15 - Five Senses//Lea

"So what do I do?" Lea asked as the strange energy continued to buzz through her. "Are my ears supposed to be ringing?"

"Oh that's normal," Paxton said. "It goes away after a few days."

"Just listen to it," Nora instructed. "Listen to the music of your heart."

"The music?" Lea wondered.

"Just the music you like," Paxton explained. "The music that speaks to you most."

"We brought your StairS whatever CD thing, by the way," Nora said. The sudden mention of StairS put one of her favorite songs popped into her head; 'Smiles on an Asphalt Road'.

It was one of their most popular songs in their heyday, a perfect blend of the male and female members voices and the best example of their harmonies. As she thought of the song, the gem in her hands began to glow.

She was several steps behind her two cohorts, who had already began to glow. It was everything she'd imagined; the air in the room seemed to whoosh around them and a blinding light that was a mix of bright greens and blues transformed them into the two heroes she'd seen a few days ago.

Their monochrome outfits and strange masks still made quite the impression on her, but she had no time to focus as the music in her ears reached a fever pitch.

Something inside Lea suddenly told her she could change; that she could transform into the best version of herself.

She closed her eyes embraced the red light, but imagined a two-tone color-scheme. Her father would never forgive her if she went around cat burgling in one shade of red.

When she'd opened them, she was wearing a white turtle-neck mini-dress and a red cape, just like the girls wore in the music video for Smiles on the Asphalt. The outfit was completed by a pair of red leggings tucked into crimson boots and red leather gloves.

She could feel a mask on her face, but there was no effect on her periphery vision. In fact, she could see right out her kitchen window into their neighbor's kitchen.

"Oh my gosh!" she said, jumping back.

"Is it your eyes?" Paxton asked.

"It's the eyes," Nora said calmly. "Just try to adjust your line of sight to somewhere closer; you'll be fine."

"What's going on?" Lea asked.

"Even at our current Volume levels, we have enhanced abilities," Paxton explained. "Our physical strength and senses go up at least tenfold."

"Our?" Nora questioned, making Paxton sigh. "My Volume level went up, remember?"

"Volume, Noiz," Lea repeated. "It sounds more like we're going to play a concert than... take something."

She couldn't bring herself to say 'steal'.

"The Noiz work by connecting with the rhythm of our consciousness," Paxton said. "But when we start out, the connection isn't very high, but we can raise the connection as we continue using the Noiz. The literal translation from the Mooar Shee is 'pitch', but I felt that 'volume' worked better."

"Enough explanations!" Nora said, her feet practically floating off the ground as she rushed to the front door. "Let's go."

Nora and Paxton looked to Lea, as if wondering if she was really ready. They didn't have to; she'd already decided to set aside all of her qualms to make sure her wish came true.

"I want everything to go back to normal."

Forget dreams, there was a new force in Lea's life.