Kaizer's POV
The auditorium felt larger than usual.
Not because it had changed, but because it was still mostly empty, the echo of even the smallest movement stretching a little longer than expected, as if the space itself was waiting to be filled. Lux walked beside me, hands casually in his pockets, looking around with mild curiosity, while I kept my focus ahead, trying not to think too much about what we were actually here to do.
Perform.
In front of people.
That thought alone was enough to bring a faint layer of noise back into my head.
"There are barely any people," Lux muttered, glancing around. "I thought everyone would show up."
"They're probably practicing somewhere else," I replied, my voice calm, though my attention shifted the moment I saw them.
Iris.
And Anya.
Walking toward us.
For a second, everything else blurred...not dramatically, just enough for my focus to settle. She was wearing a full-length white dress, simple as always, but somehow it made her stand out more in the quiet space around us.
I looked away.
We all gathered at a corner, sitting down on the ground in a loose circle, the kind that didn't need arrangement but still felt intentional.
"Where is everyone?" Lux asked again.
Iris answered this time. "Most groups don't practice openly. They're afraid someone might copy their performance."
"That makes sense," Anya added quickly. "We should do that too."
Lux nodded immediately. "Exactly. Why give others ideas for free?"
Iris paused for a moment, then said, "We'll think about that later."
And just like that, the conversation shifted.
---
Iris's POV
There was something strange about sitting like this...on the floor of an empty auditorium, discussing something that could either mean nothing… or everything.
"We should decide the song first," I said, adjusting my notebook slightly on my lap, trying to sound more certain than I actually felt.
There was a small pause, the kind that meant everyone had an opinion but no one had said it yet.
"It should be something energetic," Lux spoke first, leaning back on his hands casually. "You know… something the crowd actually enjoys. If it's slow, people will just lose interest."
Anya nodded immediately. "Exactly. It's a competition, not a therapy session. You need impact."
I frowned slightly, my fingers tightening around the edge of the notebook.
"If it doesn't mean anything," I said, looking up at them, "then it won't stay with anyone either. They might clap, but they'll forget it the moment they leave."
Lux raised an eyebrow. "At least they'll clap."
"And what's the point of that?" I asked quietly. "Just noise?"
The air shifted slightly...not tense, but not smooth either.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then,
"It doesn't have to be loud to be remembered."
His voice wasn't raised.
But it was steady.
I looked at him.
Kaizer wasn't looking at anyone in particular, his gaze lowered slightly as if he was thinking more than speaking, but there was something certain in the way he said it.
Anya tilted her head. "Then what does it need?"
There was a pause.
A real one.
I watched him carefully this time.
"What kind of story?" I asked, softer now, but more direct.
He didn't answer immediately.
His fingers moved lightly over the strings of the guitar resting beside him, not playing, just… thinking.
"I…" he started, then stopped.
His brows furrowed slightly.
"I don't remember it fully," he admitted after a moment, his voice quieter now. "It's… something I heard before. I just can't… place it properly."
For some reason, that made my chest feel a little heavier.
"Try?" I said gently.
He nodded.
There was a small pause.
And then,
he hummed.
It was casual.
Almost absent-minded.
But the moment the sound reached me, something inside me stilled.
I knew that tune.
Not fully.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
My fingers tightened slightly over my notebook as the memory surfaced, uninvited but clear...me sitting near the closed window, a year ago, listening to that same voice, that same rhythm that somehow made everything feel lighter without asking anything in return.
I looked at him.
"…What if we perform on a mother and child theme?" I said before I could stop myself.
The moment the words left my mouth, I realised,
I said it too directly.
He looked at me, slightly taken aback.
"How did you know it was about a mother and child?" he asked.
For a second, my mind went completely blank.
"I just… guessed," I replied, a little too quickly, my voice softer now. "It sounded like that."
There was a pause.
Then he nodded slightly.
"…I only remember one stanza," he admitted. "The rest… I'll have to make."
"That's okay," Anya said. "You'll figure it out."
Lux nodded. "Yeah, just don't forget it midway."
