ANTON/ALLI

Alli was pressed tight to Anton, fingers beneath his shirt, her lips to his. As she traced the dips and curves of his plastron, she tasted chocolate and strawberries from the dessert pizza, on his tongue. He moaned, panting into her mouth, a thrill blazing through her as his hand cupped the back of her head, his other on her lower back pulling her closer. "Oh, my god, Al." he gasped.

She moaned into him as his hands roamed. Then she heard it. A loud clanging and banging noise. They stopped… listening… her dad's voice.

"On my way, on my way, on my way to the office, where I totes won't find anything that will scar me for life. On my way, on my way, on my way to the office, getting Alli and Anton for diiiiiinnnneeer."

Her eyes flew open as she jerked back. She and Anton peeled apart, straightening their clothes. Both of their cheeks were flushed. She could feel the heat in hers, see the color even with the green of his.

Anton's hands began to shake. "Shit."

"What're you freaking out for?" Alli laughed. "We're not hiding this right?"

His eye ridges snapped up. "Yeah. But that don't mean I want Uncle Mikey finding us in here making out!"

Both of their eyes shot to the doorknob as it began to turn. Anton reached down, tugged it open and bolted by his Uncle. "Dinner? Great! Starved!"

Alli's eyes darted to her dad then away. "Yes. Starving. Absolutely, famished." She squeezed by him, beelining for the dining room.

SHEN/JEM

Shen schooled her face into an expression of rapt attention as uncle Donnie droned on about engineering a line of microorganisms to convert organic waste into alternative energy. At times like this, she envied Scout's ability to make any conversation she didn't want to have too inconvenient to hold, and just focus in on communication of interest to her. It wasn't that her Uncle's project wasn't interesting. It just wasn't interesting at this level of detail.

Each time he looked away from her to make sure the rest of his captive audience, poor Uncle's Horace and Arcos, were still listening, she took the opportunity to check her phone. And every time she smiled a little more, at every new development in the implosion of Luke Voss.

There was a certain satisfaction in seeing the storm she'd unleashed build and break. At the moment, people were coming out of the woodwork with their own Luke Voss stories. So many that she wondered if they were all legit. But there were definitely some, generally anonymous, that carried a ring of truth. Though it had only been hours, support groups were already forming for victims of Luke Voss. She wondered if Drea would be interested.

Uncle Donnie unfolded his paper napkin and began diagramming a particularly complex point, giving her the chance for another phone check. A new message. Her eyes widened as she scanned the text.

Jumping to her feet, she ran around the long table and grabbed Nik and Jem by the wrists, hauling them towards the kitchen. "We'll get the dessert pies and bring them out."

As the kitchen door swung shut behind them, Jem yanked his hand free. "What the shell? I was in the middle of talking to Mimi."

"Indie Tunes Studios has seen our videos and is offering us a record deal." Shen poured out excitedly.

"What?" They both answered in unison.

She waved her phone excitedly, though Nik couldn't read the message. "This is it. Our big break. We could be starting a career here. Records, tours...it could be our living."

"Tours?" Jem squeaked out.

Shen waved him off. "Relax. If fictional characters can holographically tour through musical careers, it shouldn't be a huge deal for you to be microphoned up and singing in your dressing room while I create an avatar to perform for you. No problem."

He exhaled a sigh of relief.

"The real problem is that we're minors and legally need parental permission to make this deal. We're going to have to tell the family."

Jem began to tremble. "Uh, maybe we could just wait until we're adults."

Shen put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "The offer is here now, not years from now. If we pass it up it could be gone forever. We've got to decide now."

"I'm in." Nik said.

Shen nodded. "Me too."

They both turned to Jem.

"Mmmm. Holograms. You promise?" Jem was feeling queasy. But at the same time, Shen was right. This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"Consider it done." Shen assured him.

"Fine." Jem stepped behind her and Nik. "I'll carry the dessert. You break it to the parentals."

Shen stood tall, squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. "I've totally got this."

SHEN

As they returned with dessert, Shen let the boys pass out the food while she pulled up the video, the one she'd played at school weeks before. Sticking her fingers in her mouth, she released a shrill whistle that silenced the room. Then she set her phone down in the middle of the table and let it play.

