Chapter Thirty Four
Capturing the Gift
Becca heard a blood-curdling scream. She was half-way to Kayde before she realized the scream had come from her. She stopped short, however, when she reached his form. The swirling orb of light hovered there, above Kayde’s chest, hypnotizing her. It was so beautiful.
“Sing, Rabecca! Hurry or it will fade away before we get it to Toby!” Caroline’s voice seemed distant, but her words struck Becca like a bullet. This was Kayde’s gift, his music. It was the only thing left of him now. He’d given it to her, to remember him. It was the most powerful gift he could offer.
Becca reached toward the orb, wanting to touch and hold it. “NO! Don’t touch it! Just sing!” Caroline screamed. “I will shoot your brother, so help me! Sing now, Rabecca, before it’s too late!”
Swallowing, Becca looked to her brother. His blue eyes were filled with remorse, as if any of this had been his fault. Becca knew if he could, he’d do anything to help her. But he couldn’t. She had to do this. It was up to her. Becca looked down at Kayde’s motionless form. “For you, Kayde.”
Allowing her emotions to take reign, Becca opened her mouth and sang. She poured all her love for Kayde into the song, letting the beauty of it fill the room. The orb pulsed, becoming brighter in response. Caroline continued her chanting. The orb floated away from Kayde, toward Toby. It hovered uncertainly above him as Toby shook his head violently. “NO! NO! You don’t belong to me! I don’t want you!” he shouted. But it remained there as Becca sang.
She felt like she was in a strange dream. That’s what this all had to be. Just some strange dream. She’d wake up any moment, everything normal. She continued to sing, deciding she was imagining it all.
The door burst open then, stunning Becca into silence. Adams, the older policeman, burst into the room, his gun pointed at Caroline. Two other officers filed into the room, their pistols sweeping back and forth in search of other threats. “Drop the gun, Caroline!” Adams shouted.
“NO! You idiots! You’re ruining everything!” Caroline swung her pistol toward Adams, but screamed as a different gun fired. Blood blossomed across her silky white robe over her right shoulder. She fell forward dramatically, knocking burning candles over the ancient book and igniting it. The hungry flames devoured the book, and then immediately went to work on the table and cloth.
The younger policeman that had shot Caroline helped her to her feet, not kindly, and cuffed her. She wobbled, dazed as he pushed her out of the room. Adams ordered another officer to unbind Chris, and then he strode toward Toby, only to stop short at the sight of the orb. He only gave it a brief moment of wonderment and awe before he snapped back to attention. “We need to get out of here, now! This old place is a tinder box.” Becca felt the heat of the flames that were now licking the wood ceiling and knew Adams was right. They had to get out.
But what about Kayde’s gift? She couldn’t leave it there to burn. She looked desperately at the pile of flame-engulfed ash that was Caroline’s spell book. It was completely destroyed. She had no way to save the orb.
Ryan and Chris, free of their ropes, each grabbed one of Becca’s arms. “Get out, Becca!” Chris shouted as he untied the knot that held her arms.
“I can’t leave Kayde! Or his gift!” she shouted.
“We’ve got Kayde!” Toby shouted. To Becca’s surprise, Jack was helping Toby lift Kayde. The men joined forces, carrying his limp body out of the basement between them. One of the officers must’ve un-cuffed Toby.
But Kayde’s gift still remained. “We have to go now, Becca. The place is coming down!” Ryan shouted over the roar of flames. Smoke stung Becca’s eyes and she coughed. What could she do? She would have to leave it.
“In order to save the one you love, open your heart.” Becca’s dad’s voice resounded in her head. She gasped as realization struck her.
“I just need one more second,” she shouted to Ryan and Chris. She ran to the orb, and struggled with the locket. Finally, she found the seam and pulled it open. Kayde’s voice immediately burst from the wooden heart. It seemed as if time slowed as his music embraced Becca. Kayde’s emotions, his love, his sacrifice, filled the music, making it strong, powerful. It wasn’t just sound to Becca. She could see it, trailing through the room, around her body, and then… The music embraced Kayde’s gift, tenderly folding it into its grasp. It pulled the orb toward Becca. The closer it came, the smaller the orb appeared until it vanished into the locket. The two halves of the locket, which held a picture of Becca’s face and a picture of Kayde’s face, closed on their own accord and the music stopped.
As the magic of Kayde’s music ceased, the rush of heat and flame engulfed Becca. Chris was pulling her arm, Ryan pushing her from behind. They all coughed as smoke entered their lungs.
The cool night air took Becca’s breath away as it tried to purge her lungs of smoke. She coughed uncontrollably for several minutes. Sirens and flashing lights greeted Becca as she and her brother and friend stumbled, disoriented, through the yard. Still coughing, she searched frantically for Kayde. Police and firemen shouted orders and ran in every direction. The chaos was so confusing. She couldn’t make sense of who was who.
“Becca! Thank goodness you’re safe!” Becca turned toward the voice. Mrs. K rushed toward her, two EMT’s at her heels. A blanket was wrapped around Becca’s shoulders, and a light tested her eyes. She thought someone was taking her pulse as they moved her and the others away from the burning house. Becca moved along in a daze, as shock settled in.
She looked at Mrs. K. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m helping. That’s all that matters right now. Kayde’s in an ambulance on his way to the hospital. Shall we follow?” she asked with a cheery smile.
Becca just nodded, unable to make sense of anything. The limp form of Kayde’s body came to her memory. She caressed the locket with her fingers. “Do you know if he’s alive?” she whispered, almost too afraid to ask.
