In Absentia

From audiobook one: A set of stories, through many eras and generations, from New Amsterdam County and other places its residents have gone.

A mystery exists on Earth. Where is the magic? Follow families, friends, and secret societies as they unravel the smallest threads of the Web.

"Something is missing. You could say there is an absence. Alex could feel something was wrong. She had driven to where The Polly once had been. She sat in her car and felt an emptiness. She had been here with Courtney and Zenovie so many times. All those nights of singing, music, drinking and fun were gone. She had felt this feeling longer though than just when The Polly closed. She knew something deeper was missing. Her husband loved her but hated wearing his wedding ring. He hated wearing any ring. He had some trauma that he never spoke of. After Courtney had jumped from his balcony that night, he was never quite the same. She loved him but it was obvious he changed in some way. She had a vague memory of a man in a scarlet suit visiting them. There was a little girl that she remembered as well. The only problem was that the memories were like whispers near a waterfall. It wasn’t like her to do such a thing, but Alex stole Courtney’s journal. Here she sat in the parking lot for The Polly, its windows boarded up, and she opened the journal. This was the only thing she had ever done to betray her husband’s trust. The first words she saw caused her stomach to turn. There was an ache. A tug at her scalp. The hairs along her arms went taught. Every bone felt rigid and she got a double Charlie horse. The breath was caught in her throat and her eyes itched and burned. She read the words aloud.
“I remember magic. There is no more magic". - Excerpt from In Absentia.