Normally Cayden would've been excited to take his little sister to Critter's Vintage to pick up her birthday present, but he wasn't at the moment. The day's activities had been very minimal. Serenity hadn't been interested in doing anything and would barely touch any of her presents. The only "present," if you could even call it that, that she'd handled all day was a pack of cigarette papers for her origami seagulls. Their father Wyatt hadn't gotten around to getting her a new book of origami paper just yet, so he'd gotten her the next best thing from his dead-end convenience store job. Everyone had pretty much zoned out by the time evening rolled around. Wyatt had flipped on WALL-E on their living room viewscreen to keep the kids entertained while he started up Serenity's favorite chocolate chip pancakes in the kitchen. Cayden's twin sister Clarity had fallen asleep after the movie's first twenty minutes. Serenity had lost interest as well not long after that and began aimlessly covering one of her coloring books with blue crayon. Cayden had then tried to pass the time by reading one of his favorite holobooks, Titus Cassidy's Guide to the Solar System, while listening to punk rock music on his dad's tablet.
He'd been reading some interesting facts about Enceladus's subsurface ocean when Wyatt forcibly pried off his soundproof headphones and told him to take Serenity to pick up the present she'd been asking for all year﹘a new vinyl to add to her collection. Upon hearing this, Serenity had instantly lit up. Like Halloween on Christmas, Cayden thought, thinking back to the song he'd been listening to when his dad disrupted his music-filled peace.
So he'd begrudgingly shrugged into his jacket and San Francisco Giants beanie, helped Serenity into her favorite red shoes and an Olympus Federation Junior Explorers jacket left over from when he was her age, and leashed their dog Chewbacca (whom Wyatt had insisted get some outside time). And after pocketing the merits Serenity had been saving in her cream jewelry box with roses painted on it, he was off taking his sister, the only five-year-old in the year of our Lord 2990 who listened to music on vinyl, to Critter's Vintage.
It was only within a walking distance of their house, which was why Wyatt didn't mind them going unattended, though Cayden wished he could've taken his longboard as it would've made the trip a lot faster. As they walked past the old homes, streets, and establishments of Lake Tahoe, now permanently flooded by the Exodus Disaster, he almost felt as though they were in the opening sequence of WALL-E, casually going about their business without a care in the world as if they weren't in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The only thing that was missing was "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" from Hello, Dolly!. He looked down at Serenity, her dirty blonde pigtails peeking out from beneath the headphones, which he'd given to her after she requested to hear "her song." Perhaps she was getting the full experience, though the song she was listening to wasn't nearly as cheery as "Put On Your Sunday Clothes."
Before long, they reached the entrance to Critter's Vintage. The little metal bell hanging on the doorframe rang as Cayden opened the door and ushered Serenity and Chewie inside.
"Hi, Cayden," the store owner Mr. Sanderson, a man with greying brown hair and blue eyes bordered by crow's feet, greeted.
Cayden smiled and returned his wave. "Hi, Mr. Sanderson. We're here for Serenity's birthday present."
Mr. Sanderson grinned and nodded. "I'll get it right away."
Cayden took in the smell of old print books and vinyl records that filled the store as he approached the counter with Serenity and Chewie. He then caught notice of a girl about his own age, which was eight, standing across from them. She wore a spring green eyelet lace dress with cap sleeves that rested on her shoulders and a straw hat with a pink ribbon accented with daisies tied around the crown. A similar ribbon pulled her honey-blonde hair from her face in a simple ponytail. Her leaf-green eyes were firmly glued to her book, Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, as she popped a kale chip layered with feta cheese into her mouth.
Cayden's first thought was that she was very pretty.
She then suddenly looked up from her book and shot an odd look in Serenity's direction. "What's she singing?"
Serenity, through a mouthful of cookie dough-filled milk chocolate from her candy bar, was singing along to the chorus playing on the headphones. "Use me, Holly. Come on and use me..."
Cayden held up the tablet tucked under his arm so the girl could see the album cover on the screen.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, beaming. "I love that song!"
"Really? I wouldn't have taken you for the type who listened to that kind of music."
