Encore 2026
Prologue: Vague Beginnings
____________________________________July 2026
Their glossy figures stared down at her from their place on the wall. Each one of them dressed in the black uniforms in which the front man had designed for each of them when they had released the album that had sent their careers skyrocketing into its peak. The five men were arranged in an almost arrow resembling shape, with the front man in the very center with his silver hair, their faces stern and intimidating as their eyes stared her down.
It was, however, a poster which had been printed over twenty years earlier and were now extremely difficult to find in her day and age. The poster's actual age was hard to tell as the colours of the image were still as strong as the day that it had been printed- Their faces to be ever engraved on the poster's ruff surface.
“You like them?” A deep feminine voice filled her ears, bringing her back from the trance she’d fallen into.
“They’re okay…” The young girl muttered half heartedly in return, turning away from the poster to face the shop clerk who had spoken to her.
The clerk gave a small smile in response and went back to reading her magazine on the counter top. She looked like she was somewhere in her 30’s, with mid length black hair which hung freely around her shoulders as she wore a loose band tee and tight black pants. A music lover at heart, the shop clerk was one of those people, which could have easily been categorised by others under the term ‘emo’ back in her youth. A term that had not been used in over a decade. Although she was only seventeen, even she knew this piece of information. Perhaps the clerk had missed the memo? Or maybe she just couldn't let go of the past?
The young girl decided to distract herself from the clerk. Walking over to a rack filled with albums which were slowly collecting dust over time. She had stumbled across this small vintage music store a few days ago when passing through the street and had decided today was the day to check it out while she was waiting for a friend to meet her. Afterall, the classic CD had long been replaced by newer and better technology. She found it interesting.
As she flipped through the clear plastic cases and examined the names, her mind wandered back to the poster on the wall. The poster of the five men. Soon she found her eyes wandering back to the wall, fixated on one specific man standing slightly off center behind the front man. Slightly shorter than the rest, his face gazing out from the poster and into the distance behind her, the end of his guitar resting in his hands to prevent it from falling.
“It’s a shame y’know.” The clerk interrupted her from the trance once again and the girl turned blankly to hear to rest of what she had to say.
“What is?”
“That they just kind of disappeared. Those five men meant a lot to the kids of my youth.” The clerk informed her, looking away from the writing of her magazine and at the poster on the wall.
“They were?” She asked the clerk, her eyebrows raising to question her. Not exactly believing what she had said.
“Yes, it’s right. The unfortunate thing was- ” The clerk sighed and walked out from behind the desk towards the poster on the wall. “-that there was a lot of people who didn’t appreciate them. Looking down on them for their different style.”
“Really?” She was curious now. Ditching the current album she had found herself holding back into the rack, she followed the clerk back over to the wall and stared at the poster.
“Really. It’s a shame that no one has heard anything from them for about five or so years now. Families and all.” The clerk turned to smile at her after she’d almost chocked on her own saliva after the word family had been mentioned. “I guess we all have our times.” The clerk joked, hitting the girl lightly on her shoulder then walked away back behind the desk to repay the lost attention to her magazine.
She turned away from the poster once more and walked back over to the rack full of old albums from the past thirty or so years. Watching the names of various artists and bands flash before her eyes.
“So what’s your name?” The shop clerk attempted to create conversation once more. Subconsciously she began to nervously fidget with the hem of her shirt, causing her shoulder bag to slip off of her shoulder and done her arm, falling into place in the bend of her elbow. Should she tell this stranger her name?
In the few seconds of awkward silence, she glanced from the album currently under her slender fingertips and back to the poster on the wall.
“It’s..uh..- ” The name on the album cover caught her eye. “-Billie.” Her voice quavered as the lie slipped through her lips. The clerk looked up at her with questioning eyes. Who in their right mind would name a girl Billie?
The girl smiled, slightly embarrassed by her choking incident earlier and nervous of the lie she had just told. Quickly adjusting her dark brown shoulder bag back onto her shoulder and abruptly left the quiet store, taking one last glance at the man on the poster and letting a small smile draw itself across her face. He had been her hero once.
Outside the bright afternoon sunrays struck her pupils like lightning, as she squinted her eyes from the glare and attempted to shield the rays with one hand.
“There you are Cat” A voice shouted off in the distance and she turned to see her best friend advancing towards her. A cup of Starbucks coffee gripped tightly in her hands as she pushed her black rimmed glasses slightly up her slender nose which had been slipping as she ran.
“Hey Kat.” She responded with a smile. Watching her friend run towards her, her dark hair held back by a neon pink headband which could be seen a mile away, and dressed in a flowing bright coloured skirt with three quarter tights and a purple shirt that had a cartoon squid on the front. Katie definitely had her own individual style, but that was just one of the things Cat admired her for.
“Why did you want me to meet you here?” Katie questioned, reaching out towards Cat and handing her the takeaway coffee cup to have a sip and embracing her in a hug at the same time.
“Oh, nothing.” Another lie slipped through her lips as she drank the hot liquid and let the warmth fill her chest before handing it back. Deciding it was best not to tell her what she had seen- Katie would be ecstatic.
