Courtney kept her eyes casted down towards their mahogany dinner table. Her Father sat at the other side of the table, his old eyes focusing intently on the newspaper before him. He scraped gingerly at his plate of eggs that Courtney had made. 

"They're good," he said, taking a bit of the eggs. Courtney looked up, surprised

"Thank you-"

"But not as good as your mother's," he finished. Courtney slumped back against her chair as she watched him stand up and walk over to the trash. Scraping the remainder of her eggs into the garbage. 

"I'm home!" called a cheery voice from the front door. Courtney sprang up from her chair and ran into the parlor 

"Jess!" Courtney yelled, and rushed over and threw her tan arms around her older sister's shoulders.

Jess laughed and hugged her back, her long brown hair pulled back in a French braid.

"Hey Jessy," Courtney's Father smiled as he walked over to his daughters. Courtney backed away as she watched her Father hug Jess tightly in his arms.

"I'm so glad you're home, even if it's just for the weekend," Courtney smiled. Jess slowly reached down and grabbed her bags off of the ground

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be seeing you around campus too, eventually," Jess winked at her sister. Courtney smiled big and opened her mouth-

"Keep dreaming. Courtney is going to follow in her Father's footsteps and go to Harvard. Aren't you?" her Father raised an expecting brow at his younger daughter. Who deflated slightly.

"Oh come on Dad," Jess sighed "She's too talented to waste her time in medical school. She got her talent from Mom. We both did,"

Their Father laughed, his face hardening "Well, your Mother always was a dreamer,"

Courtney looked away, and felt her shoulders slump in defeat. Jess gave her younger sister a sad look, before clearing her throat 

"Well, I'm going to go unpack," she mumbled, and took her suitcase upstairs. Courtney watched her go, her long braid hanging down her back.

It was no telling that Jess had always been their Father's favorite. She was gorgeous. And incredibly talented. She had the voice of an angel. it was no wonder how she got accepted to Pinewood Academy. Only the best made the cut. 

Other than her talent, she actually looked like she belonged in the Taint Family. With her gorgeous light brown locks, and her stunning blue eyes. She looked exactly like their Mother. Courtney, however, looked completely different. An outcast. With her much darker brown hair, and her chocolate eyes. She had freckles across her cheeks that seemed completely out of the normal in their perfect-skinned family. 

Jess had always nagged her about how tan she was. Seeming how Jess herself couldn't hold a tan worth anything. Even with their Latino blood. Courtney claimed it was from her always being outside by the pool. Or when she went outside in the garden to play her violin. Which was every day. 

It was part of the reason why Courtney thought her Father despised her so much. Because she was the only outcast in the family. A speck of dirt in all of their family photos. The one who didn't belong. 

Her Mother, however, had always taught her to love her differences. That she was incredibly beautiful because of them. Courtney was her little miracle. 

Her Mother was the sole reason why she had become so interested in the arts. Even going as far as to pass down her cherished violin to her youngest daughter, right before she had passed away of cancer 5 years ago. 

Courtney played that violin, because it was her only way to communicate with her mother. She had never gone to any professional lessons, she had taught herself everything she knew with the violin. Perfecting the art of the beautiful instrument until her fingers bled. 

Ever since their Mother had died, Courtney's Father despised the idea of either of his daughters ever perusing a career in the arts. But nothing stopped Jess from going to the school of her dreams.

Now, he'd be damned if he let Courtney follow in her footsteps.

"I'm gonna go upstairs.." Courtney mumbled, her Father barely nodded at her words before returning to the kitchen table and shoving his nose back into his newspaper. 

Courtney swallowed hard and made her way upstairs, passing by Jess' door to hear her humming softly to herself on the other side of her closed door. Courtney decided not to bother her, and walked down the hall and into her own bedroom. She gently closed and locked her door, before slowly walking over to her massive bed. She knelt down and pulled the covers up.

Courtney smiled faintly when she slowly pulled out the precious hard leather case containing her most prized possession. Courtney sat down on her bed, pulling the case onto her lap. She gently unlatched the hinges, and opened the case.

The violin had been freshly polished, the familiar smell of wax greeted her nose. Calming her. Courtney gently pulled her violin out of it's case, and admired it. It had been hand crafted out of ebony wood. It's rich dark chocolate color was so intense Courtney could see her reflection in it. The strings were perfectly tuned. 

Courtney positioned the delicate instrument in the right place on her shoulder, and placed the bow gently on the strings.

Courtney closed her eyes and began to play the violin. The beautiful sound echoing through her bedroom. As the music swirled around her cream-colored room, she felt her body start to relax. As she pictured her beautiful Mother playing the very same violin, at her age. 

When Courtney played her violin, all the world seemed to fall away.

Jess sighed as she unpacked her suitcase, and opened her dresser drawers to stuff her neatly folded clothes into them. Her father's words still ringing through her mind.

You mother always was a dreamer

Jess shook her head in disgust. Angry that her own Father would say such things about their Mother. 

"Screw you, Jaxon Taint," Jess mumbled. 

As her anger ensued, her thoughts were interrupted by a beautiful sound. Jess slowly froze, and she lifted her head towards the right side of her room. The wall that connected to Courtney's room. Jess lifted her lips into a faint smile, as she slowly walked over to the wall, and leaned in. Crossing her arms, she leaned her shoulder against the wall and listened to her sister's incredible talent

Courtney's playing sounded so eerily similar to their mother's. Not only because it was the very same violin, but because of the hands that held the instrument. Jess had always looked at Courtney and seen their Mother. In her smile. The light in her eyes when they'd sing together. The way her thin fingers danced over the strings of the violin. 

Jess slowly closed her eyes, and leaned her head against the wall. 

Just breathe sweetheart, and sing to me with your strings.