She smirked and held up one of the vinyls on the counter, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me by the Cure. "I enjoy the classics." She paused for a moment. "Well, actually, my dad's the one buying these albums, but you know, I like this music too. Besides, I know you're one to talk." She jabbed a finger at the Angels & Airwaves T-shirt peeking out of his jacket.
"Fair enough," Cayden replied, subconsciously tucking strands of short brown hair back into his beanie.
"I'm Emmeline, by the way," the girl said, extending her hand, "but everyone calls me Emma."
"Cayden," Cayden said, accepting her handshake. "This is my little sister Serenity."
"Hi," Serenity said distractedly.
"Do you like the song she's listening to?" Emma asked.
"Yeah, but she listens to it all the time, and it's easy to get sick of. And I personally prefer ‘I Miss You.'"
"Ooh, I like that song too! Do you have any favorite AVA songs?"
"‘The Adventure.' But I also like ‘Secret Crowds,' and ‘Breathe,' and ‘Rite Of Spring'...I have a lot of favorites from that band."
Emma laughed. "Yeah, I feel you. Does your sister have a special reason for liking her song?"
"My dad told us it reminds him of our mom. I don't know why, but it features Robert Smith and she loved the Cure, so..."
"Gotcha."
Mr. Sanderson then came back in with the album Serenity wanted. "Here you guys go. That'll be five merits."
Serenity placed her money on the counter. Cayden was disheartened to see she only had four, but then Emma placed another merit on the counter. "On me," she said.
Mr. Sanderson collected the merits and handed the vinyl to Serenity, smiling. "Enjoy."
"Thank you," Cayden said to Emma gratefully.
"No problem. No one should have to have a bad birthday." She accepted a crudely folded cigarette paper seagull from a grinning Serenity. "You know, your sister's lucky to have you."
When they got home, Wyatt was still making dinner and Clarity was still sprawled asleep on the couch, so Serenity insisted they go upstairs to listen to her new vinyl. They climbed two flights of stairs to her pink-painted bedroom at the very top of the house.
Serenity sat on the carpet and played with some trim on her frilly powder blue dress while Cayden removed the ebony disc from the cover and set it up on the pink plastic record player. He began to consider the lyrics and recall lines like "Another night with her, but I'm always wanting you."
For the first time, it suddenly became clear to him what the song really meant to Wyatt. Perhaps Emma had had a point.
He lowered the needle to the disc and sang along to the song in question with his sister, "All Of This" by Blink-182 and Robert Smith.
"Use me, Holly. Come on and use me..."
He'd been reading some interesting facts about Enceladus's subsurface ocean when Wyatt forcibly pried off his soundproof headphones and told him to take Serenity to pick up the present she'd been asking for all year﹘a new vinyl to add to her collection. Upon hearing this, Serenity had instantly lit up. Like Halloween on Christmas, Cayden thought, thinking back to the song he'd been listening to when his dad disrupted his music-filled peace.
So he'd begrudgingly shrugged into his jacket and San Francisco Giants beanie, helped Serenity into her favorite red shoes and an Olympus Federation Junior Explorers jacket left over from when he was her age, and leashed their dog Chewbacca (whom Wyatt had insisted get some outside time). And after pocketing the merits Serenity had been saving in her cream jewelry box with roses painted on it, he was off taking his sister, the only five-year-old in the year of our Lord 2990 who listened to music on vinyl, to Critter's Vintage.
It was only within a walking distance of their house, which was why Wyatt didn't mind them going unattended, though Cayden wished he could've taken his longboard as it would've made the trip a lot faster. As they walked past the old homes, streets, and establishments of Lake Tahoe, now permanently flooded by the Exodus Disaster, he almost felt as though they were in the opening sequence of WALL-E, casually going about their business without a care in the world as if they weren't in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The only thing that was missing was "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" from Hello, Dolly!. He looked down at Serenity, her dirty blonde pigtails peeking out from beneath the headphones, which he'd given to her after she requested to hear "her song." Perhaps she was getting the full experience, though the song she was listening to wasn't nearly as cheery as "Put On Your Sunday Clothes."