The opening piano music had Aunt April and Uncle Donnie's heads swiveling towards Nik and when the vocals began, Aunt Denim and Uncle Mikey mirrored the gesture to Jem.

Her dad looked up from the phone to her. "What is this?"

"It's the future that Nik, Jem and I want and we need your support." Shen responded. "The three of us have posted seven videos on YouTube so far, five of which are completely original. I do the visuals, Nik is piano and Jem sings."

Nik stood his ground, expressionless while Jem tried disappearing into his shell.

Shen paid them no mind and concluded her announcement. "A record company is offering us a deal and we want to take it."

Her dad's mouth fell open as he struggled to find words, a rare occasion for him.

DENIM

Seldom was Denim the one who's mind shut down. In this exact moment three messages were overloading her brain. One, Jem was singing, and he sounded good! Like, really good. Like, she opened her mouth without thinking and heard the words tumble from her lips. "Play it again, Shen."

Second, as her niece eagerly replayed a catchy original piece, with pitch perfect vocals sang by her son, amazing graphics, and crystal-clear flawless piano... came the blazing, next overload.

Oh my god who- then Leo commanded the answer to the very question as she thought it- "Who is this record company? What do you know about them? Are they reputable? Who are their clients? What are the terms? I'm not sure about his. It could be dangerous. I need answers and we'll all have to talk this over once we have more information."

Thank you, Leo.

And third, her eyes flickered to Mikey then to Scout, who looked stricken as she'd pieced together what was going on. No one had been signing since Shen hit play. She didn't want to draw attention to her daughter, to put her on the spot. This would take finesse.

But Scout, being the fierce soul, she was had a smile pasted on that was almost believable. She took a long hard draw off her drink. Picked up her empty glass, walked up to her brother and gave him a one-armed hug, then made her way to the soda fountain.

Denim leaned back, shooting Mikey her most pleading, please get this right and please read my mind look. She reached for his hand, squeezed it hard and looked back and forth between their twins. She'd take Jem. He'd get Scout. That's how they'd been doing it since they were born and Jem settled better for her and Scout for him. That's how it would be now.

Denim stood from her chair, right as Scout slipped into the kitchen. "Jem, you sound incredible. Really." She walked up to her son, gave him a hug and looked over his shoulder, to find Mikey's chair already empty.

SCOUT

As her brother's talent registered, Scout felt as if she'd been struck.

He could sing.

He could sing and he was going to make a career out of it.

And- if she could hear-

The pressure in Scout's chest was sudden, its leap to her throat unexpected. She forced a smile, quickly reached for her water and started drinking in a desperate effort to push the growing knot down. It wasn't working, even worse her eyes were becoming moist.

With every passing second Scout's pain grew. Still smiling, she took her glass in one hand, hugged her brother with her other and made her way to the soda fountain.

She'd been so close.

It could've been her.

Could still be.

Her heart began to pound. Her demons stirring. She pretended to get a refill. Instead put her glass in the bus bin beside it and ducked into the kitchen.

The muscles in her back gathered as she strained to push her emotions down.

Jem could sing.

Was going to make a career out of it.

Out of music.

That she would never hear.

The lump shifted from her throat to her jaw, a terrible ache that lanced her heart and soul. Breathing hard, her struggle great, she made her way to her parent's office. Kicking the door shut, she backed into the corner between the filing cabinet and the desk chair.

Jem had her gift too.

Only she'd never get to share hers with the world.

She couldn't even share it with her family.

Hell, she couldn't even talk right.

Her eyes blurred as the pressure erupted into sobs, tears streaking her cheeks. Sinking to the floor, her back to the wall she pulled at her hair, tugged at her earlobes and wanted to fight something she could never change.

Unless...

No.

Essence.

No.

No. No more rehab. Never again.

But to hear.

To hear the voices of the people she loved.

What did they sound like?

To hear Jem make music!

To make music with him.

To sing!

Just to talk...

To listen...

And be heard.

She smacked at her ears, pulling on them and her hair, as she buried her face in her legs and kicked a dent in the filing cabinet.

Something worse breathed beneath her dead dreams... the temptation of an impossible, deadly solution.

"Fuck!" She kicked the cabinet again and again, then rest her head against it, letting the cool metal soothe her wet cheeks.