Chapter 2

2

I grabbed my guitar and hit record on my phone. My fingers began to pluck the strings. It started as a random melody but turned into something wild.

It was like a storm hitting my heart. The music pulled me into a world where only sound existed.

I poured all my grief and anger into the music. I let the strings scream about the darkness and the madness I had faced.

When I finished, my hand left the strings. They were still vibrating, just like my fingers.

I opened my eyes, feeling a strange sense of peace.

I saw my roommate staring at me, her jaw on the floor. I didn't say a word. I just turned to my laptop and started producing the track.

The inspiration was overflowing. I rewrote the score and the lyrics from scratch.

I grew up in a normal family. Studying music was both a surprise and a destiny for me.

A teacher discovered my talent when I was a kid. Under their guidance, I convinced my parents to let me pursue this path.

I started posting videos to help my parents with the bills. It was hard at first, but I learned to edit and film everything myself. Eventually, I made enough to pay for extra instrument classes.

This song was my first attempt at a full original piece. I had stitched together different ideas I'd had over the years.

In my last life, the song had flaws because it was my first time.

But this new burst of inspiration allowed me to build on the original. I added so much more raw emotion and depth.

The sun began to set.

I didn't want to disturb my roommate, so I took my laptop to the practice rooms.

I worked through the entire night.

When I finally opened the door the next morning, a classmate was standing there in shock. "Lia? Are you trying to kill us with your work ethic? You're already a big influencer. Leave some air for the rest of us!"

She was being dramatic, but it made me smile.

"I just had a spark," I said. "I wanted to finish it while it was fresh."

I knew she was joking. Our professors always praised my talent, which put a lot of pressure on me. I had stayed up for more than just one night to get this right.

I wanted to give my fans a surprise for my three-year anniversary on the app.

I looked at the new version on my phone and felt a weight lift off my shoulders.

My classmate sighed. "Must be nice. I have to write down every little idea and hope I can turn it into a song later."

Her words hit me like a lightning bolt. But a second later, I felt a wave of dread.

In my previous life, I had shown my logs and records. Nobody believed me because the mob was already out for blood.

I stared at the sheet music on my screen. An idea formed. I modified a section of the bridge to match a currently trending TikTok sound and saved it in a folder on my desktop.

Then, I deleted my real version and saved it onto an encrypted flash drive.

I didn't know how Kenna was getting my work, but I had to be ready.

If she was stealing from my laptop, she was going to get a fake version.

I packed up my things and headed back to the dorm to sleep.

But when I got there, my roommate told me the news. Kenna Quinn was claiming someone plagiarized her.

My body went cold. I opened the app. Sure enough, Kenna had posted a video an hour ago.

It was just a simple photo of a landscape, but the caption made my blood run cold.