8 First Touch

It felt as if all the air had left her body and fear replaced it. Shannon stood there, in front of everyone, shaking hand clutching the microphone, as if it would somehow give her the power to make any kind of sound except the clattering of her teeth.

Shannon's terrified eyes flickered around the crowd, taking in the concerned and confused faces. Then her gaze rested on the back row, where Alexia Jackson was pointing and snickering with her friends, completely thrilled her enemy's dilemma. Maybe she was right, maybe Shannon was nothing after all.

Feeling her neck and face splotch with red, Shannon almost quit, until she saw her parents sitting in the crowd. Her mother gripped her hands together in prayer and her father gave her the thumbs up to encourage her to try.

Just to their right, Brandon sat on the railing of the bleachers, his long arm wrapped around the basketball net. He held up his arms and let out a giant. "Go Shannon! You've got this!"

These were people she trusted. These were people who loved her.

Shannon turned her eyes to Mr. Thompson, who began the piano part again, giving her time to collect herself.

She felt like she wanted to cry, until his electric eyes caught her in their wake and his voice came to her mind. "Just pretend we're back in the choir room, just you and me."

"Just you and me...." Shannon thought to herself.

She inhaled once more and managed to finally pull some resemblance of the first few notes of her song.

Once she began, she closed her eyes and pictured the gym as the choir room. Her safe, small choir room where she discovered so much about herself in these past four years. With her eyes closed, she could hear the piano, her dearest friend singing to her and Shannon inhaled deeper to push the sound out. She sang sweetly, her solo creating a hush over the room.

Mr. Thompson notes were smooth and jazzy, even though he was worried for his frightened pupil. He kept glancing up to see if she would rally and to his relief and pride, she did.

The shell she'd been hiding in melted away and the radiant woman he'd watched her become, sprang forth. Shannon found her courage and sang with a voice even he hadn't heard from her.

"I am a lamb that's lost in the wood. I know I would, always be good, to one who'll watch over me. Someone to watch over me."

To him, it felt like she understood those words so much better than anyone her age should. Her voice held a beautiful kind of pain that spoke to him. Though he wanted to stare at her just like the rest of the crowd, Mr. Thompson forced his eyes back to the piano, so he wouldn't mess up the bridge and ruin her performance.

Shannon finished the last note and gently closed her mouth, as the choir slowly quieted their final chord.

There was a silence over the room, thick and heavy. It lasted for a few meaningful seconds, until the entire crowd exploded with applause.

Shannon opened her eyes and glanced around at the enchanted faces all staring at her.

She smiled and attempted to curtsy, even though all her muscles were locked and her knees were still shaking.

She heard Brandon's loud, "You rock Shannon!!" And almost laughed, until she turned to see Mr. Thompson's reaction. He stood up for her and clapped, his face a mixture of pride and a distinct expression of, "I told you so."

The choir each proceeded off the risers in a line that would make the military proud.

They exited regally out the doors and it wasn't until they got to the choir room, that all chaos broke loose.

Screams and squeals of electrified girls, raving about their performance, filled the room like a hive of excited bees. Shannon made it to a chair, before her knees finally gave out and she fell into the seat, sweat pouring down her back.

When she lifted her hands, she saw how much they shook, as she quietly said a thank you to God for helping her not make a fool of herself for too long.

"Shannon! You were amazing!" Iris trilled, as she bounced beside her shaking friend, squeezing her into a tight hug. "You had me worried there for a second, but then POW! You deliver a blow out of nowhere. Oh man you should have seen Alexia's face! I thought she would wriggle right out of that sleazy top of hers. This was an awesome night!"

Shannon smiled, but shook her head. "I am NEVER doing that again. I feel like I'm going to puke."

"But you have to!"

"Yeah Shannon, you have to sing like that at our next concert!"

All the choir girls protested, as she raised her hands. "We'll see, we'll see, ok? Now I have to go see my parents. Great job everybody, you all sounded wonderful."

There was a murmur in the crowd, as Shannon tried to weave her way through the people to where her family was sitting. Her eyes scanned the crowd, worried she passed them in the chaos, until she spotted them talking to Mr. Thompson.

Shannon excused herself around a few town's people and caught the last piece of the conversation between her music teacher and her parents. "Thank you very much for all your help, Mr. Thompson."

"Trust me, the pleasure is all mine. Shannon has a lovely voice and I intend to bring it out a little more each day."

"The only time we've ever heard her sing like that is on the worship team at church." Michael said wrapping an arm around his wife.

Mr. Thompson tilted his head slightly. "She sings at church?"

Kathy nodded, the pride clear on her face. "Yes, our Shannon has been on the worship team since she was only twelve. You should come next Sunday, we would be happy to have you."

Mr. Thompson smiled. "That would be lovely, well I have to go speak to a few other parents. It was nice to meet you."

Shannon snuck up to her parents as they turned and showered her with praise. "Oh baby, you were wonderful! We're so proud!"

Kathy hugged her tight and Michael ruffled her hair. "Look at you looking all grown up. You're still daddy's little cub right?"

Shannon blushed at the nickname and smoothed her hair back down. "Thank you both for coming. I was so scared, I thought I was going to puke!"

