He sat with his back to her, sat and played his songs. From the piano Raven pulled melodies of love, lust, and toture. He played all the things he had known in life. It was all so hauntingly beautiful. Jade stood behind him and gently rubbed his neck. She loved when he played for her. That was all Raven ever did it seemed. Play for Jade. But he didnt mind, he loved her and would do anything for her. “That was lovely.
Thank you Raven you may go home now.” she said to him. Wordlessly Raven stood and turned to face his love, his teacher, his master. “Shall i return tomorrow, Jade?” he inquired. “Of course darling. We have much to go over” With that Raven left Jade’s house. So strange, it seemed to him, that after every lesseon with her, he always felt weaker. But this thought never stayed long, often replaced with the yearning to see Jade again. She was all he thought of anymore. Her and the music. Jade stood at the window and watched him pull away in his car, then went back to the paino where he had just been sitting and collected all of Raven’s energy. This piano, this instrument was her weapon, a device that ensnared talented players and slowly stole their lives for Jade, so that she may live while they did not. Raven was only it’s latest victim. But he was almost done. Soon Jade would need fresher food.
Months later, 17 year old Leena sat at her kitchen table reading the newspaper. In the obituaries, there was a brief mention of a boy named Raven. He was the 20th victim to a weird disease that had been a plague to the town recently. It left its casualties emaciated, skin drawn taunt and left with no color. “How sad” Leena thought absent mindedly. She remembered seeing Raven in the halls of her school. Always had his head down, never said a word. Leena was almost done with her cereal when she saw the advertisment for private piano lessons. “Jade Walken’s tutoring for classical paino. students must be dedicated and willing. walk in apointments at 805 Crawling Ivy Way.” Leena, who had always loved the piano, circled the ad, then got up to get dressed, anxious to meet with her soon to be new teacher. Meanwhile, across town, the ancient evil that was Jade licked her lips, and sat down to play a new song she entitled “prelude to Leena’s death”