“Alvis! Wait up!” Keelia shouted when the boat docked back in Crecklington. That day was better than the last, but still not Keelia’s best day ever. Keelia definitely would’ve skipped the whole Counselor Alie talk, and to top that, her loving brother Brinely (sarcastically speaking, of course) decided that it would be fun to humiliate her in front of everybody. He had shouted at her across the hallway near the lockers and she had turned to face him. He had said that she was late for her Study Hall class. She had replied, saying that she had been occupied. Then he had countered her by telling her that Master Brinald wouldn’t ever have believed her. That had started a shouting fight in the middle of the hallway, which was always a spectacle. Then, when Brinely had pinned her against the wall, Jonathan and Isaac came and dumped water on her books and her head.

                Now that school was over, she couldn’t wait to get back to her house. Before she could reach Alvis, she heard a shriek behind her. She ran back, Alvis behind her and bent down. There was a young girl around nine years old sitting on the ground. Keelia knelt down and held her close. She didn’t know this girl, but she held her anyway. Keelia couldn’t help her eyes widening and her teeth clenching when she saw what had happened. The nine-year-old-girl was covering her face and wouldn’t let go of it. When Keelia finally got her to open her eyes, Keelia was horrified. The small girl’s face and neck were dark gray. And so were the flowers beside her.  Alvis stared at Keelia.

                “Alvis, it’s ok. Somebody just forgot to practice their instrument on the other continents of Earth!” Keelia said reassuringly.

                “Keelia, that’s not a thing, it’s a myth!” Before Keelia could protest, the girl shivered and whimpered again.

                “She’s so cold!” whispered Keelia. A crowd had gathered by that time. But it wasn’t just one crowd. There was another crowd by Brinely. Keelia picked up the girl, who was surprisingly light, and ran over next to Alvis. Brinely was standing there, a wicked look on his face, holding a broken violin in his hands. Alvis turned toward Brinely.

                “What’s up Alvis Howell? Your dad’s not here to help, is he?” Brinely scoffed. 

                “Fix it, Brinely. Or else I’ll summon a Guardian of Crecklington,” Alvis warned.

                “Ha! You wouldn’t do that!” a voice said behind them. It was Kation. Keelia sighed. Of course Kation would be in with Brinely, why on earth did I think otherwise?

                “Alvis, how are we going to settle this?” Keelia asked.

                “Have you ever heard of a Musicton Bond?” Alvis asked, and she shook her head. “Go and get your violin, or some instrument and I’ll get mine. On my signal play a double stop of a three on the G string, and four on the D string,” he said, and she ran and got her violin out and, when she got back, Alvis was standing at the ready with his.

                “Is this legal?” she asked.

                “Probably not… I’m not quite sure…” Alvis hesitated then shrugged his, “but it’s the only thing that will work.” Keelia had her bow at the ready. But before she could play…

                “You think that will work against us?” the voice sounded off. It was dark and evil sounding. The voice was low, and it sounded like the vocal pipe was being drummed. It sounded robotic. Brinely swerved around to go face to face with Creep.  There were whispers around the crowd. Creep’s red eye flickered from ice blue to fiery-colored constantly and her hand kept going toward it.

                “Yes. Keelia Adene Cobell… You know who I am, deep inside yourself. You don’t even have to go to the archives. I could take you under, into memories that aren’t your own. I think I’ll take you and Alvis this time,” Creep whispered.

                “No!” shouted Keelia. Creep stopped. That was surprising, thought Keelia. “This isn’t you! Remember? You died; I think… Then, then,” she began.

                “Keelia, play the note!” Alvis whispered urgently. She brought her bow down onto the strings and played long loud notes. “Keep going!” Alvis encouraged. As Keelia played, there were footsteps all around, and then she heard another violin start; it was Alvis. She didn’t know what tune she was playing, but she sunk into the music. She heard Creep laugh and she flickered out of sight.

                There was the girl. But this time, she was in a warm house, with her family. Her highlights flashed in the light. Seriously? Another memory? Girl, what did I just tell you?

                “Mom! Look at what I did!” the girl said. The other images were blurred so that Keelia couldn’t quite make them out clearly.

                “That’s beautiful! Don’t forget to show Mr. Thisgy!” Keelia knew that voice! It was somebody she knew! No, it couldn’t be…

                “Cligan, Brinely look!” The girl said.

                “Well Fern! I told you you’d do it eventually!” Keelia heard Brinely’s voice. He sounded so nice! Keelia wished he would be that nice to her, too.

                Wait… Brinely… Cligan?? FERN???  Hold on. Think Keelia! THINK! This is impossible! Cligan said that he had run right past Fern in the hallway! She burned and died! This doesn’t make sense. Then it hit her. The boy in the memory! The boy who ran right past the flames, the flames where Fern lay. It was Cligan! I have to tell Alvis!

