Those days felt like a dream now. Sometimes Maya wondered if they had really happened. Had she really lived in a house with her own room? Had she really owned pretty dresses and had toys and books? Had she really gone to a good school where everyone was kind to her?
Maya touched the small bag beside her chair. Inside were the old music papers that her father had given her. They were yellow now and some had tears in them, but they were all she had left of her old life.
Maya's father was named David Chen. He was a famous piano player who performed in concert halls all over the world. People would pay lots of money to hear him play. He had won awards and prizes; newspapers wrote articles about him.
David met Maya's mother, Sarah, when she was a nurse at a hospital. Sarah was taking care of David after he hurt his hand in an accident. Sarah was beautiful and kind. She had never heard classical music before, but when David played for her, she fell in love with both him and his music.
Maya was born two years after her parents got married. From the time she was very small, Maya was surrounded by music. David would play piano for her when she cried; he would play lullabies to help her sleep. When Maya was old enough to walk, she would climb onto the piano bench and try to press the keys.
David saw that Maya had a gift. When she was only three years old, she could hear a song once and then play it back perfectly. When she was five, David started teaching her how to read music. By the time she was seven, Maya could play pieces that most adults could not play.
"You have magic in your fingers, little bird," David would tell Maya. "Music is your language. You speak it better than words."
Maya loved practicing piano with her father. Every day after school, they would sit together at their big black piano. David was patient and kind. He never got angry when Maya made mistakes. He would just smile and say, "Try again. The music will come."
Maya's mother, Sarah, would listen from the kitchen as she cooked dinner. She loved hearing her husband and daughter play together. Sometimes she would dance while they played. Maya and David would laugh and play faster, trying to make Sarah dance in silly ways.
The family lived in a big house with a music room. The room had windows that looked out on a garden. In the spring, Maya could see flowers blooming while she practiced; in the winter, she could watch snow falling on the trees.
Maya went to a special school for children who were good at music. It was called the Metropolitan Youth Conservatory. The teachers there were amazed by Maya's talent. They said she might become a famous pianist like her father someday.
Maya had friends at the conservatory. They would practice together and perform in concerts. Maya loved performing. When she played for an audience, she felt like she was sharing a gift. She felt like she was making people happy.