Before long, they reached the entrance to Critter's Vintage. The little metal bell hanging on the doorframe rang as Cayden opened the door and ushered Serenity and Chewie inside.
"Hi, Cayden," the store owner Mr. Sanderson, a man with greying brown hair and blue eyes bordered by crow's feet, greeted.
Cayden smiled and returned his wave. "Hi, Mr. Sanderson. We're here for Serenity's birthday present."
Mr. Sanderson grinned and nodded. "I'll get it right away."
Cayden took in the smell of old print books and vinyl records that filled the store as he approached the counter with Serenity and Chewie. He then caught notice of a girl about his own age, which was eight, standing across from them. She wore a spring green eyelet lace dress with cap sleeves that rested on her shoulders and a straw hat with a pink ribbon accented with daisies tied around the crown. A similar ribbon pulled her honey-blonde hair from her face in a simple ponytail. Her leaf-green eyes were firmly glued to her book, Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, as she popped a kale chip layered with feta cheese into her mouth.
Cayden's first thought was that she was very pretty.
She then suddenly looked up from her book and shot an odd look in Serenity's direction. "What's she singing?"
Serenity, through a mouthful of cookie dough-filled milk chocolate from her candy bar, was singing along to the chorus playing on the headphones. "Use me, Holly. Come on and use me..."
Cayden held up the tablet tucked under his arm so the girl could see the album cover on the screen.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, beaming. "I love that song!"
"Really? I wouldn't have taken you for the type who listened to that kind of music."
She smirked and held up one of the vinyls on the counter, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me by the Cure. "I enjoy the classics." She paused for a moment. "Well, actually, my dad's the one buying these albums, but you know, I like this music too. Besides, I know you're one to talk." She jabbed a finger at the Angels & Airwaves T-shirt peeking out of his jacket.
"Fair enough," Cayden replied, subconsciously tucking strands of short brown hair back into his beanie.
"I'm Emmeline, by the way," the girl said, extending her hand, "but everyone calls me Emma."
"Cayden," Cayden said, accepting her handshake. "This is my little sister Serenity."
"Hi," Serenity said distractedly.
"Do you like the song she's listening to?" Emma asked.
"Yeah, but she listens to it all the time, and it's easy to get sick of. And I personally prefer ‘I Miss You.'"
"Ooh, I like that song too! Do you have any favorite AVA songs?"
"‘The Adventure.' But I also like ‘Secret Crowds,' and ‘Breathe,' and ‘Rite Of Spring'...I have a lot of favorites from that band."
Emma laughed. "Yeah, I feel you. Does your sister have a special reason for liking her song?"
"My dad told us it reminds him of our mom. I don't know why, but it features Robert Smith and she loved the Cure, so..."
"Gotcha."
Mr. Sanderson then came back in with the album Serenity wanted. "Here you guys go. That'll be five merits."
Serenity placed her money on the counter. Cayden was disheartened to see she only had four, but then Emma placed another merit on the counter. "On me," she said.
Mr. Sanderson collected the merits and handed the vinyl to Serenity, smiling. "Enjoy."
"Thank you," Cayden said to Emma gratefully.
"No problem. No one should have to have a bad birthday." She accepted a crudely folded cigarette paper seagull from a grinning Serenity. "You know, your sister's lucky to have you."
When they got home, Wyatt was still making dinner and Clarity was still sprawled asleep on the couch, so Serenity insisted they go upstairs to listen to her new vinyl. They climbed two flights of stairs to her pink-painted bedroom at the very top of the house.
Serenity sat on the carpet and played with some trim on her frilly powder blue dress while Cayden removed the ebony disc from the cover and set it up on the pink plastic record player. He began to consider the lyrics and recall lines like "Another night with her, but I'm always wanting you."
For the first time, it suddenly became clear to him what the song really meant to Wyatt. Perhaps Emma had had a point.
He lowered the needle to the disc and sang along to the song in question with his sister, "All Of This" by Blink-182 and Robert Smith.
"Use me, Holly. Come on and use me..."