Just Listen to the Music

This was originally written as a prologue, but the prologue sucked and was boring. There was critical background information laid out in the prologue that needs to be mentioned, and I couldn't find a way to re-work the information into the book naturally, so here is a bulleted list and a mini prologue instead.

POV:Cassie McKay

Date:November 28th, 2024 (344 days in the future)

Age:17 Years old

Location:Harbor Ridge, CA (boarding school dorm)

“Hey,” She starts softly, like she’s walking into a minefield, and honestly with my room in this condition, it’s not a far cry, but her tone isn’t because of my room. It’s because of me. “You okay?”

I shrug, leaning against the doorframe, “What do you think?,”

Londyn takes a deep breath before stepping into my landfill–I mean my bedroom, closing the door behind her.

I can read the concern on her face, and I can’t even deny it, or try to be strong, because I’m just as worried about myself as she is. She sets the coffee down on Sawyer’s desk, right next to a stack of letters from her younger sister Stella, which I’ve been studying. Londyn’s eyes linger on them for a brief minute before she turns her attention back to me.

“Cassie,” She uses my name to indirectly state the seriousness of this conversation, “You should eat something, or at least drink this.” I think she is worried about me since today is the first Thanksgiving I have ever spent alone, without a family to go home to.

I don’t respond. I haven’t eaten in two days. Communicating since her absence has proved difficult for me. It takes longer to process what’s being said to me and even longer to figure out what to reply. My brain, it just all feels like mush. I sit back on the bed, pulling the blanket tighter around me. Londyn sits to my left, her shoulder brushing mine. We sit there in silence together, grieve together for just a minute before continuing our conversation.

“They’re going to find her, don’t worry,” She tells me, blissfully unaware of everything I know. For her sake I smile like I don’t know better. But I do.

And I can’t stress how unfortunate this is, but I know way too much.

I know she didn’t run away, but what I don’t know is if she didn’t run away, what really happened?

I know that everything I’ve been told is a lie. But what I don’t know is what is the truth.

But this is the story of all that I do know, that’s not a lie.