Chapter Twenty Nine
Kayde Harper
Toby looked at Ryan, Ryan nodded solemnly to Toby. Toby’s brown eyes rested on Becca as he said, “Okay, the first thing we’re going to show you is the full-body apparition. It’s a little weird seeing it, but also really cool.”
Ryan trotted over to the couch and sat on the arm, leaning over eagerly to watch the small screen. Becca watched the laptop, her eyes wide, as Toby pressed a button to begin the recording. The camera jumped around a bit as Ryan’s voice sounded over the laptop speakers, “Can you move something, maybe on my desk?”
A bright flash of light burst over the screen for half of a split second. With the light came a crack of thunder and then…Becca screamed along with the recorded screams of Toby and Ryan. A strange shadowy figure stood in front of the camera.
Becca placed her hands over her mouth after the screams stopped on the laptop. Ryan and Toby were looking at her, excitement flashing in their eyes. Becca slowly removed her hands. “That,” she whispered, “was the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen! Congrats, Ryan. I think you really have something this time.”
“That’s not all,” Ryan said. “Let her hear the EVP’s.” He motioned with his chin toward Toby as he spoke.
“This first one, we thought we had figured out. We thought this was a disco ghost at first,” Toby said as he chuckled. “But, uh, we found out later we were wrong. And I’ll let you hear what changed our minds in a minute.”
Toby played the EVP as Becca leaned forward to listen. The words were warped, like the recording had been slowed. “I can’t tell what he’s saying. It is a he, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Ryan said, giving her an intense look.
“Okay,” Becca said slowly. “So, what is he saying?”
“We thought he was saying, ‘Hello, man…it may be harder…I jive…in basement. Help!’ But we decided later that probably wasn’t what he said. The next EVP clued us in to the fact that we were a little off base,” Toby said. “Let’s listen to that now. This one will really freak you out, but you have to hear it. ”
Ryan spoke as Toby searched for the recording he wanted. “I had set my digital recorder aside as Toby and I were going over the footage of the apparition. I must’ve accidentally hit the ‘record’ button, because it captured what you’re about to hear.”
Toby was ready by the time Ryan finished speaking. He played the recording as he stared at Becca. She could hear Ryan and Toby’s voices again, as they excitedly went over and over the apparition footage. Then, a deep, harsh voice practically blasted through the speakers, “HELP BECCA…” Two words followed, but Becca didn’t hear them. Her heart had leapt to her throat and stopped beating. She forgot how to breathe and she suddenly felt as if she were standing in a freezer. Her jaw started vibrating as her teeth chattered.
“Whoa! Becca! It’s going to be alright,” Toby whipped the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around Becca. He held her tight and rubbed her arms to warm and comfort her. Those haunting words just kept echoing in Becca’s mind, chilling her to her core. Her mind tried to sort it out for several minutes, but she just couldn’t comprehend a ghost warning her friends to help her.
Becca’s voice cracked when she was finally able to speak. “Who is that? And why are they talking about me?” She could feel a tear run down her cheek. This was too much--more than she could bear. Why were all these bizarre things happening to her?
Ryan was suddenly in front of her, holding out a steaming cup of tea. She hadn’t even noticed he’d left. She took the cup and held the heat against her frozen hands. Toby insisted she take a few drinks before they proceeded.
“You mean, there’s more?” Becca’s voice came out in a squeak. She didn’t know if she could handle anything else right now.
Toby’s voice was soothing, but his words were unnerving. “Becca, it’s important for you to hear all of this. This is what I was talking about. This last EVP might be a key to helping you remember.”
Clinging to Toby like her life depended on it, Becca slowly nodded to indicate she was ready, even though she was far from it and would probably never be ready. Toby said, “We missed this one because it recorded early, before the apparition. We were so focused on that footage, we failed to check the earlier recordings.” He pressed the ‘enter’ button and the recording began. As another flash of light burst over the screen, a distinct voice said, “It’s me, Kayde Harper!”
The room twisted in a rapid, sickening motion as Becca began to hyperventilate. She tried to stand before her mind could warn her it was a bad idea. Weakened legs gave way beneath her and Toby barely caught her before she went crashing onto the coffee table and all of Ryan’s expensive equipment.
“Stay sitting for awhile,” Toby said, trying to mask his concern under a smooth voice. “I’m sorry, Becca,” he said more softly as he held her in a tight embrace.
Becca buried her face in his shirt and let the tears flow. That name was haunting her--and not just with the physical evidence. Something about that name brought joy and terror screaming through her like…like the screaming of tires against pavement as she slammed on the brakes! That tiny flash of memory popped in her mind; her foot slamming against the brake pedal, the sound of her tires squealing against the road. Nothing else came, but that bit of memory caused her to jerk away from Toby. She gaped at him for a moment, staring at him as if he could magically bring the rest of the memories out of hiding.
“What is it?” Toby asked.
“I-I think I just remembered something. A flash of part of the accident. I remember slamming on the brakes, and hearing the tires on the road.”
