Page 37 of Semblance

“That’s it? That’s hardly worth the price of a condo.”

“Wait until I tell you what the pieces are,” Shadow said as he grabbed a napkin and removed a pen from his side pocket. After he finished scribbling on the napkin, he handed it to me.

“Ravel’sGaspard de la nuit, Boulez’sSecond Sonata, Stavinsky’sThree Movements from Petrushka, Prokofiev’sEighth Sonata, and Beethoven’sSonata Hammerklavier,” I read aloud. I set down the napkin and gave him an evil scowl. “You’re kidding right?”

“No, I want for you to perfect these five songs and record them. Not one mistake allowed in the recordings.”

“You picked the five fucking hardest pieces in all of piano. People spend years trying to master one of them,” I said.

“You have to admit, my request is equal to the worth of a condo, isn’t it?”

He was right, it was. I was still surprised Shadow was so well versed in classical music to be able to choose the five toughest songs to master technically.

“So we have a deal?” Shadow asked, extending his hand towards me.

“Deal,” I replied. I was intrigued by this arrangement. Those pieces had always been on my list of songs to learn and perfect. I had attemptedGaspard de la Nuitonce before but my fingers weren’t as well trained at the time, and I ended up giving up. I was now three years wiser and more confident in my abilities. If mastering this song along with the others would pay for the condo and my single-day lunatic shopping spree, then so be it.”

“Call Abraham whenever you’re ready to record the songs and he can arrange a time at Lincoln’s studio.”

I couldn’t help but smile when Shadow mentioned Abraham’s name. I was curious about their relationship. It seemed like Abraham was always there to do whatever Shadow requested, despite not being under his employment.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about Abraham,” I said. “He’s not your servant, he’s not your butler, but he’ll clearly do anything you ask of him. His loyalty to you is astounding.”

“He’s been a good friend to my family over the years,” Shadow said. “I can never repay him for all that he’s done for my sister and me.”

“He loves you. You can tell just from the way he talks about you,” I said. “He’s very fatherly. I miss having someone like that in my life.”

Every time I thought about dad, the pipes attached to my tear ducts threatened to burst. I had to get a grip. Unleashing waterworks on our first fake date was inappropriate.

As I glanced over at Shadow’s face, I noticed his eyes were glistening, sympathetic to the strong emotions I was feeling. He too had lost his own father, and I was being a fool by digging up sad memories.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sour the mood of our date,” I said.

“It’s alright,” Shadow replied. “Sometimes you can’t help but think about the past.”

I decided to divert the conversation away from our fathers and the pain that went along with their memories. “Tell me how you got to know Abraham?”

The sadness on Shadow’s face faded away as he spoke affectionately about the man. “For generations, the family names of Tremaine and Constantine have been linked closely together, though not as friends but as rivals. The Midnight Society had always been ruled by either a Tremaine or a Constantine.”

“That’s another thing I wanted to ask you about, this entire Midnight Society business. Who are you people?”

Shadow shook his head. “You know that saying ignorance is bliss?”

“What if I don’t want to be ignorant?”

“Do you want me to continue my story or are you going to interrupt me with questions I’m not going to answer?”

I sighed. “Fine, continue.”

Shadow downed the last of his drink and leaned back in his chair, his dark alluring eyes fixated on me. I felt exposed underneath his gaze and grabbed my vodka soda, taking a healthy swig. I was starting to regret that this date was a façade. “Now where was I, before your premature interjection?” Shadow asked.

He was an egotistical blockhead.

“The Midnight Society was ruled by either a Tremaine or a Constantine,” I reminded him, doing my best to hide my annoyance.

“There have always been political rivalries between our families within the Society, stemming way back to when swords and steel were still in fashion,” Shadow continued. ‘The family who sat on the Midnight Society’s throne had control of the world. Our organization anointed Kings and Queens, influenced wars, and placed key figureheads into the public eye. We were the secret empire that governed the civilized world and the head of the Society had the absolute authority over all.

“Every five years, an election was held to see who would lead the organization—either a Constantine or Tremaine, which sets the stage for the next part of my story. Eighteen years ago, my father and Abraham were campaigning to determine the next leader of the Midnight Society. From what I recall, it was a close and heated race. Both my father and Abraham were influential powerhouses and both had all the qualities of great leaders. It was like choosing between Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln—two extraordinary men but, unfortunately, one seat at the head of the table.”

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