be tough to believe with the shape I'm in now. No one just looks this way though you know. It takes hard work, you have to make a decision. You have to decide you've had enough, and it's time to mold yourself into what you want to be. Instead of letting the world turn you into what it feels like you should be." Tara looked up just as he pulled out his cell phone and sifted through it until he found an old photo on himself to show her. "Oh my God! That was you?" Tara was staring at a boy that was around her age but must have weighed at least 40 Kilograms more than her. "Look, you look down. And I can't stand to see people feeling like that… so what I'm saying is, I'll help you out if you want. My name's Issac." The man awkwardly managed to say to her. Seeing him fumble over his words brought a smile to Tara's face. "Okay you're right. I'm not someone who takes anything lying down and I'm not somebody who likes failing. I have a goal and I think this will help me achieve it. My name is Tara by the way. What should I do?"
After that meeting Tara went every day to the park except for Saturdays when her grandparents wanted to spend time with her. She trained with the man running, doing push-ups, sit-ups, and all sorts of other workouts that she didn't even remember the name of. By the time high school started with a light bit of makeup she had transformed into a completely different girl. She had gone from an overweight, over-achiever to a young woman at the top of her class. She was at the top of her game and at the top of most of the boys lists. It had been the first time she had ever had to reject boys. A completely foreign concept to her. Luckily her grandparents had enrolled her in an all-girls Academy for her High School. The only time the boys approached her was at train stations or while she was walking home to her house. One of those times, a group of three boys approached her. It was late at night after she was returning home from a studying session at the library. She had lost track of time and didn't realize that she was almost missing the final train.
"Hey pretty girl, that dress you got on is looking like fine wrapping paper. Why don't you come over here and be my present." The most forward one of the trio said to her as she walked off the train. " no sorry I have to go home my grandparents-" " hey girl don't worry about your grandparents they won't miss you." The boy cut her off as he approached her and put his hand up to grab her arm. " Slap! Keep your hands off of her. Didn't you hear tell you no?" She hadn't even seen that behind her coming out of the train car was Tyrion with Mark in tow. Tyrion had slapped the boy's hand away from grabbing her. "Yeah you malignant tumor. If a lady doesn't want you around then make yourself scarce." Mark said as he walked up to the three boys and towered over top of them. "Shit, let's get the fuck out of here that guy's huge man." one of the other boys said and all three of them turned and ran away. "Are you all right Tara? None of them managed to do anything to you did they?" Power just stared at him startled. She had remembered seeing Mark and Tyrion and her middle school as well. Mark and Tyrion were always going to the sports events after school and she was always studying and then going to her piano classes. She had never imagined, for even a second, that a boy as good looking as Tyrion would have known her name. Much less identified her, after the transformation she had gone through during the summer. "No, I think I'm okay now." Tara said coyly as her cheeks blushed. Mark gave her a knowing look and then asked, "Why don't we walk you home the rest of the way? Then Ty here will sleep easy knowing you're actually going to be safe." Mark assumed her answer was going to be yes and ushered them both towards the exit of the train platform.
After that day Tyrion, Tara and Mark started to regularly hang out with each other. Tara had kept her feelings secret for the entirety of high school and all the way into Military University.