The night passed quietly. Morning came too fast.
Business as usual, for anyone who didn't know they were living in a mixtape world.
New York – Morningside Heights, Manhattan
StarLife Hotel
[12:23 PM]
Carly and Jane were already lounging in the boys' room. Jake sat by the desk, squinting.
"So we're officially turning this place into HQ now?" he asked, voice dry.
Carly didn't even look up—she was too focused, sketching something into her pad. Jane lay sprawled on the couch, half-watching the TV with a zoned-out look. Carl was hunched over the second desk, writing something down in one of his many notebooks.
"Tch." Jake sucked his teeth.
Just then, the reality wobbled and started glitching. The Merge Pulse.
That same screech.
All of them instinctively clutched their ears, wincing. It only lasted a minute—but it felt like a lifetime. When it stopped, the silence was deafening.
