Even a Scream Has A Musical Scale - Chapter 18

“Do you know why they take your blood every two months? It’s to ensure you take your meds properly and stay healthy. It’s all for your good,” Anna’s voice echoed through the phone, her tone laced with concern.

“I know that,” she replied, holding her phone to her ear, trying to sound nonchalant. But Anna wasn’t convinced and let out a frustrated sigh.

“You’re not even listening to me, are you?”

“No, I’m listening!” She quickly put down the tweezers she was using to help Cassie organize her medication on the bed, adjusting her grip on the phone to sound more attentive.

“I’m taking my meds, I promise. I just missed one dose because I had this big presentation, and then I had the blood test the next day,” she explained, hoping it would ease Anna’s worries.

“What does a presentation have to do with your medication?” Anna pressed, not letting it go.

“After I take it, I feel like I just woke up from a long sleep. I can’t concentrate,” she admitted, her voice dropping softer.

“Oh, sweetheart. Dr. Connil said that’s just—” Anna began, but she cut her off.

“Yeah, I know. All in my head, right?” she finished, a hint of resignation in her voice. Cassie, who had been listening quietly, chuckled softly as she dropped another pill into a small packet with careful precision. Anna sighed on the other end of the line, clearly worried.

“I’m really worried about you. If your results are off next time, the senator’s going to—”

“Don’t worry, Anna. I won’t let you down,” she assured, finally managing to calm Anna enough to end the call. As soon as she hung up, she immediately popped a pill into her mouth, afraid she’d forget again. A shiver ran through her as the familiar coldness settled in.

Every time she took the meds, it felt like she was fading, like she was turning into a ghost of herself. She hated that feeling. That’s why she had skipped a few doses. But the advanced medical tech could tell, with just a few drops of blood, exactly how obedient—or rebellious—she had been. Her father and grandmother were obsessed with numbers, and keeping those numbers perfect was crucial.

“Your parents are just as stubborn as mine,” Cassie remarked as she carefully dropped another pill into a packet, her eyes focused.

“He’s just worried about me. I can’t afford to mess up in front of people. It’s all for my sake,” she insisted, picking up the tweezers again and shaking her head.

“How is that for your sake? It’s for him. It breaks my heart every time I see you so out of it. Your father should see what it does to you,” Cassie said, her voice filled with genuine concern.

She smiled warmly at Cassie, appreciating her friend’s kindness. How could Eleanor hate such a good person just because she thought Cassie didn’t meet the Royal Dorm’s standards? It was simple-minded. And wrong.

Cassie might have been the type who hunted down profitable information like a bloodhound, but when it came to her friend’s family, she never pried. She was always on her side, no matter what. She loved that about Cassie.

“But Cass, who’s taking all these pills anyway?” she asked, glancing at the neatly packed medication.

“We’re getting closer to college entrance exams. It’s the busy season,” Cassie replied, her tone business-like.

“Do these help with exams?” she asked, curious.

“They say it makes you smarter, helps you focus better. The kids buy it, but the parents are the real customers—just like your dad, ‘for their kids,’” Cassie explained with a knowing smile.

“Even at school? No one here looks like they’d need it,” she commented, still amazed at how well everyone seemed to have it together on the surface.

“There are plenty of them. But who they are is a secret. I’m very serious about protecting my clients’ privacy, you know.” Cassie’s eyes gleamed with pride behind her glasses as she answered, her tone dripping with confidence. Dani wanted to ask if the Remingtons were among her clients but decided against it. Knowing wouldn’t change anything.

“If you want independence, Dani, you need to start saving your own money. That’s how you can truly be free.” Cassie’s voice broke the silence as she continued packing the pills with steady hands.

“Remember, your parents’ money is theirs, not yours. When you’re following their rules and spending their money, it feels like it’s yours, but it’s not. That money just binds you tighter. If you really want freedom, you have to earn your own.”

“Do you want to be free, Cass?” Dani asked.

“Of course. Everyone wants that,” Cassie replied without hesitation.

“But I already feel pretty free as it is,” Dani said, her tone casual. Cassie tilted her head back and burst into laughter, so hard that the pill slipped from her tweezers, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Dani, when we graduate, let’s go on a trip together. I’ll show you what real freedom looks like. Once you taste it, you’ll realize just how unfree you’ve been living.”

Cassie then launched into an animated description of the pyramids of Egypt, the ancient fortresses of China, and the shimmering skies of Iceland.

“We’ll even visit Korea, where your parents were born. It’ll be amazing, Dani.”

“Yeah, that sounds fun,” Dani replied with a smile, though the idea of true freedom felt distant and foreign to her.

****

Summer vacation had arrived. As Dani crossed the bridge leaving Erratum, she noticed the forest had turned green. It had been dark when she first arrived, but now it was lush and vibrant. Yet, despite the change in the scenery, she felt a growing tightness in her chest. The forest had transformed, but she felt just as dark inside as when she first came.

Dani hated summer. To her, it felt like a vampire, draining her life force to feed its insatiable hunger. The red and yellow sun, the deep blue of the ocean, the rich green of the forest—they all seemed to thrive while she withered away. It was as if their vibrancy somehow deepened her hunger.