Their glossy figures stared down at her from their place on the wall. Each one of them dressed in the black uniforms in which the front man had designed for each of them when they had released the album that had sent their careers skyrocketing into its peak. The five men were arranged in an almost arrow resembling shape, with the front man in the very center with his silver hair, their faces stern and intimidating as their eyes stared her down.
It was, however, a poster which had been printed over twenty years earlier and were now extremely difficult to find in her day and age. The poster's actual age was hard to tell as the colours of the image were still as strong as the day that it had been printed- Their faces to be ever engraved on the poster's ruff surface.
“You like them?” A deep feminine voice filled her ears, bringing her back from the trance she’d fallen into.
“They’re okay…” The young girl muttered half heartedly in return, turning away from the poster to face the shop clerk who had spoken to her.
The clerk gave a small smile in response and went back to reading her magazine on the counter top. She looked like she was somewhere in her 30’s, with mid length black hair which hung freely around her shoulders as she wore a loose band tee and tight black pants. A music lover at heart, the shop clerk was one of those people, which could have easily been categorised by others under the term ‘emo’ back in her youth. A term that had not been used in over a decade. Although she was only seventeen, even she knew this piece of information. Perhaps the clerk had missed the memo? Or maybe she just couldn't let go of the past?
The young girl decided to distract herself from the clerk. Walking over to a rack filled with albums which were slowly collecting dust over time. She had stumbled across this small vintage music store a few days ago when passing through the street and had decided today was the day to check it out while she was waiting for a friend to meet her. Afterall, the classic CD had long been replaced by newer and better technology. She found it interesting.
As she flipped through the clear plastic cases and examined the names, her mind wandered back to the poster on the wall. The poster of the five men. Soon she found her eyes wandering back to the wall, fixated on one specific man standing slightly off center behind the front man. Slightly shorter than the rest, his face gazing out from the poster and into the distance behind her, the end of his guitar resting in his hands to prevent it from falling.
“It’s a shame y’know.” The clerk interrupted her from the trance once again and the girl turned blankly to hear to rest of what she had to say.
“What is?”
“That they just kind of disappeared. Those five men meant a lot to the kids of my youth.” The clerk informed her, looking away from the writing of her magazine and at the poster on the wall.
“They were?” She asked the clerk, her eyebrows raising to question her. Not exactly believing what she had said.
“Yes, it’s right. The unfortunate thing was- ” The clerk sighed and walked out from behind the desk towards the poster on the wall. “-that there was a lot of people who didn’t appreciate them. Looking down on them for their different style.”
“Really?” She was curious now. Ditching the current album she had found herself holding back into the rack, she followed the clerk back over to the wall and stared at the poster.
“Really. It’s a shame that no one has heard anything from them for about five or so years now. Families and all.” The clerk turned to smile at her after she’d almost chocked on her own saliva after the word family had been mentioned. “I guess we all have our times.” The clerk joked, hitting the girl lightly on her shoulder then walked away back behind the desk to repay the lost attention to her magazine.
She turned away from the poster once more and walked back over to the rack full of old albums from the past thirty or so years. Watching the names of various artists and bands flash before her eyes.
“So what’s your name?” The shop clerk attempted to create conversation once more. Subconsciously she began to nervously fidget with the hem of her shirt, causing her shoulder bag to slip off of her shoulder and done her arm, falling into place in the bend of her elbow. Should she tell this stranger her name?
In the few seconds of awkward silence, she glanced from the album currently under her slender fingertips and back to the poster on the wall.
“It’s..uh..- ” The name on the album cover caught her eye. “-Billie.” Her voice quavered as the lie slipped through her lips. The clerk looked up at her with questioning eyes. Who in their right mind would name a girl Billie?
The girl smiled, slightly embarrassed by her choking incident earlier and nervous of the lie she had just told. Quickly adjusting her dark brown shoulder bag back onto her shoulder and abruptly left the quiet store, taking one last glance at the man on the poster and letting a small smile draw itself across her face. He had been her hero once.
Outside the bright afternoon sunrays struck her pupils like lightning, as she squinted her eyes from the glare and attempted to shield the rays with one hand.
“There you are Cat” A voice shouted off in the distance and she turned to see her best friend advancing towards her. A cup of Starbucks coffee gripped tightly in her hands as she pushed her black rimmed glasses slightly up her slender nose which had been slipping as she ran.
“Hey Kat.” She responded with a smile. Watching her friend run towards her, her dark hair held back by a neon pink headband which could be seen a mile away, and dressed in a flowing bright coloured skirt with three quarter tights and a purple shirt that had a cartoon squid on the front. Katie definitely had her own individual style, but that was just one of the things Cat admired her for.
“Why did you want me to meet you here?” Katie questioned, reaching out towards Cat and handing her the takeaway coffee cup to have a sip and embracing her in a hug at the same time.
“Oh, nothing.” Another lie slipped through her lips as she drank the hot liquid and let the warmth fill her chest before handing it back. Deciding it was best not to tell her what she had seen- Katie would be ecstatic.