Ryan slapped his hands together, causing Becca to jump. “That’s great! You see, this was a good idea,” he said as he patted Toby’s shoulder.
“Do you remember anything else,” Toby asked, the concern in his voice now mixed with eagerness.
Becca tried to concentrate, but the haunting name of Kayde Harper kept interfering. She finally shook her head. “No. I know that name, though--Kayde Harper, I mean. That’s why I got so freaked out a minute ago. Wait here,” she said and shakily stood up.
“Do you need help?” Toby asked, leaping to his feet, ready to assist her.
“No, I think I’m okay. Just a minute,” she said and then walked to her room as fast as her jelly-legs would allow. She quickly took the photos and bank card out of her vanity and returned to the living room. She sat down, grateful to be off her unsteady legs again.
“These photos were somehow put into the pocket of one of my jean shorts. One’s of me, the other of a man--I’m thinking it’s Kayde Harper. The faces are cut out. I don’t have any idea where they came from.” She looked up at her friends. They looked at the photos on the table, then at each other in a strange way. She placed the bank card on the table so that the name was visible. “This came to me in the mail. I have no idea who sent it or why. And now, today, that gift,” she pointed to the table, “showed up out of nowhere, and you two bring me this horror movie.”
Toby and Ryan gave each other another sidelong glance before casting their eyes to the floor. Ryan was the first to look at her. “Sorry. We had to show you. I don’t know where all these other things came from, but it looks to me like Toby and I aren’t the only ones trying to help you remember things.”
Becca studied the guys’ faces for awhile. They squirmed a little, then Toby cleared his throat, the sound interrupting the uncomfortable silence. Becca glared at them. “You two know who this guy is, don’t you?” she asked.
Toby sighed heavily, glanced at Ryan, and then looked at Becca. “What’s in the gift on the table?”
“WHO CARES?” Becca screamed as all the crazy emotions she’d been feeling, all the fear, confusion, and worry burst out of her in a blaze of fury. “I WANT YOU TO TELL ME WHO KAYDE HARPER IS RIGHT NOW!!”
She stood,
her legs shaking now because of rage rather than fear. She breathed heavily and gave Ryan and Toby a look she hoped was deadly. Judging from their expressions, it was working. Gulping audibly, Toby spoke first, “Becca, you know we have to let you--”
“What? Let me what? Remember on my own? WHY? What difference does it make?”
Toby gave Ryan a desperate look. Ryan turned to her and said, “Just take it easy, Becca. Let’s talk through this.”
Becca was done talking. With her emotions raging like an angry lion, she couldn’t see any reason to even allow her friends to stay. “Just get out! If you won’t tell me what I want to know then get out of here!”
They stood in shocked silence for a moment, gaping at her like she was possessed. They jumped into action when she screamed, “NOW!” Somehow, in their haste, they managed to scoop up all the gear and exit without incident. The door clicked shut and Becca stood shaking in her anger for several minutes before she flopped onto the couch, exhausted.
The guilt settled in then. Her friends had been trying to help her and she’d just treated them like they were evil. She was just so frustrated! Still, she shouldn’t have taken it all out on Toby and Ryan.
Slowly and weakly, Becca made her way to the bathroom. She needed to take a good long shower, and then go find her friends and apologize.
The water was soothing. Becca basked in hot streams of water as they melted the tension from her muscles. Fifteen minutes later, she dried herself and put on a pair of sweat shorts and a tank top. Wrapping a towel around her wet hair, she made her way into the hall. She’d been heading toward her room but turned instead to the kitchen. The gift sat waiting for her.
“Okay, enough is enough. Maybe you can tell me something. What secret are you holding?” she asked aloud. Yeah, I’ve gone crazy. I’m now talking to inanimate objects! Crazy or not, she had to find out what was inside.
This time, Becca didn’t allow herself to caress the wood. She simply pressed her fingers against the lid and forced it open. A song trailed out from inside the box. Becca couldn’t help but stop and listen. The music was so smooth, so beautiful. And strange. It wasn’t the typical light tinkling of a music box. It was almost as if…as if someone were humming! It didn’t sound like a recording, either. She could almost feel the person standing in the room, humming the song softly in her ear.
Becca listened for a moment more before an object inside the velvet interior of the box drew her attention. Her breath caught slightly as she grabbed a wooden locket and lifted it toward her face. Absentmindedly, she closed the lid of the box, ending the strange music. Her attention was completely on the necklace. The wooden heart was attached to a strip of leather rather than a metal chain. But the leather suited it, Becca thought. A chain wouldn’t have brought out the beauty of the locket so well.
With the sound of her heart nearly deafening her, Becca stroked the locket with her fingertips. It was as smooth as the box, but even more beautiful. It felt peculiarly familiar. That odd tune played again, the song from before, when she’d been tracing things on the lid of the box. If she wasn’t mistaken, the two faces from the photos would fit perfectly inside this locket.
Becca turned the necklace until she found the clasp along the nearly invisible seem. With trembling fingers, she held her breath and began to open the locket.