“I wish Alejandro were here.” Rosa stared at the records she and her twin used to riffle through.

“Can’t believe it’s been three months already…” Haruki looked at her, her hand reaching out as if to grab one herself.

Rosa shuffled over to the salsa section and plucked out a random disc. Her eyes widened when she saw the name on it. “Selena,” she whispered.

The memories of dancing to Selena’s music with Alej rushed back to her. Her throat was blocked, and tears were forming in her eyes, and–

“You miss him, don’t you?” Haruki said behind her, holding her shoulders.

“I want–my brother–back–“ Rosa sobbed, gasping for air. “And–Darklight–“

That lit up an idea in Haruki’s mind. “I’ll text David about that,” she said, pulling out her phone.

“About meeting up again? Where?”

“To reform the band.”

Rosa’s mind stopped. “But what about–“

“We can discuss that later. This is important for you. For us. For Alejandro.”

Later that evening, the three friends were gathered in Rosa’s bedroom, formerly hers and Alejandro’s. 

She would never really get used to it being just hers now.

“So, what songs should we play?” David asked, nervously looking around the place.

Rosa smiled confidently,and answered, “La Isla Bonita.”

David’s eyes widened. “But that was Alejandro’s song!”

“It’s ours now,” Rosa said, putting her hands on her hips.

“I haven’t, uh, picked up a guitar in so long. I don’t know if I’d be good now-“

“Just play it now!” Haruki shouted.

David groaned, then picked up the instrument and began strumming. 

At first, the notes were haphazard, his fingers missing and hitting the strings at random. Rosa wondered if he was right after all.

But then the notes started falling into the right places, and when David got to the chorus, the old magic returned. Soon he was strumming from memory, his face lifted in effort and contentment, while the girls were singing along with him.

When the song ended, David opened his eyes, turned to Rosa, and whispered, “You sing just like your brother.”

Her eyes and mouth widened. “How?”

“You carry the tune almost perfectly. For a moment, I thought you were Madonna.”

“But–only Alej could sing like that–”

Haruki wrapped her arm around Rosa’s shoulders. “I guess you still share that.”

Rosa stared at her best friend for a moment, then answered, “Thanks.”

“I hate to interrupt,” David said, “but don’t you ladies need to dig out your instruments?”

“Oh, I forgot!” Haruki moaned, covering her forehead.

“At least I still have my drumsticks,” Rosa added.

David smiled that sly grin of his, then said, “Let’s get practicing, shall we?”

Rosa stood backstage, listening to the latest band finish up their indie rock/electronica song.

Just one more performance until they were up, she thought.

She looked at her two bandmates, both testing out their instruments. “Are we ready to go?” Rosa asked.

David flashed a thumbs-up and answered, “Ready as I can be.”

“For Alejandro,” Haruki whispered, her fingers resting on the keyboard.

“Next up,” the announcer declared, “the Mantzlin Daughters, with a cover of Madonna’s ‘La Isla Bonita’!”

Rosa’s mind stopped.

Her heart dropped.

This was Alejandro’s song. The one they would perform for him. The first one he ever did with Darklight. And now…

Covering her ears as the song started, Rosa fled to the bathroom, collapsing once she got inside. 

Tears ran down her face and chest. Sobs racked her heart. Her throat was so blocked she couldn’t get any air in.

“It’s okay,” Haruki whispered behind her, wrapping her hands around her torso. Rosa could breathe a little now, but the despair was still crushing her. 

“Alej’s–song- we were–” she gasped out before falling into tears again.

This time, Haruki said nothing. She let her friend continue crying on the bathroom floor as the last notes played outside. 

Finally, Rosa let out her last tears, and the two girls stared at each other. “What should we do now?” Haruki whispered.

Rosa sat herself up, then stated, “Play a different song.”

“But we don’t have anything else-”

“I was writing some lyrics,” Rosa shot back. “Actually, just some things on my mind. But we can turn them into a song.”

“Show them to me,” Haruki said, reaching out her hand.

“They’re in my bag, next to David.”

“Then let’s get them.”

She started slow and soft, the words floating out of her mouth on quiet streams. 

Five minutes later, the trio were setting up their instruments for their first song without Alejandro. 

Rosa peered into the crowd, but the dimmed lights made it hard to make out any expressions.

She walked up to the microphone and tapped it twice. The sound went out clearly, she gulped, and then said, “This song is an original one, in honor of my twin brother Alejandro Garcia.”

Some murmurs from the audience. That was a good sign.

But Rosa couldn’t wait any longer, so she opened her mouth and started singing the lyrics in her mind. 

You were my one, my other half of me…..

She started slow and soft, the words floating out of her mouth on quiet streams. 

She wanted to make sure that she remembered all the things she’d written, that they’d all end up in that song.

Then Rosa sang the next line: I don’t know what to say, without you…

And the audience burst into cheers. 

She opened her eyes, and the rest of the song fled her mind. Her mouth dropped, her hands gripped the mic harder, and she was sweating all over her face and–

“Without you, I don’t know who I am…” Rosa heard from the back.

She turned her head to see Haruki and David singing in unison, playing their drums and guitar in perfect harmony. That sight lifted her heart up, and she continued singing the lyrics. 

For the next four minutes, Rosa poured her heart out about her late twin. 

She sang about his love of music, his friendships with her and her bandmates, his endless love for words and stories. 

And then she got to the climax, raising her voice in his honor: “Even without you, we must carry on / Because you were here, and your memory goes on!”

At last, the song was over, and Rosa found every single audience member clapping and cheering at them. 

She smiled, and said, “Your memory will go on, Alejandro.”