Staring out at the vivid landscape through the large window, she absentmindedly pushed a piece of white fish into her mouth. Despite the extended daylight, the outside world was still bright with summer’s warmth, and her heart remained cold and dark. Ever since she returned home for the break, that chill had settled deep within her. The mood of the house rose and fell with the election polls, leaving Dani feeling like she was on the verge of being overwhelmed by motion sickness.

“School’s been fun, huh?” Maxwell, her older brother, asked his tone teasing.

“Yeah, more or less,” Dani replied absentmindedly. There had been a time when having a brother was something new and intimidating, but she’d quickly learned that the more seriously she took his teasing, the more foolish she felt. Now, he was the person she found easiest to deal with—though also the most annoying. Something about her nonchalant answer amused him, and he let out a soft chuckle. The artificial light of the chandelier hanging high above cast sharp shadows across his angular face.

Daniel and Bo looked just like their father, but Maxwell was the only one who had a different face. He didn’t resemble his deceased mother either; if she had to choose a close relative, it would be their grandmother. The sharp, snake-like eyes were particularly reminiscent of her.

“Well, of course, you’d enjoy it if guys are falling for you.”

“Who says that?”

“It’s all over the gossip, Dani.”

Maxwell raised an eyebrow and grinned with annoying smugness. She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering where he had heard such strange rumors. He gestured with the knife he was using to slice scallops towards the second floor.

“Take care of yourself, too. If you let some creep get too close, next time you might end up like that.”

“Maxwell!”

Their grandmother, sitting at the end of the table, clicked her tongue in disapproval. Despite being nearly eighty, she wore her suit impeccably.

“Watch your words. There are many ears around.”

“It doesn’t seem like Father is too concerned about it.”

Maxwell gestured towards the study on the second floor. From behind the firmly closed door came the muffled sounds of crashes and destruction.

Including Bo’s scream.

“Katie? Turn up the music a bit.”

Their grandmother commanded the housekeeper. Katie increased the volume on the CD player. Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 flowed from the expensive speakers, its light notes covering Bo’s screams and filling the dining room.

“Nice choice of music. Feels like someone might die soon.”

Maxwell giggled as he popped a slice of scallop into his mouth.

She was feeling increasingly nauseous. Setting her knife down, she picked up her phone. Eleanor’s social media was filled with vacation photos—children laughing joyfully under the lazy sun at Nolbeach. They looked so free and lively compared to her suffocating self. She was envious.

‘Don’t come.’

Remington had told her not to come. Was she really that unwelcome? Was she such an inconvenience to him? The thought of going to Nolbeach just to press her nose against his rejection only fueled her desire to go even more. But she hadn’t yet dared to bring up the trip with her father. If she did, Maxwell’s prediction of her being the next to visit the study might just come true.

Well, maybe it’s for the best… As she scrolled slowly through her phone, a loud crash echoed above her.

Bang!

She jumped, hastily setting her phone on the table.

“Katie! Clear my plate and prepare some wine!”

Her father’s commanding voice descended from the second floor, accompanied by Bo.

Bo’s once-neat brown hair, which had been carefully styled earlier, was now disheveled, and her exposed skin was covered in bruises of deep red and purple.

She held her breath and lowered her gaze. Katie filled her father’s glass with red wine, turned the speaker volume back down to its original level, and stepped away. The music, now in its third movement, had taken on a more solemn tone.

“Max, have you checked with Forten and Grid?”

Her father asked Maxwell, who responded promptly.

“Yes, I’ve checked. All three locations, including Pencils Lane, have corrected their articles. The main headline has changed as well. Other newspapers will start updating their stories soon.”

“It’s such a nuisance for something so trivial.”

Her father swished his wine around in his glass. Bo sat down beside her, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at her sister, only sliding the salt and pepper towards her. Bo, however, merely stared at her cooling soup.

“Oh! And Pencils Lane requested some special photos of you and Father. I sent Greg a few from the horseback riding session two years ago, and the Thanksgiving party photos.”

“What about the expressions? Did you check those, too?”

“Of course! Fortunately, you’re smiling in all the photos. That should help calm the backlash about dating someone from an immigrant background. Also, the political science essay you wrote will be published soon. According to Greg, there are no conflicts with our current policies on immigration or abortion rights.”

“Make sure to keep monitoring the responses. It won’t quiet down easily.”

Her father shook his head in frustration, then abruptly turned his attention to her.

“Duncan Graham.”

“Pardon?”

The sudden mention of the name startled her, and she looked up in surprise. Her father sipped his wine, eyeing her.

“Who is this?”

The question was so unexpected that her mind went blank. She was caught off guard, her nerves frayed. She fidgeted with her hands under the table as she answered.

“He’s a friend from history class. And he’s also a friend of Remington… my buddy, Remington.”

“I didn’t know you were bold enough to kiss your friend on the lips.”

“Ah….”

Her father chuckled, rubbing his chin. The thick gold ring on his pinky glinted menacingly. Maxwell, across from her, looked amused and let out a low whistle.