The Song No One Remembers

Mina wasn’t the kind of person who let things go easily.

She had always been like this—curious, relentless, and just a little too nosy for her own good. It was what made her such a good best friend, though Liora would probably argue otherwise.

But today, something about Liora felt off.

Mina had noticed it from the moment they walked into school. The way Liora hesitated before speaking, the way she kept touching her throat absentmindedly, like something was wrong. Liora was always quiet, but this? This was different.

Mina chewed on the end of her pen as she stared at Liora from across the classroom. Liora was staring blankly at her notebook, pencil unmoving.

Yeah. Something was definitely wrong.

At the end of the day, Mina didn’t let Liora escape.

“Okay, spill.” She grabbed Liora’s wrist before she could vanish down the hallway. “Something’s up, and I know it’s about that dream.”

Liora hesitated. She looked around as if making sure no one else could hear before sighing. “I… I tried humming the song last night.”

Mina perked up. “And?”

Liora’s expression darkened. “Nothing came out.”

Mina blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I mean my voice was gone.” Liora touched her throat, frustration flickering in her eyes. “I tried again and again, but it was like something was stopping me.”

Mina stared at her. The usual playful remark died on her lips.

“Liora,” she said carefully, “you don’t think—”

“I don’t know what to think.” Liora shook her head. “But it’s not normal, Mina.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “And then… I heard it again.”

Mina swallowed. “The whisper?”

Liora nodded.

Mina crossed her arms. “Okay, that’s creepy.”

Liora gave her a gee, you think? look.

Mina chewed on her bottom lip, thinking. “We need a plan.”

Liora raised an eyebrow. “A plan?”

“Yes, a plan. Step one, we figure out where that song comes from. Step two, we see if this whole ‘I can’t sing’ thing is some weird mental block or something… supernatural.” She wiggled her fingers for dramatic effect.

Liora sighed. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

Mina grinned. “Nope.”

Despite the strangeness of it all, despite the shadows creeping at the edges of her life—Liora felt a little lighter. Because Mina was here. And no matter what was happening to her, she wasn’t facing it alone.

Even if neither of them realized just how deep this mystery was about to go.

____

Mina had never considered herself the detective type, but if there was one thing she excelled at, it was not giving up.

Which was exactly why, the next day, she dragged Liora to the school library.

Liora, of course, looked unimpressed. “How is this supposed to help?” she muttered as Mina pulled her toward the shelves.

“Well,” Mina said, scanning the rows of old music books, “if the song from your dream is real, then maybe we can find something about it. Maybe it’s an old lullaby, or—” She gasped dramatically. “What if it’s cursed?”

Liora groaned. “Mina.”

Mina grinned. “Relax. It’s just a theory. But wouldn’t it be cool if—”

She paused.

A strange feeling prickled at the back of her neck.

The library was nearly empty, the air thick with the scent of old paper and dust. But something about it felt… different.

Off.

Mina turned, eyes flickering across the dim rows of bookshelves. She could’ve sworn—

“Earth to Mina?”

Liora’s voice snapped her out of it. Mina shook off the weird feeling and pulled out a thick book from the shelf. “Let’s start here,” she said, dropping it onto the table with a thud.

Liora sat down, flipping through the pages while Mina grabbed another book. For a while, they worked in silence, searching for anything that might match the haunting melody in Liora’s dream.

Then—

“Wait.”

Liora’s voice was barely above a whisper. Mina looked up.

Liora was staring at a page, her fingers tightening on the edges of the book.

Mina leaned in. The page held a faded sheet of music, the notes curling across the staff like delicate ink vines. The title was smudged, unreadable. But something about it felt… familiar.

“Is this—?” Mina started.

“I think so,” Liora murmured. Her fingers traced the notes, almost reverently. “I don’t know how, but… I know this song.”

Mina shivered.

Then she had an idea.

“If you recognize it, then try humming it,” she suggested. “See if anything happens.”

Liora hesitated. But then, slowly, she parted her lips.

And once again—nothing.

Not a single note.

Liora’s eyes widened in panic. She clutched her throat, her breath quickening.

Mina grabbed her hand. “Hey, hey—breathe. It’s okay.”

Liora’s fingers trembled against her own. Her voice should have come out. There was no reason for it not to. And yet—

A noise echoed through the library.