Taut Strings

My name is Adeline and I’ve learned a hard lesson in my twenty-one years of life. Dreams are fragile things, easily broken.

I used to think I’d become a professional musician, and look how that turned out. Rejected by Julliard. Orphaned at nineteen. Now, my dreams extend as far as putting my little sister through college.

I shouldn’t be disappointed. Nothing truly great has ever come out of River Valley.

Nothing other than them.

When Bleeding Moonlight left this town ten years ago, they were a promising local band. Now, they’re gorgeous heavy metal legends. Talented, successful, fearless. Everything I’ll never be.

They’ve come back to town to bury their bandmate, and they’re staying until they record the last album he ever wrote. The kicker? They’ve asked me to be his temporary replacement.

Four weeks to earn the money I desperately need.

I’ll be fine as long as I don’t get tangled up in old dreams again.

As long as I don’t get tangled up in them.