Stars' Song: Clef

Chapter 9 : Pollux

9-1

The orange glow of the sunset generated two elongated shadows before me. I would never expect the shadow beside me to appear different. Today, I was walking through the neighborhood alongside Amber. After guessing the correct answer, I got too excited and offered to bring her along to our rehearsal. I didn't consider this part of the process—the two of us strolled side by side without much of a chat.

The absence of communication was bothering me, but the elation occupying my chest was prevalent. My mind imagined endless possibilities, countless ways on how Amber would improve our sound as a band. I've always wanted to experiment with harmonization in one of our performances. In the past years, Ronin was the one to do backup vocals. However, this was extra work for him, as he had to convert his guitar riffs into muscle memory. Executing lead lines while hitting the right vocal notes to harmonize is taxing. No matter how impressive it was for him to pull it off, he might have spent all his time on the necessary practice.

If there were two vocalists in the band, the instrumentalists would be able to focus on their jobs without fulfilling two roles at once. Ronin could concentrate on his guitar playing, which will likely result in refinement! Having Amber join the band would take the burden off our shoulders. She is much more proficient than I am, and I am lucky to have her here.

My back may have felt heavy, but she also took the weight off. It was a win-win situation.

The both of us were a few inches from my house. From here, the vague thumps of drums were perceivable.

"We're here." My pace ceased with a scrape of the cement sidewalk.

"I see..."

The two of us stood in front of the house for a short while before I spoke. "A-Amber, what about the chorale...?"

"Oh..." She brushed her hair behind her ear. "I will talk to them accordingly... There's no need to worry." Her bottom lip glistened as it moved. "I'm glad I auditioned... It gave me the confidence to... do this."

Because of the setting sun behind her, her countenance was obscured by the lack of light. However, her intricate features remained astonishing, so much so that I wanted to write a song about this specific scene.

I blinked my eyelids in rapid succession. "Alright... Thank you for this."

"For what?"

"For..." My fingers toyed with the keys to the main door, producing a jingle. "For choosing us... I-I guess. It means a lot to me, really."

I hurried to the door, unaware of the expression she had and the reply she had or had not given.

9-2

"Guys! Huh?" What greeted me behind the door was Keith sitting behind the drum set.

"Hey, June! Oh... Amber? What's up?" Keith waved his drumsticks above him.

"H-hi...!"

"How did you get in exactly?" I interrogated.

"We climbed through your bedroom window. Not a big deal," Keith replied. Okay, that's really concerning. Don't be proud for having the same capabilities as a burglar.

The garage had an odd sight. Ronin was lying on the couch, while Cyril was lying on... the floor? "Did Cyril die?"

"E-ehh..." Amber sounded under her breath, examining the corpse.