"That savant was a beast when he taught me violin. Look," Joanne extended her hand and pointed to a tiny scar between her knuckles. "He hit me with the bow once when I missed a note. Said my ears were too perfect to allow mistakes."
"He hit you?" Jeffrey frowned.
"Oh, not hard," she waved it off. "He was intense, that's all. A little crazy for his genius. He said I had raw talent and wanted me to go to Juilliard. Promised me a full recommendation, even. But I didn't love it the way he did."
"Wow," Jeffrey breathed, still in the aftermath of her performance. "What else are you hiding from me?"
Joanne leaned closer, her voice lowering like she was sharing a forbidden secret. "I only know how to play two… three tunes. That's it. That tune Brianna played? Never even heard it before."
Jeffrey blinked, stunned. "You're joking."
She smiled. "Nope."
