The Decision

CHAPTER FIVE THE DECISION Venice did not sleep. Technically, she went home. She changed clothes. Turned off the lights. Got into bed. But every time she closed her eyes, she saw Level Six. The archive. The cartridge marked: VEX And the message: FIND THE SECOND RECORDING. GREEN ROOM STUDIOS. Thirteen days until she was supposed to move into Innovation Tower. Thirteen days until the building with the hidden floor became her address. Her phone buzzed. Mara. YOU AWAKE? Venice typed: NO. GOOD. ME EITHER. Then: I HAVE COFFEE. Ten minutes later, Mara entered wearing sunglasses. “It’s not even six.” “I’m protecting my eyes from consequences.” Mara dropped onto the couch. “So. Are you moving into the haunted skyscraper?” “I haven’t decided.” “You have thirteen days.” “I know.” “You wanted that apartment before any of this.” Venice looked toward the window. “I wanted the district.” The Innovation District represented more than an apartment. Studios. Designers. Producers. Music. Opportunity. Green Room Studios. Signal & Steam. A future larger than Harmony Grove. Mara watched her. “You still want to go.” “Yes.” “Even now?” “I don’t know.” Mara leaned back. “What did Level Six actually do?” “What?” “Did it trap us?” “No.” “Attack us?” “No.” “Steal our kidneys?” “Mara.” “I’m establishing scale.” Mara continued. “It opened. It showed us Vex’s recording. Then it pointed us toward another clue.” Venice thought about it. “The messages scared us because we thought someone was threatening you,” Mara said. “Maybe the Tower was warning you.” “Or manipulating me.” “Sure. But if it wanted to hurt you, it had opportunities.” Venice looked toward the charm. “Vex said Green Room knows where the second piece is.” “That is definitely a problem.” “Why?” “You cannot walk into Green Room Studios and say, ‘Hi, I visited your secret archive on a nonexistent floor and Vex told me you have another recording.’” Venice almost smiled. Vex had become part artist, part rumor years before Venice cared about the story. A legendary male artist. Experimental. Brilliant. Difficult. Then gone. Some said he left Imagine Island. Others claimed he was still recording somewhere. Nobody seemed to know. Mara studied Venice. “You’re doing the face.” “What face?” “The one where curiosity becomes a survival strategy.” “I want to know what Green Room has.” “Of course you do.” Mara pulled out her phone. “But first, something less supernatural.” “That sounds suspicious.” “Signal & Steam.” Venice groaned. “No.” “Too late.” “What did you do?” “I texted Dante.” “Who is Dante?” Mara smiled. Signal & Steam had existed in the Innovation District before half the luxury towers surrounding it. It belonged to Keisha, an independent venue owner who believed: Good music should be heard before someone decides whether it is profitable. Signal & Steam became known as an intimate proving ground. Producers came. Managers came. Artists came. People from Green Room occasionally came. People from Imagine Radio came too. Not always officially. Dante worked in the middle of it. He was Signal & Steam’s open-mic coordinator and one of Keisha’s assistant bookers. He wasn’t a powerful executive. He was something more useful to an unknown singer. Someone who could put her on a real stage. Mara turned her phone toward Venice. MARA: I have someone you should hear. DANTE: You say this too often. MARA: Her name is Venice. Singer-songwriter. Dante replied: Send music. Mara typed: SHE WANTS TO SING LIVE. Venice lunged. “Mara!” The response arrived. Thursday open set. 9:30. Eight minutes. Venice stared. Eight minutes. Signal & Steam. A real stage. Mara sent Venice Dante’s contact. Immediately: DANTE: So you’re Venice. VENICE: Apparently. DANTE: Mara says you can sing. VENICE: Mara says a lot. DANTE: I like you already. Venice rolled her eyes. VENICE: I’m not looking for a favor. DANTE: Good. I don’t give those. Then: DANTE: You want Green Room someday? Venice stopped. VENICE: Everybody wants Green Room. DANTE: Not everybody belongs there. Then: Before you chase the room, you need a real room. Venice stared. VENICE: Signal & Steam is a real room? DANTE: Come Thursday and find out. A residency reminder appeared on Venice’s laptop. INNOVATION TOWER RESIDENCY CONFIRMATION REQUIRED At the bottom: ACCEPT DECLINE Mara stopped joking. “You don’t have to do it.” “I know.” “You can stay.” “I know.” Venice looked around Harmony Grove. Home. But home and future were not always the same place. The Tower hadn’t forced her into anything. Whatever Level Six was, Venice refused to let fear decide her life before she understood it. She pressed: ACCEPT. RESIDENCY CONFIRMED. WELCOME TO INNOVATION TOWER. Mara smiled. “You’re moving.” “In thirteen days.” “To the building with the secret floor.” “You were doing so well.” Mara laughed. Her phone buzzed. “Dante.” Tell your friend to drink water, don’t panic, and wear something cute but not desperate. Venice grabbed her own phone. VENICE: I can see your messages. DANTE: Even better. VENICE: I’m there to sing. DANTE: Exactly. Let the room hear you. Thursday. Signal & Steam. Eight minutes. Venice thought it was an open mic. What she did not know was that Green Room Studios had spent days searching for the unknown vocalist behind Sable. And Signal & Steam was exactly the kind of room Green Room listened to.