                “No! You can’t tell him!” Creep’s voice sounded behind her. Keelia’s eyes widened in fright. “Don’t worry, the monster left, but I don’t have long,”

                “What are you talking about?” Keelia asked.

                “Look at me, Keelia. Do you know what I am? I’m half-robotic.” She showed Keelia her left side. That was why her eye was gray.  “The other half of me is split in half. Part of it is me, Fern, my brain and feelings and memories. The other has been given to me by force, and I can do nothing about it. A monster of fire. Go to Apilile. I’ll try and meet you there if I have a spare window,” Fern\Creep said.

                “Why don’t you go to Cligan? Or Brinely? Brinely is such a jerk. He thinks you’re dead, they all do! Why are you telling me?”

                “Because. You need to know more than anything! Now please go!” Fern whispered. Her eye was beginning to switch to fire, and Keelia was brought back to consciousness.  Alvis was still playing violently.

                “Alvis, stop,” Keelia said gently. Alvis stopped slowly. Brinely was laying on the floor, his head in his hands, grimacing.

                “Why on earth would you do something so foolish?” Mr. Thisgy helped Brinely up.

                “We’re sorry Mr. Thisgy! We… Look, Brinely did that,” they pointed to the broken violin, and the gray girl. Ms. Elowen had picked the girl up. No matter how much music they played, they couldn’t bring color back to the little girl. Mr. Thisgy nodded at Brinely and pushed him away. He ran to the girl and picked her up.

                “You are pardoned. But don’t go anywhere from this spot till I return. I’m sure that your parents would love to know what you just did,” he answered harshly. “Keelia, I invite you to my classroom tomorrow at eight a.m.”  He walked away.

                “Alvis, we need to go to Apilile!” Keelia grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the gray little girl.

                “Are you kidding? We’re already in so much trouble!” Alvis said. Keelia stopped abruptly and turned to face him.

                “I know who Creep is… or was, I suppose,” Keelia said.

                “Who?” Alvis said, clearly annoyed.

                “You won’t believe me,” she said.

                “Try me,” he countered.

                “Fern Mickinson,”

                “Ya, you’re right. I don’t believe you, but,” he slapped his forehead with his hand, “I guess we don’t have a choice.”

                They ran swiftly and soon they found Apilile. It was shaped like a globe, and inside it, you could see the glowing rows of archives. Each folder was glowing, and each level had a different color of glowing books. The level they were going to had multiple shades of glowing blue books.  Keelia and Alvis entered, and nearly bumped into Helbry, who was exiting. Alvis pulled her behind a bush. “If we’re seen, we’re done,” he whispered. Keelia nodded and they hesitantly stepped out from the bush. They slipped in, and thankfully nobody saw them.

                “How do we get up to level four…” Alvis quickly hacked the code with his pen.

                “How did you just do that?” Keelia said. He shrugged and pulled her into the elevator. They went up for a few moments and stopped smoothly. The door opened, and they crashed into the person Keelia least wanted to encounter.

                “Cligan?!?!”

                “Keelia?!?!”

                Both excamations were exchanged multiple times in Color as their eyes met when they passed each other until Keelia pushed him into the elevator and the door swung shut. The alarm sounded loudly. 

                “Oh!!! This is bad!” Keelia started, “Cligan knows that I’m here! He set off the alarm! What are we going to do! He’ll call Helbry!”

                “Then let’s get going!” Alvis said. They searched for a while and when they came to the fifteenth row, they found what they were looking for.

                “See. That’s the girl from the memory. Raven black hair, purple highlights, ice-blue eyes,” Keelia said, and then pointed to the file.

-Deceased-
Fern Faith Mickinson
Last Recorded Age: Nine
Parents: Helbry and Eliza Mickinson
Siblings: Cligan Mickinson and Brinely Mickinson
Talent: Musicton

Killed in the Fires at Brinald’s. Body never found. Assumed Dead.

Burial Site: 14473 Pasture Rock Graveyard
2007-2016- Fern Faith Mickinson. Beloved Daughter

                “Are you sure that’s her?” Alvis asked.

                “Positive,” She replied.

                “We need to go to Egenical and tell King and Queen Vesperus, now,” Alvis said. Quickly, they secretly made their way out of the building. Once out, they sprinted toward the gate in front of them. Egenical and Apilile were right next to each other. Though it was still tiring to sprint, Alvis and Keelia had to stop and catch their breaths at the front gate. Keelia began to open the gate, but Alvis stopped her.

                “Look! There used to be roses here…” Alvis motioned to the piles of ash floating along the sides of the gate.

