An alarm blared inside the apartment. A hand rose up from the bedsheets to hit the button on top of the alarm, silencing the machine. After a few minutes, the person whose hand hit the alarm clock rose up from the bed. She twisted her body until her socks touched the hardwood floor. She lifted her hands into the air, reaching towards the ceiling as she arched her back. The sound of popping muscles filled the air as she winced. When the noises ceased, she pushed off the side of her bed to stand on the ground. She walked out of her room, grabbing the clothes she had laid out on her desk chair as she went. She shut her bedroom door behind her as she entered the bathroom across the hall. She flipped on the light as she shut the door. She changed her clothes, leaving her pajamas in a laundry basket left in her bathroom for dirty clothes. She washed her face and brushed her teeth. She applied deodorant to her armpits. She brushed her long, light brown hair before pulling it up into a ponytail with a white bow, her green eyes shimmering with tiredness as she gazed at her appearance. She smiled in the mirror as she applied a bare amount of makeup. She didn't want to go overboard this early in the morning.

When she was done with personal hygiene, she left the bathroom, turning the light off as she left. She walked into the kitchenette. She grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and a ready-to-go breakfast from one of the cabinets. She threw the container for her breakfast as she passed the trash can. She slid on her shoes before opening her front door, munching on the breakfast sandwich as she entered the hallway of the apartment building she lived in. She closed and locked the door behind her before heading towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. She passed other doors and landscape paintings before she got to the elevator. She clicked the button to the side of the metal doors, waiting for the car to reach her level. When the doors opened, the lights flickered to life to reveal an empty elevator car. She stepped into the elevator, tapping the ground level button. The elevator car descended, the doors only opening when the elevator had reached the bottom level.

A newly hired assistant of the landlord sat at the desk, playing on their phone. They looked up as the elevator doors slid open, but she didn't get much more attention than that. She regularly got up at this hour, and she was sure that every newbie was told the basic schedules of the habitants of the apartment. She waved at them, and they nodded a greeting at her. That was the extent of their conversation. She left the building seconds later without uttering a word.

The chilly morning air of Ebott City filled her lungs as she walked beneath the blueing sky. A few stars twinkled at her as if they were winking, but they were few and far between as the sun began to rise over the buildings. Even though it was early in the morning, several people were commuting. Most were in business suits with phones pressed to their ears, but she noticed a few casually dressed people walking around in friendly groups. She pushed the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth as she joined with the crowd.

She followed the main street for several blocks before she came to her destination. The Ebott City Theatre was a large building that had been built nearly hundred years before that moment. It has stood the test of time, earning a reputation and creating a legacy. The workers were diligent people who spent an effortless amount of time preserving the beauty of the building and creating a lively environment. The performers were renowned for their talent and refined skills. Only the most honest, best people ever got to work here in any capacity, even if it was a job behind the scenes like lighting or sound. She was lucky enough to be given a job here. Like most people, she had started out as a grunt. She had cleaned the auditorium, worked backstage, and helped maintain the instruments. After proving that she was trustworthy, she was allowed to audition for small parts. By doing this, she slowly built up fame. In the end, she was now one of the best piano accompanists and even did a few solo shows.

Today, the theater would be putting on a performance for a bunch of school field trips. She would be one of the performers. She had been practicing for a while. If she did good enough, she might inspire a child in the audience to take up the piano. They might even come to her for lessons if she was lucky.

She walked into the theater, letting the glass close behind her. The noise of the festering wind from the outdoors faded as the door shut, but it was replaced by the sounds of people shuffling around and talking in low voices. Everyone was moving around with a purpose, and she joined in the group to complete what she needed to for the day. She was meant to clean the theater's grand piano. After that, she was to practice a few times with the instruments before the afternoon performance rolled around.

She said hello to a few people as she passed them, but most were too busy to do anything more than nod in her direction. She didn't take offense to this. She was well aware that it was impolite and usually disrespectful to interrupt someone's work, especially in a prestigious place like the theater. She let them carry on with their jobs as she got to hers.

