April hobbled out of her room and sat on the couch surveying the little set-up the boys had made.   She looked at Donghae and Henry curiously.

            “We thought we’d have some fun tonight,” Henry said brightly in English.  He winked at Zhou Mi mischievously who nodded in response.  April stayed still.

            “You want to jam with us April?”  Henry asked cutely.

            April raised an eyebrow in response.

            Kangin sat down next to her with a guitar and started to strum brightly.  Zhou Mi tapped along on the middle of the seat of his chair.  Donghae joined in playing melody to Kangin’s rhythm.  They played well together, able to improv easily after years of jamming in waiting rooms and the like.  The entertainment industry really was ‘hurry up and wait’ and they’d kept themselves busy in this way, especially in their younger years.

            Henry joined in playing Ryeowook’s keyboard.  Zhou Mi hummed a non-descript vocal.  The song was bright and bouncy like a butterfly in a spring meadow.  They watched April expectantly as they played.  They looked for any sign of joy in her eyes.

            As they finished the song they began another.  If the first was like a butterfly in a meadow this one was lively and powerful like a cool clean fountain on the first warm day of summer.

            More than hearing it, April could feel the music even if the boys couldn’t see it.  The sound resonated deep inside her body almost giving her butterflies in her stomach.  The sound compelled her; it drove her desperately to break through, to be a part of it.  Slowly, a tiny movement emerged from the depth of her soul.  She started to tap along, just her index finger, but Donghae saw it immediately. 

            “You do want to jam with us!”  He exclaimed happily without stopping playing.  April made the tiniest smile and Donghae was ecstatic.  Everyone felt really good and played even louder.  So loud, in fact, that Heechul who was upstairs playing Starcraft, could hear them. 

            Heechul left his room with the intention of going down there and telling Donghae and the rest to shut-up, but what he saw when he peered in the backdoor made him change his mind.  He saw April smiling and drumming her little fingers to the music his dongsaengs were making.  ‘She’s almost ready,’ he thought to himself, closing the door and returning upstairs.

            They played happily until April got tired and yawned.  Zhou Mi looked at his watch.  “Oh my!  We’ve kept you up late, it’s after two! You should go to bed.”

            Donghae turned down the bed nicely for her and she easily laid down and closed her eyes.  He could have sworn she was sleeping with the smallest smile on her face.

            “Do you think it was a success?”  Henry asked his hyungs like a puppy.

            “Definitely.”  Donghae replied with a big grin plastered across his face.       

 

            April was a dancer and the sacred connection of body and rhythm was something primal to her.  She was driven to dance at the age of nine.  Her mother had noticed it first, how she couldn’t stop moving when she heard music, and was the one to put her into dance lessons.  From then on April had never looked back.  Dance consumed her life, and took precedence over everything else.  It was the reason she went to Korea.  It was what put her in this position, but it was also what started to bring her back to life.

            April had made another connection, being part of the music, even in such a minute way, was a huge accomplishment for her.  Her essence was emerging little by little and now the desire was there.  She couldn’t understand yet that it might never be the same, but the instinct to dance was there.    

 

            April woke the next morning feeling lighter than normal.  She rose, got her crutches and came out of her room without anybody waking her up.  No one else was awake yet but she went about her business fairly naturally.  She washed her face and brushed her teeth on her own, now that she could balance using the counter for support.  It took her a lot of time and effort but she even put on a clean sundress, the only thing she couldn’t do was tie the waistband in the back.

            Ryeowook woke first to make breakfast.  “Good morning,” he said shocked to find April awake and sitting at the table by herself.  “You’re the only one up?”  He looked around but the dorm was quite.  “And you got yourself together all on your own?”

            April looked pleased with herself. 

            “Wow April, daebak.”  He noticed the open waistband and fixed it for her while she leaned on her crutches.   

            Kyuhyun wandered out of his room groggily with his hair a mess and sat down at the table.  He was still uncomfortable with April but had stopped avoiding her so much seeing as it was nearly impossible while they were living in the same apartment.  He only glanced at her before looking away.  “What are you making?”  He asked Ryeowook. 

            “Fried eggs.”

            Kyuhyun, had known something smelled good, it’s what woke him up in the first placed.

            Ryeowook practically ignored him and kept on talking to April, giving her the gossip and complementing her on her morning success.  Kyu found it really strange the way Ryeowook would talk and talk like he was having a conversation even though April never replied back.  Later when no one was around he asked Ryeowook, “How can you talk to her like that when she never answers back?”

            “She answers.”

            Kyu was stumped.

            Ryeowook continued, “If you watch her closely, she answers.”

            “What I mean is, she doesn’t talk,” Kyuhyun complained.

            “She may not be able to talk, but she can speak.”

            Kyuhyun was getting fed up with Ryeowook cryptic answers and rolled his eyes.

            “She must be lonely,” Ryeowook said ignoring the evil maknae’s rudeness.  “We’re the only friendly faces she’s got.”

            Kyuhyun said nothing.

            “Think of how lonely you were after the accident.”

            Kyuhyun really didn’t want to.

            “How depressed, how worried you were that you wouldn’t be able to sing anymore.  Now put yourself in her shoes, in a strange country with no family or friends.”

            The thoughts crept into Kyuhyun’s mind despite his attempts to force them away and for the first time he felt his heart ache for her, just a little.