A Tall and Small Collection | S2

Music and the Prelude

Dorian stared at the screen. His heart was racing a million miles a minute, which was incredibly far for a Borrower.

Was this real?

Was this even possible?

There was no way...

Ever since Ashlynn gave Dorian the smart device and loaded the GarageBand application onto it, he had been making music non-stop. Everything just felt natural. The way the instruments played at the touch of a button and brought his ideas to life was absolutely unreal. As a Borrower, making music was something you never did. Now? He could live this dream.

Ashlynn, after hearing some of his stuff, thought that he should post it anonymously online to different websites. It took a lot of discussion and soul searching, but Dorian ultimately decided he wanted to share his music.

What was the point of making it if no one was going to listen to it?

So, with Ashlynn's help and Soren's blessing, along with a thoughtful reminder that he needed to make sure Borrower kind was not referenced or revealed accidentally, they made him an email account which immediately linked to a YouTube page.

From there, he started uploading his music. He found free online pictures and found out how to put pictures over his music. Dorian even managed to find a few free things called "apps" that let the image move on its own.

For the past few months, he had been posting his music online to different sites until, one day, he saw he had a few comments and things called "subscribers." They were absolutely thrilled with his music, based on what Ashlynn said when she read the comments to him out loud, and he helped craft a response to each and every one.

It was slow at first, but the comments and views grew.

Dorian thought he was good, but never really that good. He was just pressing buttons and saying what was on his mind.

And, evidently, it had caught fire.

Dorian took a few days away from checking his sites to write and enjoy his music. During those days, something happened and, now, his heart was making his chest ache.

There was no way this was real, right? Those numbers were only ever three numbers deep, right? There were five numbers on them now - 56,389. What did it mean?

Feeling a little nauseous, he stumbled into the living room away from his screen and his studio to see that Ashlynn was sitting on the couch working. He didn't know where Soren was, but that didn't matter as much at the moment.

He needed Ashlynn for this - and it felt good to need her.

"Ashlynn!" called Dorian as he jogged up to the sofa where Ashlynn was sitting. She nodded, showing she heard him, but continued typing away on her computer until she reached a good stopping point.

"Yes? Hey Dorian. What's up?" she asked as she reached down to the floor out of habit and let the teen step onto her palm.

"I have a question for you about the online thing. Um... Do you have a second?" asked Dorian as he grasped Ashlynn's thumb and let himself be swept upward toward Ashlynn. The moment she saw him, her eyes narrowed.

"Sure, I have a second. Are you feeling alright? You look a bit shaky and pale. Did someone say something mean?" asked Ashlynn as she gingerly set Dorian down on her shoulder and began pulling up his YouTube channel.

"No, I don't think it was mean. I just released a new song a few days ago and there are a lot of numbers. I... I don't know what they mean, but I think I do at the same time if that makes sense," said Dorian. He crouched down low on Ashlynn's shoulder as his eyes fixed onto the screen. He was shaking in his borrowing boots. Why he felt so jittery, he wasn't sure, but he had a sneaking suspicion something was about to happen.

Ashlynn nodded and typed with lightning speed and waited only a few seconds for the screen to flick over to Dorian's page. It was relatively simple. He had Mayzie "paint" a logo and banner, simply calling his segment Dorian's Attic Tunes.

The moment Ashlynn clicked on the latest video, however, Dorian heard her inhale sharply and felt her stiffen.

"What?" he asked, feeling his nerves spike. "What is it? Is that bad? Or... or does that mean what I think it means?"

"Dorian, this is a lot of views; and look at the comments!" Ashlynn looked through the digital letters which Dorian could only partially understand. Dorian felt himself shaking as Ashlynn read off the comments.

"Dorian, you have an amazing voice. I hope you keep making music. Coming out with an album?"

"Such a great tune! And so true! Keep up the good work!"

"Totally subscribed first. Luv ya man. Keep cranking out tunes."

Ashlynn continued reading as Dorian's heart pumped nothing but air. Was this real? How could it be? He had no experience making music. This was just him goofing off.

"Dorian! This is amazing!" cheered Ashlynn, reaching up and carefully rubbing his shoulder. The Borrower teen was absolutely speechless. "And look! Your subscribers are going up every time I refresh the page. Look."

Ashlynn hit a few buttons and, sure enough, the number changed once again as the screen came up.

"This is amazing, Dorian," smiled Ashlynn. "You're really doing great things with your music. You're reaching people!"

"But... how... I mean... I'm not..." sputtered Dorian.

"What? You think you need to be human to make good music and make it in the industry? Granted, we'll have to be careful, but this is good. You should be proud of yourself!" Ashlynn encouraged once again. Dorian leaned against Ashlynn's neck and continued to stare at the number.

How was it possible to be this happy? This was truly an amazing day.

~~~^*^*^~~~

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening!

Rey heaved in breath after breath as he sprinted through the walls. His eyes weren't working. They were too blurred from the tears pouring over the rims of his eyes.

He knew what he needed to do in the moment, but it didn't make the hurt go away. It didn't make it any better. The teenage Borrower slammed into a nearby wall joist which seemed to come out of nowhere, and he let himself crumple to the ground.

Rey drew his legs into his body, which was shuddering violently, as he laid there in a heap.

What were they going to do?

They had no time.

He had to keep going.

He needed to get up.

Rey forced himself to his feet, but a choking sob made him pause just long enough stare at his blood-soaked hands.

Everything happened so fast...

And Hero...

How were they going to fix this?

How were they going to get him back?