The grand piano was rarely dirty. No matter how many times it was used, each pianist treated it as if it were a large baby. It was constantly wiped down for dust, and she was sure that it couldn't rust. Every six years, the head of the theater brought in a professional from another city because of how reputable he was to clean the interior of the piano. Every week, she was required to clean the outside and the keys. It wasn't a horrible job. She loved taking care of the piano because it was like a baby to her. It was one of the few things in her life that remained constant and positive. Although she became frustrated with her own lack of skills, she was never upset with the piano itself. It was a source of comfort for her. It was a friend on the dark days and a slap of reality when she wanted to fall into self-pity. It was her responsibility, and she gladly completed it.

She found the cleaning supplies in one of the closets. She dampened a cotton pad with diluted hydrogen peroxide, wiping the keys down back to front. She made sure to care for each key individually, watching the ivory whites and stygian blacks shine like gemstones beneath the warm stage lights. When each key was done, she wiped them all down with a dry cloth. The piano shined as she finished cleaning up, wiping down the keys with the dry cloth one more time to make sure that no liquid was left behind. With the cleaning process done, it was time to get ready for the performance.

---

She pushed the curtain to the side to see what was happening beyond the red velvet. The auditorium was packed with rowdy children and overworked teachers. There were more students out of their seats than in them. The adults were attempting to maintain order, but it was clear that their control was slipping out of their fingers. Although most performers found this kind of audience disrespectful, she couldn't help but giggle into her hand. She remembered some of the field trips she had gone on in her youth, and she knew that she had been just as wild. Her demeanor had definitely evened as she grew into adolescence, but she started in the same place no matter where she ended up.

The house lights began to dim. The children began to hush as they noticed that the room they were in was darkening. The teachers called out one last time for the children to sit down before they all got into their own seats. She took in a deep breath before stepping onto the stage. The curtains began to open as the stage lights brightened. The children finally hushed as she walked to the middle of the stage.

She let her brown hair run down her back freely without a ribbon to hold it back. She applied a touch more makeup to make sure that her face wasn't washed out by the lights. She changed from her casual clothing into a white dress with three-fourths sleeves that ended at her knees. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she brought the microphone up to her lips. As she began speaking, the room was dead silent. "Hello. My name is Monika Shiro. I will perform for all of you today on behalf of the Ebott City Theatre. We thank you all for coming. I hope you enjoy this piece, and please stick around for the other performances we have in store for all of you."

With her introduction concluded, Monika walked towards the piano. She pulled the bench out, sitting down on the black surface. She lifted the covering to reveal the pristine white and black keys that she had cleaned earlier. She placed her fingers along the keys, taking a deep breath before pressing down on one. As the note rang out, she pressed down on another key, the two notes harmonizing. Before the sound of those notes could fade, Monika was already pressing other keys. She didn't allow for a moment of silence as she ran through the beginning of the song. She hadn't chosen a difficult song to play for the children. It sounded challenging, sure, but it was a song that intermediate players could perform with relative ease if they practiced. Monika made sure to practice, so the song was a breeze for her.

When Monika pressed the final key, she waited a few seconds for the note to finish sounding. Monika pushed the covering down. She stood onto her feet, turning to face the large auditorium. The people began clapping for her. It wasn't a standing ovation, but it seemed like a majority of the crowd enjoyed the music. Monika smiled at them all as she bowed. She lifted herself back up, walking to the shadow of the wings. Another pianist traded places with Monika, walking onto the stage in a green dress with a pretty smile. Monika turned back for a moment to watch the young woman introduce herself to the crowd. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed when she didn't find it.

Monika turned back around. She waited in the wing as the other pianists went onto the stage and back off when they were done performing. When the final pianist played his song, Monika returned to the stage with the others. Uniting hands, they all bowed in synchronization as they said their goodbyes to the audience.

