The next evening found the band tucked backstage at a mid-size theater in Peoria, Illinois. Load-in had gone smooth, soundcheck was wrapped, and dinner was still a couple hours off. Outside, the crowd was already starting to line up. Inside, the green room was dim and quiet, lit mostly by a warm lamp in the corner and the faint glow of someone\u2019s laptop left on standby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jonah sat cross-legged on the couch with a worn notebook in his lap, absently flipping through half-scribbled lyrics and snare exercises. Gabriel was curled up on a beanbag in the corner, barepaw and lazily twirling a Sharpie in one clawed hand, tail swaying with each slow breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cassie was the one who broke the silence. She looked up from her chair, where she\u2019d been absentmindedly strumming Rico\u2019s backup acoustic guitar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo,\u201d she said. \u201cThat night in the clearing? I can\u2019t stop thinking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rico nodded from the floor, back against the wall, arms resting on his knees. \u201cSame. I kept hearing this melody in my head last night. Been trying to figure out where it came from, and I think it was Mark humming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark, who had been pretending to nap with his arms crossed and one paw on the edge of the gear crate, opened one eye. \u201cWasn\u2019t humming. Just breathing funny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel chuckled softly. \u201cWell, your haunted breathing is inspiring as hell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You stood nearby with your tablet tucked under one arm, monitoring backstage comms, but listening with half an ear as the vibe shifted. Something was happening\u2014slow, organic. The kind of shift that usually meant a song was about to be born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cassie started plucking a quiet progression in D major\u2014bright but soft, warm and reflective. Jonah tapped gently on the couch cushion in time, mimicking kick-snare patterns without making a sound. Gabriel sat up a little straighter, his Sharpie forgotten as he watched the chords unfold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cassie sang, almost more to herself than anyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cThe world gets loud\u2026
but stars don\u2019t speak in screams.
They whisper like we\u2019re worthy,
of forgotten little dreams\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nJonah scribbled furiously. \u201cSay that again\u2014the stars don\u2019t speak in screams.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She smiled and kept playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cWe chased our lives through city lights,
but found the truth in pine and flame.
The fire crackled, kept us warm,
and made us say our real names\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nMark slowly sat up. \u201cBridge should drop to silence. No drums. Just layered harmonies and one guitar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rico raised a brow. \u201cYou\u2019re contributing lyrics now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark smirked. \u201cI\u2019m contributing vibe.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel was next. He softly sang backup on the chorus as it began to form, his deep voice wrapping around Cassie\u2019s lead like smoke curling through starlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cField notes from the stars\u2014
scribbled on napkins and scars.
We learned the sky\u2019s not that far,
when you\u2019ve got fire and hearts and guitars\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nRico hummed a countermelody under it, and Jonah leaned forward to tap out a rimshot rhythm on the wooden armrest. Even Maya drifted in quietly from the hallway and sat on the floor, mouthing along, eyes bright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane watched it all\u2014their fingers, their faces, the way it just clicked.<\/em> The chaos of the haunted show, the silence of the starlit night, the freedom of the road\u2014it was all becoming something real. Something worth preserving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the end of the first full run-through, no one spoke. The last chord rang out and faded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel finally whispered, \u201cOkay, I\u2019m obsessed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark grunted in agreement. \u201cLet\u2019s record it. Now. Before it vanishes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane hit STOP on his phone\u2019s recorder, then backed it up immediately to cloud storage and two different thumb drives. \u201cAlready on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cassie looked around the room. \u201cWe\u2019ll save the wild songs for the big crowds\u2026 but this one? This one\u2019s ours.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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