                “It’s like the flowers next to the girl… ash!” Keelia said, her eyes filled with tears. Cligan was right. There was somebody trying to destroy the colors and music.

                “Come on, Keelia! Let’s go,” Alvis opened the gate the rest of the way. Running through the halls, Keelia still couldn’t grasp the fact that she would have to tell the King and Queen. After they were already in enough trouble, and now, they were breaking into the palace. Totally not against the rules…

                They heard the King and Queen talking to somebody on the other side of the doors. Alvis and Keelia ran right into the room.

                “King Vesperus, we need to talk to you!” Alvis said breathlessly. Cligan stood guiltily by the throne.

                “Cligan, please stay,” said the Queen.

                “You children are in so much trouble. You’ve broken four fundamental rules. You performed the Musicton Bond. Second, you slipped into Apilile and stole an archive file,” He held out his hand and Alvis reluctantly handed Fern’s file over, “Third, you broke into my home. Three is bad enough, but you also interrupted an official meeting. What do you have to say for yourselves?” The King was mad. Fiery mad.

                “Darling, is that Fern Mickinson’s death file?” asked the Queen calmly.  Cligan shrank with confusion. The Queen shot Keelia a look like she had never seen. A mix of sadness, anger, and confusion.

                “Fern-how do I say this,” Keelia began.

                Keelia. What’s going on! Why do you have her death file?  Cligan’s mind thundered with questions.

                “Fern is alive. Sort of- she’s half robotic and monster and she has a fiery-colored eye. I started to see somebody else’s memories. They were memories of a nine-year-old girl with jet black hair and deep lavender highlights, and she had ice blue eyes. I saw her in a hallway when she ‘died’ but then she got resurrected by some ball with red and orange powder and liquid and so now she has one gray eye and one orange\fiery colored eye. When we performed the Musicton Bond (which I still have no idea what that is) she pulled my mind into her mind and told me who she was because she was in some sort of ‘free mind time?’ when the monster left for like, five minutes. She told me to go to Apilile and not to tell anybody but Alvis, and now I just did, so something terrible will probably happen. And you guys are probably going to think that I’m crazy when I tell you this, but have you ever seen that girl at school? She is the one who they call Creep? Plus I’ve just spilled this all out in front of Cligan which will end in devastation and probably somebody yelling at me! Please don’t put Alvis in jail, he’s like a brother and no matter how much he tells me to do things I don’t want to do, he’ll always be like a brother!” Then, just as Keelia had said, somebody started to shout. But it was a voice that she hadn’t ever heard.

                “Get OUT Keelia! You don’t know what you’re saying! Fern is DEAD. She isn’t a psychopath with a monster inside of her! I don’t want to see you in my house again. Fern is dead, my family hasn’t seen her in FIVE YEARS! If she was alive, she would come and found us!” Cligan spoke. Keelia stood there. Unmoving. He shouted at her. He shouted at her. He had just talked. He hadn’t spoken one word in five years. Keelia shuddered. Something bad was bound to happen. She could feel it, deep down, she knew she was the cause. Somewhere in her mind a voice echoed.

Now is the time for power
the time for waging war is upon us
take up arms if you dare
the fires are coming
the ash is falling

                “Did you hear me? Get out!” Cligan shouted. The King stood up abruptly.

                “Cligan! Control yourself! Upon this news, I would have expected you to be at least grateful to Keelia for finding that your sister isn’t dead. I myself don’t believe this news unless we have evidence…”

                “But King Vesperus! Keelia can give Cligan evidence!” Alvis piped up. 

                “What are you talking about, Alvis?” Keelia hissed. She didn’t know how to give Cligan evidence! What was he talking about?

                “Alvis, are you sure that she has those kinds of colors? Are you positive?” asked the King wearily.

                “Yes, sir. I believe that she does. Please, can we at least try?” Alvis pleaded. King Frederick reluctantly agreed and beckoned to Cligan to sit down with Keelia.

                “Will somebody please clue me in on what I’m about to do?”  Keelia asked.

“You are going to play the memories that were given to you in Color shadows, and you are going to allow Cligan to go in them with you. Can you do that?” the queen asked.

                “Ya, I’m pretty sure I can do that,” Keelia said.

                Cligan… I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you’d be in the room. Keelia colors went slowly into Cligan’s head.

                Just show me the memories. His colors responded sharply.

                Alright. Keelia was devastated to show Cligan the memories. They would overwhelm him and cause more quietness. She and he had gotten along so well! And she had ruined it. Just like that. Keelia felt a hand on her shoulder. Queen Sellona sat beside her.

                “We’ll be right here. I understand that these memories will be hard to show Cligan. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they left scars, but it’s the best thing to do.” Keelia nodded at Sellona when she said this and played the memories.