I was fifteen. I was naive. He was the first person I had ever loved. When his hands touched me, I felt a chill go down my spine. But now, whenever anyone touches me, I feel a chill go down my spine, but for a very different reason.

The year is 2583, and music has been banned for over a century. Every piece ever composed was burned or confiscated, even Bach and Bethoveen. Musical instruments no longer exist, not in museums or books. The majority of our population does not even know what music is. Any rhythm, beat, or pitch has been outlawed. My name is Ember, and I hear the fobidden songs playing in my mind. I sing, dance, and play, but I must never be caught, for I would surely be executed for treason.