A VOICE BOUND BY FATE

Writing Nicole stared at the advertisement long after the music video had ended. “Nicole!” She blinked. “Sorry!” A customer was standing in front of her, tapping impatiently against the counter. “My coffee?” “Oh—yes. I'm sorry.” She handed him the cup with an apologetic smile. When he walked away, Nicole glanced at the television again. VOICE OF EASTERNVILLE ACADEMY. The words seemed to burn themselves into her mind. She had dreamed about the academy for years. Not because it was famous. Not because its graduates became stars. But because it was the one place where she believed someone might finally understand what music meant to her. At home, music was simply something she loved. At the café, it was something she listened to while working. To everyone else, it was a hobby. But to Nicole? It was the only thing that made her feel completely alive. She reached beneath the counter and pulled out her notebook. On the last page, beneath several unfinished paragraphs for her next novel, she had written a single sentence: I want to sing. She stared at it. Then, beneath it, she added: I want to be heard. “Miss?” Nicole quickly shut the notebook. An elderly woman stood at the counter, smiling at her. “You're the writer, aren't you?” Nicole froze. For one terrifying second, she couldn't breathe. “What writer?” The woman laughed softly. “The one everyone is talking about. N. Cole.” Nicole's fingers tightened around the notebook. She looked around the café. Nobody appeared to be listening. “I think you have the wrong person.” The woman studied her for a moment. Then she smiled. “Perhaps.” She picked up her coffee and walked away. Nicole exhaled. She had been careful for years. Her books had become popular because nobody knew the girl behind them. She liked it that way. No interviews. No photographs. No public appearances. Just her words. Words were safe. Music wasn't. Music required her to stand in front of people and let them see her. And that terrified her. Her phone vibrated. She looked down. An email notification appeared on the screen. VOICE OF EASTERNVILLE ACADEMY — AUDITION APPLICATIONS. Nicole's heart began pounding. She opened it. Dear Applicant, Auditions for the 2027 admission session will begin in three weeks. Only thirty candidates will be selected. Thirty. Nicole stared at the number. Three weeks. She had three weeks to decide whether she was brave enough to chase the one dream she'd spent years hiding. Then another notification appeared. This time, it was from her publisher. N. Cole, we need to talk about your next book. Nicole smiled faintly. Two worlds. One girl. And somehow, she had to find a way to belong to both. She slipped her phone into her pocket and looked toward the television. A photograph of Sanchez appeared on the screen. The café erupted in excited chatter. Nicole smiled. “Maybe someday,” she whispered. She didn't know that those two words would eventually change everything. A Voice Bound by Fate — Chapter One, Scene Three The café was nearly empty by closing time. Nicole wiped the last table, humming quietly under her breath. She didn't even realize she was singing until the sound of her own voice stopped her. She looked around. No customers. No manager. No one. For once, she allowed herself to continue. Her voice was soft at first. Then stronger. She closed her eyes. Music had always done that to her. It made the world disappear. The café faded. The tables disappeared. The sound of the coffee machine became nothing. There was only her voice. And the dream. She imagined herself standing beneath a single spotlight, a microphone in her hand, thousands of people waiting for her to sing. Her heart raced. Then— “Wow.” Nicole's eyes flew open. She stopped singing. Her manager stood at the entrance. For several seconds, neither of them spoke. Nicole's face went pale. “How long have you been standing there?” “Long enough.” Nicole immediately looked away. “I was just—” “Singing?” She nodded. Her manager smiled. “You should do that more often.” Nicole gave a nervous laugh. “It's just something I do.” “Something you do?” He leaned against the doorway. “Nicole, I've heard plenty of people sing in this café. You don't sound like someone who sings because they're bored.” She said nothing. He pointed toward the television. The advertisement for Voice of Easternville Academy was still playing. “You're thinking about applying, aren't you?” Nicole stared at the screen. “Yes.” “Then apply.” Her eyes dropped. “I don't know if I can afford it.” “That's not the same thing as not being able to do it.” Nicole looked at him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small envelope. She frowned. “What's that?” “Your wages for this week.” “I thought payday was Friday.” “It is.” “Then why—” “Consider it an early payment.” Nicole stared at the envelope. She knew exactly what he was doing. “Sir…” “Don't thank me.” He smiled. “Just promise me one thing.” “What?” “Don't let being afraid make the decision for you.” Nicole swallowed. Those words stayed with her long after she left the café. That night, she sat at her tiny desk by the window. Her laptop was open. On the screen was her latest manuscript. Beside it was the academy application. Two worlds. Writing. Music. For years, writing had been the place she hid. Music was the place she wanted to be found. Nicole slowly moved her cursor toward the application button. Her finger hovered over it. She hesitated. Then she clicked. APPLICATION SUBMITTED. Nicole stared at the screen. For a moment, she couldn't believe what she'd done. Then she laughed. A real laugh. The kind she hadn't heard from herself in a long time. She leaned back in her chair. “Okay,” she whispered. “Let's see what happens.” Outside her window, the city lights flickered beneath the night sky. And somewhere across Easternville, another application had just been submitted. One that would eventually put Nicole's name beside someone she never expected to meet. Someone who would change everything. But Nicole knew nothing about that yet. All she knew was that, for the first time, she had chosen her dream. And sometimes, fate begins with something as simple as a single click A Voice Bound by Fate — Chapter One, Scene Four Three days passed. Nicole tried not to think about the application. She failed miserably. Every morning, she checked her email before getting out of bed. Nothing. At breakfast, nothing. During her shift at the café, nothing. Even before sleeping, she checked one last time. Still nothing. “Maybe they're not interested,” she whispered one night. She immediately shook her head. “No. It's only been three days.” She closed her laptop. Five minutes later, she opened it again. Still nothing. Nicole sighed. Then— Ding. Her heart stopped. She stared at the notification. There was an email. The sender read: VOICE OF EASTERNVILLE ACADEMY Nicole sat up so quickly that her blanket fell to the floor. “No way.” Her fingers trembled as she opened it. Dear Nicole, We are pleased to inform you that your application has been reviewed. You have been selected to proceed to the first stage of the Voice of Easternville Academy entrance audition. Your audition date is— Nicole stopped reading. Her mouth fell open. She read the sentence again. Then again. She had made it. The first round. She pressed both hands over her mouth. A laugh escaped her. Then another. She jumped out of bed. “I GOT IN!” She immediately covered her mouth. The neighbors didn't need to know. She danced around her tiny room anyway. For the first time, the dream didn't feel impossible. It felt close. Real. She rushed back to the email. There were more instructions. AUDITION REQUIREMENTS: One original performance. One prepared song. One vocal assessment. Nicole's excitement slowly disappeared. One original performance. She could write songs. She had written dozens. But nobody had ever heard them. Not even her closest friends. She sat back down. Her eyes moved to the notebook on her desk. Inside were pages and pages of lyrics. Songs she had written when she couldn't explain how she felt. Songs about loneliness. Hope. Dreams. Love. And one particular song she had never allowed herself to finish. Nicole opened the notebook. At the top of the page were four words: WHEN THE WORLD HEARS ME She stared at them. Then smiled. Maybe it was time to finish it. She picked up her pen. But before she could write the first line, her phone buzzed. A message. From her publisher. We need to talk. It's about Sanchez. Nicole froze. Her smile disappeared. Slowly, she looked back at the unfinished song. Sanchez. Why would her publisher want to talk to her about him? And what did he have to do with her? Nicole had no idea. But somewhere deep inside her, something told her that her carefully separated worlds— Writing. Music. And the mysterious singer she had admired for years— were about to collide. And this time, she wouldn't be able to hide behind a pen name.