The Enchanted Playlist

Chapter 2: The Stranger's Warning

The email sat on my screen like a bomb waiting to go off.
"You're being followed. Be careful."

I read it at least ten times, but it didn't make any more sense. There was no sender, no reply option just those five words. My stomach churned. Was it the man in the hoodie? Or someone else entirely?

I grabbed the MP3 player, my fingers trembling, and shoved it into my pocket. My brain screamed at me to throw it out, to get rid of it before things got worse. But something about it wouldn't let me. It felt...important. Like giving it up would be losing something I didn't even know I had.

That's when my phone buzzed.

It was Juno.

"Mel, are you okay?" Her voice was sharp, panicked. "I just saw something online. It's...weird."

"Weird how?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Someone posted a video of you from last night."

"What?" My heart sank.

"Yeah. It's...it's going viral. People are saying you made the streetlights change or some crazy thing. Is that true? Did you...do something?"

I froze. Of course, I hadn't noticed anyone recording. My mind raced through the possibilities, but none of them made sense. I didn't want to lie to Juno, but how could I tell her the truth?

"I don't know," I muttered. "It's probably a trick of the light or something."

"Mel," Juno said, her tone softer now. "I don't know what's going on, but you need to be careful. People are talking about you, and not in a good way."

Before I could respond, there was a knock at my door.

I held my breath. My apartment wasn't exactly in a high-traffic area, and no one ever just dropped by. Slowly, I crept to the door and peered through the peephole.

It was him.

The man in the hoodie.

My pulse skyrocketed, and my hand flew to the lock. He didn't move, just stood there like he knew I was watching.

"I know you're in there, Melody," he said, his voice muffled but calm. "I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help."

My first instinct was to call the cops, but something about his voice stopped me. It wasn't threatening it was almost...familiar. Against every ounce of logic, I opened the door.

He pulled back his hood, revealing a face I didn't expect. He was young early twenties, maybe with sharp features and dark eyes that seemed to see right through me.

"You need to stop using the playlist," he said. "Now."

I stared at him, my mind spinning. "Who are you? And how do you know about the playlist?"

He hesitated, his jaw tightening. "My name is Arion. And let's just say I've seen what it can do. It's not a gift, Melody. It's a curse."

"A curse?" I repeated, disbelief dripping from my voice. "You're telling me this thing" I pulled the MP3 player out of my pocket "is cursed? That's ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous," he said sharply. "It's dangerous. The music doesn't just change reality it feeds off it. The more you use it, the more it takes."

"Takes what?"

"Pieces of you," he said simply. "Your memories, your emotions, your soul. And if you're not careful, it'll take everything."

I wanted to laugh, to tell him he was crazy, but deep down, I knew he wasn't lying. The music did feel like it was pulling at something inside me. And that terrified me.

Before I could respond, Arion's head snapped toward the window.

"They're here," he said under his breath.

"Who?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the fire escape.

"We need to go. Now."