Leo froze. Suddenly, every light in his room turned off. The only glow came from his monitor, which now displayed a single line of text: Music is better when you wait for the magic.

The download bar crawled across the screen. 10%... 50%... 99%.

Then, a whisper came through the speakers. It wasn't a song. It was Charlie’s voice, clear as a bell, speaking directly to him. "I told you to be quiet," the voice murmured.

As soon as the file landed on his desktop, Leo plugged in his high-end headphones. He hit play, expecting the smooth, syncopated pop beat Charlie was known for. Instead, there was total silence. He checked the volume. It was at max. He checked the cable. It was secure.