The Ember and The Queen

Nine: Unspoken Notes

"They're probably halfway through their setlist by now," Solene added, practically bouncing on her heels.

I chuckled, letting them drag me toward the music room. I didn't say it out loud, but I was kind of looking forward to seeing Kai, too. Okay-maybe more than just kind of. There was something about seeing her in her element that tugged at me in a way I couldn't quite explain.

We finally reached the hallway leading to the music room. The sound that met us wasn't what I expected. No loud guitars. No thudding drums. Just... a single, hauntingly beautiful note. A violin. Smooth, steady, delicate-like silk being drawn across my skin.

We slowed our pace instinctively, eyes widening as we approached the door.

"She's playing the violin?" Nica whispered.

I nodded slowly. "I didn't even know she could."

Solene gestured toward the small rectangular window on the door. "Look."

So we peeked.

And there she was.

Kai stood in the center of the room, back straight, eyes closed in concentration. Her brows furrowed slightly-not from frustration, but from the kind of emotional focus only artists understood. The violin sat gracefully on her shoulder, bow moving in practiced, fluid motions. The sound filled the room with a kind of magic, tugging at something deep inside.

Luna and Elisse weren't playing. They were just sitting, heads tilted in awe, watching her the way people might watch a meteor shower-silent, breathless, a little bit stunned.

The lights in the room hit her just right, highlighting the slope of her jaw, the glint of the strings, the tiny curl of her smile. She looked... ethereal. Like she didn't quite belong to this earth.

"She's not just a walking genius," Solene whispered. "She's a full-on prodigy."

"More like a one-woman orchestra," Nica added.

And I-I just stood there, unmoving, heart hammering softly inside my chest.

She didn't even know we were watching.

But in that moment, I saw her in a completely different light. Not just the Ember. Not just the genius who could ace any exam and pull me out of a bad mood with one sarcastic joke.

She was a symphony.

And I was completely, utterly, hopelessly in trouble.

The moment she turned her body and opened her eyes toward the window, our gazes locked instantly-and just like that, she stopped playing.

I froze, breath caught in my throat, but Nica and Solene had no hesitation at all. They threw the door open, practically tumbling into the room like toddlers who couldn't contain their excitement.

"Why'd you stop?!" Solene asked, eyes wide, still reeling from the unexpected performance.

"That was Mahika, wasn't it?" Nica added, nudging Kai's shoulder. She didn't deny it. She just gave us that familiar grin of hers-half smug, half soft.

"Told you you'd like it," Luna chimed in, already lounging by the amps, sipping water like she hadn't just witnessed a room-silencing moment.

I walked in slowly, still stunned. "Tapos na ba kayo sa setlist niyo?" I asked, voice barely above a whisper. I didn't know why I was whispering, maybe because I didn't want to break whatever spell had just happened.

Kai was about to answer when Nica pulled the oldest trick in the book: puppy eyes and hands clasped in dramatic pleading. "Kai, one more song. Pretty please. Come on, you know we're suckers for pain."