She walked towards the changing room she had used earlier. She discarded her dress for her casual clothing, tying her hair back up in a ribbon. That was her job for the day. The big performance was the most she was supposed to do. Although she did a lot of work cleaning for the theater, her main job was tutoring children. When she began, she was just a piano instructor. She now tutored children with English subjects such as literature and debate. Monika wasn't sure if she liked that aspect of her job. She would always have a soft spot for those subjects since they were important to her past, but they usually brought up more horrible memories than good ones. Still, it paid the bills. She had rarely met a person who truly loved their jobs.

Monika left the backstage area, cutting through the side hallway to head into the main room. There were a large crowd of people meandering around with the ever present struggle of the teachers trying to round up their students. Monika slipped through the crowd easily enough. A few people looked at her, but no one really paid her any mind. She wasn't a teacher or a student. They probably didn't even recognize that she had performed in front of them.

That was until someone called out her name. Monika turned around to see a young man and a little girl standing in the middle of the crowd. The young girl was wearing a white shirt with black leggings. Her snowy white hair was left to lay across her shoulders as her wide, bright blue eyes gleamed at Monika. The man had dark brown hair with deep purple eyes. Although his skin looked tan, it seemed to shimmer in the light in a way that almost made her eyes hurt. She kept staring despite the pain, though. Something about the man had captivated her attention, and she wasn't sure if she could look away. "Sorry for interrupting you. My name is Michael. This is my... Well, she's like my niece. Her name is Lily. I heard that a bunch of schools were coming for their field trips. Lily's home schooled, so I bought us tickets. All that to say that she really wanted to meet you."

Monika looked down at the little girl. Her pale complexion had taken on a rosy tint as she shuffled on her feet, looking between Monika and the floor. Lily finally looked Monika in the eye, her hand grabbing onto Michael's jeans to steady herself. "I th-thought your song was-was pretty."

Monika leaned down on her knees to look Lily in the eyes. Monika gave her a kind smile, and Lily's embarrassed flush turned a shade darker. "Thank you. I'm really glad that you enjoyed the song, and I'm glad that you were able to come out today."

"I'm happy, too! Everyone played such pretty music! I want to hear everyone play again!" Lily exclaimed, her eyes closing as her smile grew on her face. Monika gushed at how adorable it was. She looked up at Michael to see if he noticed what kind of power his niece had, but Monika met his purple eyes. He blushed as he looked away from Monika, and she felt her face heat up as well. She looked back at Lily. The young girl looked between Michael and Monika with a confused expression, but she stopped looking around when she noticed Monika's eyes on her.

"I have to go. I tutor some kids in English, but it was great meeting both of you today. I hope you come by the theater again. We have some kid programs for music and acting if Lily develops an interest in that sort of thing. Here's my card," Monika said, pulling a slip of paper from her bag. It was slightly crumpled since Monika rarely gave out the cards she had printed out, but it was still eligible. Her name, number, and expertise were written across the white surface in black ink with a few music notes running along the lower left corner. Michael accepted the card with a soft smile rising on his lips, and Monika had to turn away before anyone could see her flaming face. She waved goodbye at Michael and Lily without looking at them. She exited the building, the chilly breeze cooling her face.

Monika never expected to crush on anyone again. When she was in high school, she had fallen for a boy named Salvato. He had been her undoing in more ways than one. She could still remember the way the corruption surrounded her KINDNESS SOUL. She could remember discovering the artificial world around her. Her newly made CRUELTY SOUL and her nihilistic views had not been a good mixture, and Salvato... he was not who Monika thought he was. He wasn't who anyone thought he was.

Monika sighed disheartedly as she walked back to her apartment to pick up the books she would be teaching the children. She drew out her heart. The rich green light covered her hands, and she knew that her eyes were gleaming like emeralds. KINDNESS had returned to her; Salvato had left her. Nothing else mattered. Michael wasn't Salvato, and it wasn't fair to assume he was.

Monika remembered a promise she made a long time ago to a red eyed girl that was no longer in her life. Monika swore to be happy. So... she would be.