Cigarette smoke swirled towards the ceiling as Rachel leaned against the wall with Elijah. Instruments, posters, and records hung under pink-lit stage lights. A solid black rug stretched across Sarah's music studio. Production equipment and subwoofers filled the room with pink furniture. Tabloids, magazines, and mixtapes covered the desks and tables.
Rachel gazed at Alice, Amos, and Arthur as they walked in behind Shiyu. Emily stared at the instruments while Sarah turned on the music equipment and soundboard. Television monitors hanging around the room lit up as Sarah flipped a switch. Everybody stood silent as neon lights flickered across the soundboard and production equipment.
"Is this really necessary?" Amos asked as he watched Sarah fiddle with the soundboard. "You know what tomorrow is, right?"
"Reunion Day is tomorrow, but today I'll expose this liar," Sarah replied, then glared at Emily.
Emily shrugged and shook her head. "I am sure the ENGINE will give you brownie points. Got only a few more days to live, and you worried about who is a better musician."
Sarah looked at Emily and shook her head. "This is why I can't stand you, Emily of Leonore. You think nothing matters because our lives are on the line."
Emily shrugged. "Because it doesn't. What you should be worried about is floating in the damn sky and putting a clock on your life."
"That's the difference between you and I," Sarah replied with a straight face. "I actually believe I will win you, nihilistic bitch!"
Rachel watched as Emily's face soured as she leaned off the wall. Her arm hair stood on end as she felt the temperature in the room drop. A pressure collapsed on Rachel's shoulders and chest, like gravity had just shifted. The tension oozed as the lights flickered and hissed like cicadas.
"You...win!?" Emily cackled manically as an eerie grin stretched across her face.
Rachel's eyebrows furrowed as she stared up at the lights flickering overhead as Emily spoke.
Sarah's eyes twitched as her nostrils flared. "What's so fucking funny about that? You think you are going to win!?"
"There is no winning the ENGINE's game, Sarah," Rachel interjected.
Sarah raised an eyebrow as she shifted her attention. "Oh, is that so? Last time I checked, someone wins, or did the ENGINE hand you a rulebook?"
Rachel rolled her eyes, then sighed. "No, the ENGINE didn't hand me a rulebook. What I am saying is, what if the ENGINE is more than what we think it is?"
"What do you mean?" Elijah asked as he smoked.
"What if there's more to our world than what we know?"
"What, like another continent?"
"Yeah... sort of," Rachel replied, then rubbed her neck.
Sarah blinked, then laughed. "Rachel, my dear, those cigarettes are already killing your brain cells," she mocked, then flipped a switch on the soundboard. "Or maybe Emily is leaking off on you."
"The only thing leaking will be your face once I can punch it."
"Please swing, I would love to host your eulogy."
"I am sorry, but if y'all are going to argue all night, I'd rather just go to bed," Alice interjected, crossing her arms.
Sarah's eyes widened as they glossed over everyone. "Oh, I am sorry, are you expecting a show?" She replied as she flipped a switch. "A proper show needs a proper audience."
Machinery ground and rumbled as Sarah snapped her fingers. Rachel stumbled as the room shook like an earthquake. Emily fell on her ass, and a record hanging on the wall dropped on her head. Elijah's cigarette dropped from his lips as he gripped the music equipment for support. Alice, Amos, and Arthur tripped over objects and furniture while Shiyu stood upright and unbothered at the door.
"Please follow me to the balcony," Sarah instructed as the room stopped shaking.
"Da fuck was that!?" Emily asked as she rubbed her head.
"The stage you get embarrassed on," Sarah replied as she left the room.
"What is she talking about?" Rachel asked as Elijah helped her to her feet.
"You will see," Elijah grumbled as he picked his cigarette off the carpet.
Rachel followed Elijah into the living room. Her eyes widened as she watched Sarah approach what used to be a patio. Reinforced glass surrounds an outdoor performance stage. Rays of light reflected shimmering colors off the glass stage. Tyrial skyline twinkled in the backdrop while the streets stretched underneath the prismatic floor. Drones zipped past with neon-lit strobe lights. The theater lights beamed towards the heavens, turning the midnight sky into a neon glow.
"Holy shit!" Alice said as she stared wide-eyed. "The shit rich people do with their money."
Sarah turned and smiled, fluttering her fan. "Life is but a stage and I own it," she said as she flipped a switch to televise her announcement.
"Citizens of Tyrial! This is Sarah, queen of Tyrial, pioneer of music, and your next PRIME. Look up to the heavens and lend me your eyes and ears, as I have set the stage for musical combat!
"Is she serious?" Rachel muttered as she looked at the drones circling her.
