First Cadence

The damp air of the abandoned warehouse clung to Leo like a second skin, a familiar comfort in its musty embrace. But tonight, the usual solace was laced with a nervous tremor. Elara sat opposite him, a silhouette against the faint spill of moonlight from a grimy skylight, her presence a quiet hum that seemed to resonate with the very bones of the building. The turntables, usually Leo’s sanctuary, felt alien, the vinyl stacked beside them a jumble of potential he couldn’t yet