Mrs. K’s serious face held hers for a moment. She stopped walking, forcing Becca to do the same a she held Becca’s shoulders with her strong hands. “I won’t lie to you. He didn’t look good. But there is always hope.” Becca broke down, falling to her knees and sobbing uncontrollably, the intensity of the past weeks overwhelming her. The woman embraced her tightly. “This too shall pass, Becca. Everything will work out as it should, you’ll see.”
Becca stopped sobbing and looked at Mrs. K with astonishment. She’d said Becca’s mother’s words almost exactly. Mrs. Kline chuckled at her reaction. “Now, let’s go see about Kayde, shall we?”
They rode in the back of a cruiser, Becca settled protectively between Chris and Mrs. K. The kindly woman stroked Becca’s hair in a comforting fashion as Becca leaned against the seat. Chris had his arm around her shoulders, his eyes far away. The ash on his face had trails cut through it where he’d allowed tears to escape. Becca reached up with her good arm and squeezed Chris’ hand with hers. He looked at her, attempting a smile. She smiled back, not saying anything. It’d been too stressful and crazy a night for words.
At the hospital, Mrs. K inquired about Kayde, and they were directed to the emergency waiting area. Becca’s heart wouldn’t settle down. Was he alive? Were they doing surgery--the normal kind? Could he survive without his gift?
Becca rubbed the smooth surface of the locket with her fingertips. How was she supposed to save the one she loved? Had her dad just meant saving his gift?
Mrs. Kline looked knowingly at Becca. “You know, I heard him sing while he made that locket for you. It was the most pure sound I’d ever heard. At least, since Henry, that is. Did I ever tell you Henry used to sing?”
Becca shook her head slowly. She knew Mrs. K meant well, attempting to distract Becca from worrying. But she just wanted to see Kayde. “Well,” Mrs. K continued, “he did. And his
voice was mesmerizing, intoxicating.” Her eyes sparkled, reliving her memories of her late husband. “It was his voice that won me over.” She leaned into Becca’s face. “It had magic to it.”
Becca gaped at Mrs. K. Did she know..? “What do you mean?” Becca asked.
Mrs. K smiled. “Let’s just say that Caroline isn’t the only one in town with ancient books lying around.” She winked at Becca, her face blossoming into an array of creases as she giggled.
Before Becca could ask another question, Toby appeared. Becca, her brother, and Mrs. K jumped to their feet. Toby’s face said it all--and it wasn’t good. He looked sorrowfully at Becca. “I’m sorry. You better come quickly. He doesn’t have much time.”
Mrs. Kline’s hand caught Becca’s arm before she could race to Kayde. “Becca, listen,” Mrs. K said urgently. “Adams and Ryan both told me what they saw--what you did with the locket in that basement. I can’t explain everything right now, but I wasn’t lying about Henry and about me holding ancient books in my possession. I know a lot about this. You must use the locket--use it and your voice again, and save Kayde. You must return his gift to him. But you must also know doing so may put you at risk. The power of your gift and your willingness to use it to save him may overwhelm you. Even though it may be his only chance, you’ll be putting your own life in jeopardy.”
Becca didn’t try to make heads or tails of how Mrs. Kline could know what she knew. She didn’t question it, nor did she hesitate. Becca raced behind Toby, her mind focused on saving Kayde, even if doing so killed her.
Entering the room, Becca’s eyes went directly to Kayde. She slowed her pace only enough to keep herself from ramming into the bed. Chris and Toby were at her side in an instant.
A male voice quieted them for a moment. “Becca, I know you can’t forgive me for what I’ve done in the recent past. But I’ve done all in my power to try to save him. I’ll be turning myself in to the police as soon as…” Jack’s voice trailed away, indicating that he expected Kayde to pass any moment.
Becca looked at the man for a second. He seemed twice his age, the lines on his defeated face deep, his hair frazzled and gray. But she couldn’t deal with him just then. Anything Jack had done in the past didn’t matter right now. She returned her attention to Kayde. She stroked a strand of bloodied hair gently away from his forehead. “I love you, Kayde. I’m not ready for you to leave.”
She leaned over and kissed his bruised cheek. Then, taking a breath, she stroked the locket. Chris’ and Toby’s voices stumbled over each other as they attempted to keep Becca from risking her life for Kayde’s. Their words seemed distant as her mind raced. Her heart ached for her brother and best friend. They didn’t want to see her die. Even so, she couldn’t live if she didn’t do everything in her power to save Kayde.
Becca looked at Chris and Toby as a tear rolled down her face. Both guys stopped speaking at her earnest gaze. Their shoulders rose and fell with their heavy breaths. Their wet faces glistened under the florescent light, and their eyes relayed the desperation they felt. Neither of them spoke another word as Becca turned back to the fading person on the bed before her. They knew she loved Kayde more than her own life.
She stroked the locket again, searching for the invisible seam. Finding it, she pressed her fingers against the wood. She took a deep breath and swallowed. As she opened the heart, she sang. Her voice carried the power and intensity of the love she felt for Kayde, her desire for him to live, her willingness to give everything she had to save him. The locket opened between her fingers more, releasing Kayde’s gift. His music burst forth, bringing the orb with it; strands of Becca’s music and Kayde’s danced with each other, twisting, touching, caressing, as they carried the growing orb toward Kayde. The room filled with music and light, drowning out every other sight or sound.
Becca closed her eyes, threw back her head, and unleashed all the power she possessed.