Keelia burst through the kitchen door. Eliza and Helbry were standing in front of her, and there was a figure sitting at the table behind them. He was a tad bit round in the middle, and his gray hair was flopped to one side, Master Brinald. Keelia sighed, “Not now!” She pushed her way through Eliza and Helbry and dashed up the winding stairs. Of course, Brinely was waiting at the top of the stairs for her. He had a smug grin on his face, he quickly changed it to a worrying look, but Keelia caught him in the act.
“You liar! Why did you lie? Did you think that it was funny? You and your gang are tormenting your own sister?” Keelia had to prevent herself from punching the smug boy in front of her.
“You’ll never be my sister, you know. I just said that so that you would think that. That way when you found out, you may run away. I thought that I could get rid of you for good, but look who found her little way home,” Keelia pushed her way past the mocking boy. “Get ready for tomorrow, Cobell. It’ll be great,” Brinely snickered behind her. Once Keelia had shut her door. She threw her weary body down on her bed. But she didn’t cry. She wanted to cry, who wouldn’t? But Keelia wouldn’t let her expressions show anymore. All it caused was trouble. She had gotten too comfortable, and too loved. She didn’t want the Mickinson’s anymore for comfort. She only wanted Samuel and Mabel, and her parents. After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door.
Keelia, it’s me, Cligan. May I come in? Keelia didn’t answer. She didn’t want Cligan. What kind of name was that anyway? She pulled her hair around her face. She stared at her ice blue highlights. Keelia had forgotten about them. They were strange. No matter how much she bleached or dyed her hair they had always come back. Now she knew or she thought that she knew, at least. After a few moments of silence, Cligan thought in Colors again.
Please Keelia let me help you!
I don’t want you; I want Samuel and my real family. Keelia said and she heard Cligan sigh and walk away.
The next morning. Keelia didn’t say a word once she went downstairs. She had changed her mind about running away, again. She wasn’t ever going to give Brinely the satisfaction of it. She would bear through what they did to her. Sure, Keelia wanted to have her old family back. But she knew she wouldn’t ever be able to get away. “Keelia, are you going to have any breakfast? You didn’t have any dinner last night,” Eliza asked. Keelia didn’t smile and didn’t give her a hug. Keelia didn’t let her emotions show. She grabbed her backpack, and walked right out the door and toward the boat. Delisa met her, but Keelia didn’t feel like interacting with anybody. She was trying to figure out who the girl in the memory was. Black hair, purple highlights, ice-blue eyes. It was hard enough with the black hair, so many people in Crecklington had black hair. Purple highlights. Keelia couldn’t remember where she had seen them before, but they were so familiar. Ice blue eyes, and again she couldn’t remember where she had seen them. Delisa said something, but Keelia tuned her out. They were seated on the boat now. People passed her on the right. She tuned out the noise and concentrated. She tried to remember something else. Her consciousness was broken, and she felt somebody looking right at her. Her neck snapped to where the person was staring at her. It was Creep.
Creep’s gray eyes weren’t focused on anything in particular. But the red eye was staring right into Keelia, and Keelia could almost feel it. Keelia got up and stood face to face with Creep.
It was Her.
It was the girl in the memory. Her hair didn’t have any highlights though, but it was jet black, and somehow, Keelia knew that it was her.
“Keelia, no!” Delisa warned. Keelia turned to Delisa.
“Stop controlling me, Delisa! This is Her! Tell Alvis I know who she is!” Keelia pleaded. Delisa nodded seriously and ran to find Alvis, but Master Brinald rushed over and bent before Keelia before Alvis could arrive.
“Keelia, this isn’t the girl in the memory. That’s impossible!” Master Brinald said. Keelia looked beyond him. Creep stood there. An evil smile spread on one have of her face. Keelia had to find out who she was.
Musical Theory 1, again. After that Alvis met her in the hallway. His eyes were puffy and red, and he clearly hadn’t slept much. “You look exhausted,” Keelia murmured.
“Well, considering the events of yesterday, I’m surprised you slept at all,” he responded curtly.
“Um, I know who the girl is,” She explained, “And, I’m willing to tell you the memory if you’re willing.” Alvis nodded and they sat down together. Before they could start, Counselor Alie came down the hallway.
“What are you two doing? Keelia, I was told you needed me to help you with something that had to do with last night’s affairs?” he spoke.
“Listen, Counselor Alie, we don’t want your help. And I don’t care if something horrible happens to me if I don’t. You are one of the meanest people that I know,” Alvis stepped in.
“Alvis, stop. It’s alright. He can listen in while I tell the memory. It won’t hurt, you know,” Keelia said. He reluctantly agreed and Alie stood in front of them. Keelia told him the first three memories, and then she began the fourth. “Cloaked men came out from the entrance of a cave. In the middle of the cave was a table made from obsidian and onyx stone. The girl, and now I know who she is, was lying on top of it. Mind you she was dead. The cloaked figures came in and talked amongst one another. There was one called Straten, and one called Golsvon, they spoke about something that happened to a person called Bolsvar. Something terrible happened to him, I’m pretty sure. Then Straten, who I’m assuming is the leader, took a glowing ball the color of fire from Golvson and inserted some sort of a key into it over the girls’ eyes, and then it turned into a powder and went into her body. Then the men run from the room. The girl’s veins began to turn orange and red and yellow, and her eyes snapped open. The only one I could see was pale gray. Then, she disappeared into thin air. When the men came back into the cave, Straten said that it had all worked, and that in a few years, all of the real work would begin,” Keelia looked at Counselor Alie. His hands were in his face.
“I’m sorry to say that nothing like this has ever happened, and that I don’t even know what to say,” Alie said, “Keelia, after classes, I would like you to go to Apilile, Crecklington’s archives. Go to the section of four years ago and scan the school logs. See if you can find any pictures of the girl before she got turned. Alright, Alvis, I would like you to help her. Whatever you do, do NOT go into the archive from nine years ago. It would cause a lot of chaos!” Counselor Alie left without saying another word.
Pen & Whiskers Press 