"Dead serious," Elijah replied as he smoked. "Ain't the first time she did this either."
"Emily is going to hate this."
"Oh, yeah."
Rachel watched Emily glare at Sarah as she advertised their duel to the masses. Emily's eyes twitched as she shielded them from the lights beaming down on her. She looked up towards the sky, then over the guardrail. Her black hair and teal highlights fluttered in the soft gust of wind.
"I gotta hand it to her. She really knows how to put on a show," Rachel jipped as she walked over to Emily.
"I fucking hate this," Emily replied, her face souring by the second as she stared at the crowd forming on the street below.
"What, you should be used to it by now," Rachel chuckled.
"Don't mean I like it."
"Grab your instrument, Emily of Leonore. The crowd is waiting," Sarah yelled as she directed the spotlights onto Emily.
"Waffles after you stomp this bitch?" Rachel chuckled, then kissed Emily.
"Is that a date?" Emily replied with a grin.
"Depends on if you win."
Emily smiled, then grabbed her cello nearby. "That's Prime," she said, then walked towards Sarah.
Rachel's smile shrank as she gazed at Emily's jagged and twisted shadow. Her eyes widened as she looked at her own distorted shadow. She closed her eyes and blinked, forcing herself to focus on Emily as Sarah grabbed her favorite violin, Tilly. Goosebumps formed on her back as she glanced at everyone else. None of them seemed to notice Emily's or Rachel's unnatural shadows.
"Homefield advantage... the stage is yours first," Sarah said with a grin as she directed the lights and cameras.
Emily sighed and looked up at the cameras and drones flying overhead. "That's the thing, Sarah, I am not even standing on the stage," she flatly said while holding her cello.
Emily strummed her cello as aggressive, pulsating drums, machine textures, and ambient drones laid a beat. Her head bobbed and weaved as she caught the rhythm while playing her cello. She gazed up at the sky, staring at the ENGINE visible through the city smog.
Analog Moog, Industrial bass, and distorted 808s cut in as Emily sang.
"Mulberry bleeds through the Engine's play."
"It cast its strings across the stage."
"Stitch by stitch, Chosen craft their dress."
"Rehearsed their lines, followed the script."
Rachel's eyes narrowed as she listened to Emily's lyrics. Her skin crawled as she glanced up at the ENGINE. Bass echoed off her chest as her attention drifted towards Emily's cello.
"But I'm not standing on the stage," Emily sang, then paused. "I'm not even a part of the play."
Sarah's lips twitched as she glared at Emily, as heavy bass drops and whispered harmonies intensified in the beat. Emily's voice crackled like a pitch-shifted vocoder effect. Rachel's eyes twitched as she stared wide-eyed at Emily. The air felt thick like molasses as drones hovered in the air. Mulberry light crackled from Emily's eyes as a Cheshire smile crept onto her face. Drones, instruments, and lights glitched and phased out of existence. The eyes of Emily's shadow glowed mulberry with a jagged grin.
Emily's body twitched with echoes of movements that had already happened. Her voice pitch shifted voice alternating from whispers and screams and something routed through a vocoder. "H͍͍͕̘͌A̢̛̻͇͌͑̉͆̄_̴̴̖̺̜̖̱̘̐̽͋̅̏̉ͩ͐̉́́Ḥ̷̡̨̲̲̪̘̙͔̪̝ͣͦ̐͌ͦͨ̑̾̈͌ͧ͐͆ͬ̉ͩ͟ͅA̤̫͍̾Ḩ̶̷̸̶͉̖̺̞̞̪̲̠͍͍̥̺̠͙̞̀ͫͧ̎ͣͯ̀ͩ̊̆̋ͭͨ̃ͣ̀͘͞͡ͅA̶̧͎̦̙͚͎̪̗̥͔̫͚̼̮̮̙ͧͦ̔̉ͣ̑̋ͮͥͨ͌͋͒͌̊̐͢͜͡H̡̧̛̥̤͎̠̄̔ͧ̈́ͨ͋͢͞Á̢̞̞͠H̢̝̮̩̘̖̤̤̒͐̂̑ͪ͒ͮ̈͊ͤ͞͞A̦̰̪̗̯̼̓̾̉̆͢͝Ḩ̸̷̶̧̱͎͙̭̟͉͉͖̙̥ͧ̔̿̿ͩ͋̉̀̿̍ͦ͊͛̅̇̚͘͢͟͝ͅÀ͚̯̝͓͕͕̻̏ͦͩ̂̆̈̋͠Ḣ̢̲̥̠͓̖̯̼̠͇̪̯̆̽̂̇A̴̢̰̘̻͌̾͘H̨͇̗͉̯͖͓̥͊̆̈́̀̏͒A_̧̳͙̼̎ͮͥ̿ͫḢͣ_̷̡̛̬͉̙̩͇̠͉͙̃͋ͯ̏͋̀ͬ͞_Ạ̴̧̝͎̫̱̞̬͉͙̖͌ͯ̅ͫ͒͌̉̊͆ͣ̌̿͐͠Ḧ̞̲́ͪ̀̒͘͢͡_̶̩ͩ̈ͤͭ͜_̨̛̻̻̜͉̥̞͖̜̪̹͓̍͛ͯ̀̒̌͒̽̄͘͜͢͞Ạ̧̯̔͢H̶̢̤̲̦̭̣̼͎̦̘̥͉͈̫͔͕ͥ̑̇̎ͣ̇͗̊ͥͥ̾̑̌ͯ̍ͫ͐͊̅̄͂͐̅͒̕̚A͈̤͙͚̩͕͉̪͉͙̮͉̠̺̿̋̄̀ͩ͗ͫͫ̒H̪͇̒Ą̸̪̙̖̠̱̪̰ͮͮ͛̾̅͆̀̏̊ͬ̔̏͆͢͢H̵̶̦̻̱̜͓̜͙ͥ̍̀̾͌͌͆͑ͮ̕͜͟͝!̨̼̣̟͕̤̩̗͍̭͖̙̱͙̘̓ͨͩ̒̀͗ͭ̈ͬ̇̂̋̾ͨ̒̎ͦ͝͠