---
Kaizer's POV
I picked up the guitar.
The strings felt familiar under my fingers, but the tune,
it didn't come as easily.
I tried once.
Then again.
The notes came out, but they didn't align the way I remembered them, like something was missing, just slightly out of place.
"That doesn't sound like what you described," Lux said bluntly.
"I know," I replied quietly.
I tried again.
But before I could settle into it,
music started playing from the other side.
Loud.
Fast.
A group had begun practicing a pop performance, their speakers cutting through the space, filling it with beats that didn't leave room for anything softer.
My fingers paused over the strings.
The noise in my head followed immediately.
Layered.
Messy.
Unfocused.
I exhaled slowly, lowering the guitar.
"We should practice somewhere else next time," Anya said, her tone firm this time.
"Agreed," Lux added.
I didn't argue.
---
Iris's POV
We took a break after that.
Sitting a little apart now, holding small juice cartons, the conversation fading into something lighter between Anya and Lux, while he sat quietly, the guitar still resting against him as his fingers moved absent-mindedly across the strings.
Trying.
Remembering.
And this time…
I didn't look away.
I didn't need to.
I wasn't hiding anything anymore.
Not really.
My gaze stayed on him, watching the way he focused, the slight furrow in his brows, the way his fingers paused and moved again, searching for something he clearly hadn't lost...just forgotten.
And then,
he looked up.
Our eyes met.
I froze.
Caught.
For a moment, neither of us looked away.
There was something in his expression..not confusion, not exactly recognition, but something close, like he was trying to place a memory that refused to settle.
And then,
his fingers moved.
A rhythm.
Clear this time.
Soft.
Familiar.
My breath caught slightly.
He smiled.
Just a little.
Then lowered his gaze again.
"That's it," Lux said instantly, sitting up straighter.
Anya leaned forward. "Yes! That sounded right."
I didn't say anything.
I didn't need to.
I already knew.
---
"Can you dance to it?" Anya asked, turning to me.
I nodded slightly. "I'll try."
I stood up, stepping a little away to create space, my hands instinctively adjusting the flow of my dress before I looked back at them.
"Tell me if something feels off," I said.
The first step,
I moved faster than I should have.
"Too quick," Anya said immediately.
I stopped, nodding.
"Okay… wait."
I tried again.
Slower this time.
But this time,
the rhythm didn't match.
Kaizer missed a note.
We both paused.
A small silence followed.
Then,
third time.
I adjusted.
He adjusted.
And this time,
it aligned.
Not perfectly.
Not refined.
But right.
Something about it felt natural, like it didn't need to be forced into shape.
When I stopped, both Lux and Anya clapped instantly.
"That was good," Lux admitted.
"Finally," Anya added with a grin.
I looked at him.
He didn't clap.
He just gave a small nod.
And a quiet smile.
That felt… enough.
---
"Practice is good," a voice said from behind.
We all turned.
A teacher stood there, watching us with a neutral expression.
"But remember," he continued, "this is a competition. It needs to be engaging, not just meaningful."
There was a brief pause.
"We understand, sir," I replied.
He nodded once and walked away.
The silence that followed felt… different.
Not broken.
Just challenged.
---
Kaizer's POV
As we stepped out of the auditorium, the air felt lighter again.
"So?" Lux said. "Where are we practicing next?"
"My house is fine," I said without thinking too much about it.
Anya raised an eyebrow. "Convenient."
I ignored that.
"That works," Iris said simply.
And that was enough.
---
We walked toward the bus stop together.
The conversation faded somewhere behind us as the road stretched ahead, quiet and familiar. She walked slightly ahead at first, then slowed down, her hands loosely held behind her back as she lightly kicked small stones along the path.
I walked beside her.
Not too close.
Not too far.
When we reached her house, she stopped, turning toward me with that same calm expression.
"Bye," she said softly.
"Bye," I replied.
She turned and walked in.
And this time,
I didn't look away.
A small smile stayed on my face.
And for once,
I didn't try to hide it.