The Recording

CHAPTER TWO THE RECORDING By the time Venice reached Harmony Grove, Sable was everywhere. Her face filled the screen above the late-night pharmacy. Her name crawled across the television at the twenty-four-hour diner. A shaky clip from Aurelia House had already been posted online. It showed Sable beneath the blue chandeliers while the crowd rose around her. But Venice’s voice came through clearly. Beautifully. Terribly. The caption read: SABLE TURNS PRIVATE GALA INTO SUPERNATURAL LIVE DEBUT. Mara stared through the windshield. “They uploaded that fast.” “They were ready.” “For the blackout?” “For Sable.” Venice watched the clip restart. “I think she planned to take credit for whatever happened.” The internet had already decided who had sung it. Mara switched off the car. “Before we go inside, listen to this.” She held up her phone. “You recorded the performance?” “After.” Mara played the recording. Sable’s voice came through. What was that? Then Venice. I don’t know. And finally: No. But tonight it made your voice useful. Mara stopped the recording. “That’s not nothing.” “It proves she knew I was singing.” “It proves she knew whose voice it was.” Venice looked toward Sable’s giant face across the street. “She’ll say I was hired to support her.” The contract had been simple. VOCAL SUPPORT SERVICES FOR PRIVATE EVENT. Venice had needed the money. She hadn’t asked enough questions. Her phone buzzed. Unknown number. YOU SANG THE NINTH INTERVAL. Then: THE TOWER HEARD YOU. Mara slowly sat back. “Okay.” “What?” “I suddenly hate the fact that you’re moving into that Tower.” Venice looked at her. “I haven’t moved in yet.” “I know.” “Two weeks.” “I know that too.” The invitation had arrived the previous morning. Official. Unexpected. INNOVATION TOWER RESIDENTIAL INVITATION. A subsidized artist apartment. Creative-space access. Two-year residency option. Move-in scheduled in fourteen days. Venice had spent yesterday wondering whether somebody had made a mistake. Now she wasn’t sure she wanted the opportunity at all. At her building, Jaiden was waiting beneath the damaged awning. “What happened?” Mara answered. “Sable stole the performance.” “That’s not what I asked.” Venice stopped. “The lights went out.” “I saw.” “The chandeliers turned blue.” “I saw.” “There were voices.” That changed him. “Did you record them?” Mara played the audio. When the final sequence arrived, Jaiden reached for the phone. “Again.” He listened. Then looked at Venice. “Did the charm react?” “It got hot.” “How hot?” “Hot enough to hurt.” Jaiden closed his eyes. Mara folded her arms. “Excellent. Here comes the mythology.” Jaiden opened his eyes. “It already had mythology.” Venice stared. “You said it was a good-luck charm.” “I thought that’s all it was.” “What stories?” “It belonged to my great-grandparent. It was found in a cave in Portugal known for strange acoustic effects.” “You told me that.” “I left out parts.” “Of course you did.” “People said voices behaved strangely inside it. Echoes returned wrong. Sometimes people heard notes nobody produced.” Mara looked at Venice. “That sounds familiar.” Jaiden continued. “My family kept the charm. There were stories that it reacted to particular music.” “And you gave it to me?” “Because it reacted to you.” Silence. “When?” “Before Aurelia House.” “You knew?” “I knew it got warm when you sang. That’s all.” Venice’s phone buzzed. DO NOT SING AGAIN. Then: THE NINTH INTERVAL OPENS WHAT WAS SEALED. Jaiden went pale. “You know the phrase,” Venice said. “It appears in family notes.” “As what?” “A musical key.” “For what?” Jaiden hesitated. “Something that opens.” The building lights flickered. Then everything went dark. Across the street, the pharmacy screen glitched. Sable vanished. A blue symbol appeared. The same symbol on Venice’s charm. Then Sable returned. Venice’s phone buzzed. INNOVATION TOWER. LEVEL 6. MIDNIGHT TOMORROW. COME ALONE. Then: OR SABLE SINGS THE NEXT NOTE. Mara took the phone. “No.” Jaiden stared. “Level Six?” “You know it?” “No. Innovation Tower doesn’t have a public Level Six.” Mara looked at Venice. “That building is getting less attractive.” Fourteen days. Venice had been supposed to move there in fourteen days. Yesterday the invitation had felt impossible in the best way. The Innovation District. A real apartment. Creative spaces. Green Room nearby. A chance at something bigger. Now the Tower was attached to secret floors and strange messages. Mara looked at her. “You’re still planning to move there?” Jaiden turned. “Move where?” “Innovation Tower.” “You got accepted?” “I got the invitation yesterday.” “When do you move?” “Two weeks.” “And you were going?” “I wanted to.” The answer surprised even Venice. “It’s an artist residency. The district is right there. Green Room Studios is right there.” Mara said, “She’s spent a year talking about getting out of Harmony Grove and closer to the music scene.” Jaiden shook his head. “You can turn it down.” “I know.” Mara looked between them. “We’re mixing up two things.” She pointed at the message. “That is tomorrow.” Then toward the future. “The apartment is two weeks from now.” Venice looked at her. “We go tomorrow. We figure out what Level Six is. If it’s dangerous, you turn down the apartment.” Jaiden shook his head. “She is not going alone.” “The message says come alone.” Mara smiled. “That’s adorable.” Venice looked toward Sable’s face across the street. A new headline had appeared. SABLE ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE FOLLOWING VIRAL AURELIA HOUSE PERFORMANCE. Venice felt anger arrive. Sable had stolen the moment. Now she was building on it. Venice looked at Mara. “Save the recording in three places.” “Already did.” She looked at Jaiden. “Bring everything you have about the charm.” Then Venice looked at the Tower address. “We go tomorrow.” The phone buzzed. GOOD. Nobody had answered the message. Nobody had told the sender what they decided. Mara leaned closer. “That one I officially hate.” Miles away, deep inside Innovation Tower, an elevator display illuminated. One number appeared. 6.