Rachel glanced around wide-eyed as everyone stood frozen like mannequins waiting to be moved.
Emily grabbed her head, then screamed as mulberry flames erupted from her eyes as she continued to strum her cello. Light and televisions across Tyrial flickered as she sang. Rachel looked down at herself, then looked up at Emily. She blinked, then stared at the motionless Sarah, Alice, Elijah, Amos, and Arthur.
Rachel glanced down at her hands, curling her fingers to make sure she could move them.
"Not again, I won't listen to you," Emily said as she dropped the bow of her cello. She shook her head, pulling locks of her hair out. "Shut up… I said, shut up!"
"Emily?" Rachel said as she slowly walked towards her. "Emily... what did you do?" Rachel asked as she approached Emily.
"L̳͆ê̗t̀ meͨ̋ͤ̂̂̿͜ ŏ̬u̵̵̶̙̫t̘ͦ!͋̐͘͞ͅ"
"No!" Emily screamed as an aura of mulberry radiated off her body.
Rachel's mind grew foggy as static hummed in her eardrums. A layer of static covered her shadow as she got closer. Emily jolted upright and dropped her cello as Rachel's hand touched her. Vertigo traveled down her spine and down the soles of her feet. Her vision blurred as the city became dizzy before everything went black.
Rachel walked down the penthouse corridor, fixating on the shadows on the walls. She stopped as she heard baroque music as Elijah exited Sarah's music studio further down the hallway. Sarah stepped out a moment later, glancing at Rachel before closing the door.
"Rachel, where is your disaster of a girlfriend?" Sarah asked, then crossed her arms.
Rachel blinked as she stared wide-eyed at Sarah. "No fucking way," she muttered out loud as she looked down the hallway. "I had this conversation before," she whispered to herself with wild eyes.
"Cat got your tongue?" Sarah asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Sorry, what?" Rachel replied as she forced a thin-lipped smile onto her face.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Are you drunk?"
"No, but Alice sure is," Emily said as she approached.
Rachel's body stiffened as she stared wide-eyed at Emily. "Em... but you were just."
"On the balcony with you?" Emily replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Y'all don't remember?" Rachel asked as her eyes glanced at everyone.
"Remember what?" Elijah asked as he smoked.
Rachel shook her head, then looked at Emily. She laughed, flipping her hair out of her face.
"You okay, Rache?" Emily asked with a perplexed expression.
Rachel rubbed her neck and then forced a smile onto her face. "Yeah, just some wicked déjà vu."
"You been getting that too?" Elijah asked.
"Yeah, could have sworn I had this conversation before. Say, Sarah, does your balcony turn into some over-the-top performance stage?"
"It does...and how do you know that?" Sarah replied.
Rachel chuckled, then dug into her pocket for cigarettes. "Fuck me… fuck all of this."
"Have you been here before, Rachel?" Amos asked with a raised eyebrow.
Rachel shook her head. "Nope."
Sarah shrugged at Amos as he looked at her.
"You got psychic powers, Rache?" Emily asked.
"Just a lucky guess," Rachel replied with a forced smile as she looked Emily in the eye.
Emily nodded, then looked at the ground, unable to keep eye contact with Rachel.