[Third Person's PoV]
"I thought things were looking up for me. I mean, I actually got a guy to notice me—someone like me—and he even asked me out on a date. So I figured if I could pull off something great like that, then becoming a rockstar shouldn't be a problem either," Ember said, her voice distant. "But yeah… I got stood up. He never showed. I waited in front of the movie theater for hours. Honestly, it was pathetic. I should've known better."
She let out a sigh, swinging her feet back and forth over the edge of the floating rock. "Anyway, after waiting for what felt like forever, I finally gave up and went home. The walk back was the worst part. My self-esteem was at an all-time low. I mean, I couldn't even manage to get through a single date—how the hell was I supposed to get thousands of people to pay attention to me?"
Ember fell silent for a moment. Danny wasn't sure what to say, let alone how to comfort her.
"That's when I got home, went to bed, fell asleep… and woke up dead—with my house on fire."
Danny blinked. "How do you wake up dead?"
"Huh?" Ember looked at him, confused.
"You said you woke up dead. But when you're dead, you don't just wake up. You're, well… dead."
Ember lifted three fingers, explaining like it was obvious. "I went to sleep as a human. Then I died. And when I woke up, I was a ghost. So yeah, I woke up dead."
Danny pressed a finger to the side of his head like he was processing the logic. "Huh. Okay, I guess that makes sense."
Ember rolled her eyes. "Anyway, my death wasn't that interesting."
Danny looked at her, slightly horrified. "You were burned alive. In what world is that not interesting? That's… horrifying."
"Stop exaggerating," Ember waved him off. "Anyway, what about you? How did you die?"
Danny hesitated.
"Oh, come on," Ember scoffed. "You can't seriously expect me to be the only one spilling my tragic backstory. Spill, ghost boy."
Danny sighed. "Well… I suppose it wouldn't be fair to keep it to myself. All I can really say is… my parents were kind of ghost fanatics. And when I was fourteen, they built a very strange machine. It was designed to view a world unseen—"
Ember frowned, watching Danny cringe as a green tint spread across his cheeks.
"What? Was the way you died that embarrassing or something?" she asked, confused.
Danny shook his head, trying to shake off the awkwardness. "Anyway… my parents were ghost fanatics."
He went on to explain how he died—how an accident with the machine turned him into a ghost, how his entire family was caught in an explosion.
When he finished, Ember just stared at him, incredulous. Then she sneered. "It wasn't a competition, ghost boy. You didn't have to one-up me in the tragic backstory department."
Danny rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry."
Ember awkwardly glanced at him before hesitantly placing a hand on his back. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Danny gave her a small, understanding nod. "I'm sorry for yours too."
A heavy silence settled between them. Neither of them really knew what to say.
Danny's gaze drifted toward her guitar. "You know… you don't need to hypnotize people to listen to your music."
"Don't give me your goody-two-shoes act—" Ember started.
"I'm serious," Danny interrupted. "I only heard you play for a little bit, but you were amazing. I bet you put a ton of effort into your songs. So wouldn't you be dishonoring all that hard work by forcing people to like them? I mean, if you're just gonna hypnotize people into enjoying it, what's the point of trying so hard? Why not just write a garbage song? Wouldn't it have the same effect?"
"I… I don't know," Ember admitted, uncertainty creeping into her voice.
Danny chuckled. "Want to know what I think?"
Ember hesitated before nodding.
"You don't really want to be a rockstar just for the recognition. Sure, you think that's why, and yeah, recognition gives you power. But I don't think that's the real reason. I think you just love making music. If all you wanted was for people to notice you, why not become an actor? Why did you want to be a rockstar in the first place?"
Ember looked down at her guitar, a soft smile tugging at her lips. She ran her hand along the body of the instrument, Danny's words lingering in her mind.
"…Do you really think my music is great?" she asked quietly. "You're not just saying that?"
Danny ran his fingers across his chest where his heart was, making an X as he said, "Cross my heart and swear to die."
"You're already dead, you idiot," Ember replied with a deadpan expression, though a small smile curled at her lips.
Danny used his telekinesis to surround Ember's guitar with ectoplasmic energy, levitating it toward her. "Here. Why don't you play your song, and I'll give you my honest reaction?"
Seeing Danny's encouraging look, she grumbled, "Fine… Consider yourself lucky I'm in a good mood. This is my thanks for the chocolate—one free concert, just for you."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Wouldn't have it any other way."
Ember strummed her guitar, her fingers gliding over the strings with practiced ease. A pick materialized in her hand, and she began to play softly.
As she nodded along with the rhythm, a smile formed on her lips before she started singing the same song from her concert.
When she glanced at Danny, she saw him with his eyes closed, leaning back and nodding along to the music. Her smile widened. Growing more confident, she picked up the tempo.
🎶🎵 "Oh, Ember, you will remember
Ember, one thing remains
Oh, Ember, so warm and tender
You will remember my name… 🎵🎶
By the time she finished, Danny was clapping loudly. He even put his fingers in his mouth and blew out a sharp whistle.
Ember rolled her eyes at his childish antics. "So? What do you think?"
Danny leaned back, chuckling. His silver hair flowed elegantly in the wind, and his green eyes shone with amusement as he teased, "Well, you can consider me your first true fan."
Ember stared at him for a moment before looking away, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Dork."
"Honestly, I don't even get why you have to hypnotize people to make them like your music. I bet you'd get plenty of fans listening to it willingly."
"Yeah, but getting my name out there isn't easy unless I do something big," Ember said, shaking her head.
"You do know the internet exists, right?" Danny asked.
Ember frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Danny sighed. "Wow, just how out of touch with reality are you? You could post your songs online. If people like them, they'll share them, and before you know it, millions of people will have heard your music."
Ember blinked. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah. I seriously think you'd be an internet sensation."
"Alright," Ember said, suddenly looking excited. "How do I do that?!"
"Well, first, you need to record your song. A lot of editing goes into making sure everything flows naturally. Then, you release it online, find ways to promote it, and boom—you'll have real fans who actually enjoy your music."
Ember scratched her head. "But… I don't know how to do any of that."
Danny stared at her for a moment before sighing. "Leave it to me. Give me a week max, and I'll help you out."
"Really?!" she asked, eyes lighting up. When he nodded, she excitedly pumped her fist in the air.
Realizing how eager she looked, she coughed into her hand, trying to play it cool. "Thanks," she muttered.
Danny smirked. "Thank me when you've made it big—the right way." He then shot her a teasing look. "And don't forget about your first fan along the way."
Ember scoffed. "Like I could ever forget such an obsessive fan."
They both chuckled, the tension between them melting away.
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