Kathy smiled and hugged her once more. "I was praying so hard for you. Are you coming home with us? Or staying a bit longer?"

Shannon shook her head. "I'll be home in a little bit. I have some things I need to do here. I'll see you at home."

One of the benefits of never getting trouble, meant that Shannon could pretty much do whatever she wanted without much parental interference. She helped break down some chairs and made it appear as though she was working, before she quietly escaped out the doors and walked down to the beach.

Taking off the heels that were pinching her feet, Shannon inhaled the ocean breeze, savoring the cooling effect on her face. It was there that she finally let herself smile at what was one of the most terrifying, yet thrilling experiences of her life.

Lifting up her arms, Shannon let out a loud. "Whoo hoo!!"

The waves slid over her feet and a group of seals barked back at her cry. While she was here, she was more than herself. With the cold wind whipping her face and the scent of the water filling her lungs, she felt part of the ocean.

After a while of personal celebrating, Shannon turned back to the school grounds only to see that the lights to the choir room were still on. She was certain everyone left.

Shannon smiled, she had to go thank Mr. Thompson for his help, so she climbed the stairs and slid through the door to the sound of music filling the room.

He sat at the piano, playing a lovely jazz tune. His jacket lay strewn across his office chair and he'd let his hair down from its hold, so it trailed down to his shoulders in soft curls.

Shannon bit her lip and approached him. "Mr. Thompson? I wanted to say thank you."

He didn't stop playing, but smiled. "I told you that you'd be amazing."

Shannon looked to the side. "I almost wasn't in the beginning. I don't think I've ever been more terrified in my whole life."

Mr. Thompson chuckled. "Yeah, you had me a little nervous as well. But I knew that if you just tried, then you would be amazing. Although, I didn't know that you'd bring me the voice you did tonight. I'm very proud of you."

A flutter erupted in her heart. Shannon blushed. "All I did was remember what you told me to do...wait...are you playing Mozart's "Two Pianos"?"

"Yes, you have a very good ear. Sadly, I only know the bottom part."

Shannon scooted closer to him on the leather seat. "Well you're in luck, because I happen to know the top."

He smiled at her and it made her heart ache at the beauty of it. Shannon placed her fingers on the keys and joined him in the complex melody.

Mr. Thompson glanced over to the girl beside him. No matter what he did, he couldn't get the image out of his head of her singing tonight. Never had he seen anyone look more lovely or more connected to a piece of music.

The dress she wore was fitted to her body and he tried to keep his eyes from scanning her blossoming attributes. They formed two delicious curves, where her cross necklace rested just between them. He wondered what they would feel like in his hands and instantly chastised himself for the thought.

They played together until the most difficult part of the song came and both pianists had to reach over one another.

His hand rested gently on hers and didn't move. Shannon stopped playing and glanced down. It seemed unreal that it was there and she felt her heart race, when she turned her eyes up to look into the face of the man, who was staring at her in a way she'd never seen before.

His eyes searched hers and she felt as if she would become lost in them.

Mr. Thompson moved his hand up her wrist, trailing the skin of her arm as it rested gently on her bicep. "Shannon... I..."

She shivered beneath his touch as it rose to the curve of her shoulder. His artistic hands felt like silk against her already soft skin. Shannon felt a blush come to her face, as her eyes searched his gaze. To her amazement, it rested on her slightly trembling lips.

He seemed to be hypnotized by her and she liked it. This was a man who had seen the world and beheld all its wonders. He'd been this powerful, experienced, new figure in her life and yet, here she held him, completely entranced by the natural attributes of her body.

An excited flutter rushed through her lower stomach and she wondered what limit she could get away with this moment?

The air became thick with something she couldn't describe and for the second time tonight, her heart beat loudly in her ears.

She'd dated before; she knew what went through a boy's mind and without her really meaning to do it, the shy, Christian girl found herself gently biting her lip. To her extreme pleasure, Mr. Thompson's breathing quickened, as he focused those frozen eyes on the pink of her tongue licking the lining of her bottom lip.

"Shannon."

She watched the different emotions pass over his face and begged for this moment to last.

She half-way closed her green eyes and shushed him, as he dropped his hand and caressed the small of her back. The feeling of it there woke something inside of her.

Shannon suddenly caught herself leaning forward and gasped. "I um... I should go.... my parents are expecting me."

Mr. Thompson, as if snapping out of some kind of trance, quickly withdrew his hand and brushed back his hair. "Yes, you should."

She shakily stood and rushed out the door, her face burning red.

When she arrived at her house, she went straight to bed and slid down between the cotton sheets, covering her head, hiding from the world.

What the hell was that? What came over her to make her behave that way? She wasn't that type of girl, the kind to tease a man that way. Especially not when the man was her teacher!

"It felt good though." The voice in her mind made her cringe, as she covered her burning face with the pillow. She couldn't deny the pleasure she received from that moment.

As much as she tried to forget what happened, the flutter of her heart beat, the blood pulsing through her veins and the embarrassing tremor of her lower half, suggested otherwise.

What was she thinking? It must have just been a fluke, a leftover adrenaline rush from her performance. That had to be what this feeling was. Because if she allowed herself to believe anything else, then she would be in serious trouble.