The Invitation

The letter sat on the table, its wax seal half-peeled. The gold edges caught a faint glint under the dim light.

Invitation to Aria Luna Music Academy.

Catherine raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, seriously? Is this a prank? Where’s the camera?”

Evelyn leaned forward.
“It’s addressed to us. All three of us.”

Catherine folded her arms.
“Yeah, but don’t you think a prestigious academy like Aria Luna would, I don’t know, hold auditions?”

The room went quiet.

“…They don’t do auditions,” Eluera said softly.

“What?” Catherine blinked.

“Eluera’s right,” Evelyn added, her voice calm. She brushed a strand of yellow hair behind her ear.
“They only send invitations.”

“That’s why it’s... genuine.”
“They chose... us.” Eluera’s hands trembled slightly as she spoke.

Catherine dropped onto the couch, arms spread.
“Why? We’re just some garage band from nowhere. Cheap gear, late-night noodle runs..."

No one answered.

—

Dusk came quietly, light slipping through the curtains and settling across the floor.

“Oh, by the way,” Evelyn said after a while.
“We’re almost done with high school. Graduation’s next week.”

“Don’t remind me,” Catherine groaned.
“Everyone keeps asking about college, careers, the future… like I’ve already got my whole life figured out.”

Eluera smiled faintly.
“...Haven’t you?”

“Only if ‘try not to burn down the kitchen’ counts.”

For a brief moment, the tension eased.

—

Eluera sat on her bed, her mind were fixated on the Aria Luna poster she saw earlier.

“I want to... sing without fear,” she whispered.

By the window, Evelyn stood quietly, arms folded.

“What do I even want?” she thought.
“Where am I supposed to go?”

In the living room, Catherine lay on the couch, tossing a stress ball into the air. She hated the feeling of not knowing what came next after graduation.

“What do I do after graduation…” she murmured.

—

A week had passed. Graduation came and went. No more alarms, no more classes. Things werent the same.

And one afternoon, Eluera entered the room with the letter in her hands.

“We should call...” she said.

Catherine froze mid-bite.
“You’re serious?”

Eluera nodded.
“Yes.”

Evelyn replied by the kitchen, turning off the faucet.
“I’ve been thinking about it too.”

Catherine sighed and rubbed her face.
“Okay. But if we end up in a creepy white van, I’m blaming you.”

—

They dialed the number.

A woman answered. Her voice was calm and composed. She confirmed the invitation, then asked:

“Do you accept?”

Eluera looked at Evelyn, Evelyn looked at Catherine, Catherine sighed.

“…Yeah,” Eluera whispered.

“We accept.” the trio spoke together.

—

The morning of their departure came quietly.

They stood outside their small shared house, bags at their feet. It wasn’t much—but it had been their lovely home.

Catherine slung her bag over her shoulder.
“So long, weird little house. Hope the next people like finding guitar picks everywhere.”

Evelyn looked up at the sky.
“We’re really doing this.”

Eluera’s hair stirred slightly in the breeze.
“This is... where it begins...”

A silver car waited at the curb.
They got in, one by one.

“Let’s show the world our music.”