Page 279 of Every Almost

"Yes, Captain."

He came around to her side and turned the datapad around so she could see it. Reyna looked down, seeing a collection... a list... of Earth songs.

"I've been working on this since the party," he said, his voice quiet. "Captain, before you look at it, I'm pretty sure you'll see what everyone else sees, so let me save you the time." He nodded at the datapad. "It isn't a list of songs she likes."

"It's literally called 'Charlie's Favorites,'" Reyna commented, looking back up at him.

"I know, Captain." He tapped his datapad again. She looked down. "But if you look at my analysis of it, it appears to be a record of things that have happened to her."

Reyna looked at him. "You analyzed her playlist?"

"She's heard every song in that library hundreds of times, Captain," he said. "She doesn't just add one because it's good. To her, they're all good." He stood up straight. "She adds one when something happens, and the song she picks lines up with... whatever itwasthat happened." He looked over at her. "I don't believe she knows she's doing it."

"That's a pretty large claim," Reyna said, though she had to admit she was intrigued.

"It's why I made the timestamps." He nodded at the datapad again. "I've pulled it up against a view of the playlist itself. Start there."

Reyna took the datapad from his hands. He stepped back, a small smile on his face.

She looked down, seeing Tavi's music program on one side, and a spreadsheet on the other.

Reyna glanced up at Orion again, and he waved his hands forward.

"Go on," he said.

She glanced down and began to read.

The first entry was "Don't Get Me Wrong." The Pretenders.

500.43 / Added 0247. Four hours after the corridor on Deck 12. Prior to this entry she hadn’t altered the list in eleven days.

Reyna knew exactly what happened on Deck 12 that night. Charlie had come around a corner too fast and Reyna had put a hand out to steady her. She had stood there for a second and a half, and then Charlie had said something about the deck plating and left.

Reyna didn't realize she remembered exactly how long she'd had her hand on Charlie.

She scrolled.

"Everywhere." Fleetwood Mac.

500.44. / 0611. Next morning. She didn't sleep.

She didn’t sleep?

"Fragile." Sting.

500.48. / 2314. Added within the hour of leaving the library.

Reyna did not need Orion's note for this one either. She remembered the floor, both of them with their backs against the same shelf, and the inch of air between their hands that she had spent the better part of an hour not closing. She remembered reaching for her mead. She remembered exactly how carefully she had made it look like nothing.

But Charlie had gone back to her quarters and added a song called "Fragile."

After that, there weren’t any additions for a while.

Reyna continued to scroll but the list didn't move. She checked the dates twice.

Note: No entries for twenty-seven days. This is not a lapse. The pattern holds everywhere else. She adds a song when something aches. She wasn't aching.

Reyna sat in her chair with a datapad in her hands, which were starting to shake.