The next week, Delisa, Rachel, and Keelia decided to try the love emotion transfer onto the keys. It didn’t work at all. Keelia muttered under her breath. Nothing was working. They were still at the same stop they were the week before. The three of them took a break and ate some lunch. Keelia was about to take a bite out of a grape when Everie burst through the door. They all jumped in their seats. “You need to come, now! And Keelia, bring an instrument!” Keelia was about to object, but Everie knew what she about to say. “Keelia! Just bring one! We’re being attacked again!” Everie ran out the door, and Keelia snatched up Cligan’s violin.

                “Brinely!” she called and once he was down, they all left. Cligan stood at the door, then raced after his little brother and sister. At the edge of the forest, near the gates of Crecklington, hundreds of Crypja stood. Backs straight, eyes looking toward a man in a black vest for orders. Straten, Keelia thought grimly. The Crypja were all wearing black and gray attire. Their eyes were all fiery-red, and Creep was in the lead.

                “Ah! I knew that you couldn’t resist a good fight,” Straten called across his army of Crypja. A crowd had gathered. Everie and Jililian made the first move, shooting flames at the front row of monsters. A few of the Crypja were burned at first, but quickly recovered. Keelia and Alvis raised their instruments to play and played a very fast lively melody. Bright colors sped toward the Crypja. Most of the notes were lost when the enemy blew a deep horn, which made black notes consume the colorful ones. But the ones that hit the Cypja’s keys, it caused the creatures to scream and scratch the keys. 

                “That worked! Aim for their keys!” Keelia told the others. Everie and Jililian aimed their fire at the keys, and Rachel did the same with her water. Keelia sank into the music. She hadn’t played for a month, and she didn’t realize how much she had missed it. She sank into the melodies even further.  One after the other, song after song. Her fingers were aching by the end of the sixth song, but it was working. It was making the Crypja to fall to their knees and stop fighting. Through the music, Keelia could hear Straten shouting commands at his army of monsters. While she played the music, she aimed all of her love toward Creep’s key. The feeling of her parents telling her that they loved her. Everie when he embraced her in his arms after she accepted his marriage offer. Alvis, when she found out that he was her brother, and her twin. Hadassah when she and Keelia used to laugh together and have fun. Mabel and Samuel playing with her when they were little a few years ago. Suddenly her music ceased and Keelia clutched her heart. She couldn’t breathe. When her breath came back, she was on her hands and knees. She recovered, and struggled to stand. Creep’s feet ran to her, and she saw Creep kneel before her and shake her shoulders. But it wasn’t Creep, it was Fern Mickinson. With no trace of a monster of any evil anywhere on her. There was no trace of any metal on her anywhere and her eyes were clear and blue. Keelia had found the antidote.

                “Keelia! You did it! Look!” Fern helped Keelia up. Keelia leaned on her. The fighting ceased. Straten’s face was red with fury when he saw Fern unCrypjafied.

                “How did you do that?’ he yelled.

                “I put some of my love into her, which brought back her other emotions. I know your secret, Straten!” Keelia shouted back, her hand still over her heart, “I can heal them all now!” Tears of pain and relief streamed down her face. Straten then smiled when he noticed her hand covering her heart.

                “But look what it will cost you!” Straten said victoriously. Then Keelia realized it. I gave some of my emotions to Fern, therefore giving her life again, and I almost passed out. Jian said that if somebody didn’t have emotions, they would die. When I gave my emotions up. Part of me was lost. I have to play a song, and use my love. That’s why it wasn’t working before. Unfortunately, everybody else was thinking the exact same thing as she was. Alvis ran up to her and grabbed her before she could play the song again.

                “Keelia, no. I just found you! You can’t do this!” tears were streaming down his face, “Let me play it!” Rachel looked at them sadly.

                “Only she can do it. That’s the way the keys were built, I think. Only the strongest Musicton can break them,” Rachel whispered hoarsely. Rachel crushed Keelia in a hug, and when she let go, she went to her brothers and held them close. Delisa, tears flowing down her face, also embraced her and left to stand with Rachel, Jonathan and Isaac. Jililian did the same. Brinely ran up and hugged her so tightly she couldn’t breath.

                “You’re a great brother, Brinely. Make sure Fern is alright,” she sniffed. Alvis and Everie were left. Everie walked up to her, his tears were flowing and he took her hand.

                “Please, Keelia. There has to be another way. I can’t give you up! I love you,” he whispered in her ear.

                “I love you too, Everie. But I have to do this.” Keelia pulled away, and began to play. She saw the look on Straten’s face dissolve into defeat and turned to her friends while she played. A tear slipped from her eye as she played an unwritten melody. She made it up as she went, just like she did during her practice some days. The melody was soft and quiet, a hopeful tune, and she could see the change in the Crypja around her. The keys were changing into new ones, all were glowing faintly. She smiled at Everie, then to all of her friends and family. Eliza and Helbry stood at the front of the crowd, and they were both sobbing. Laurelin was buried inside Jian’s arms. My family, forever.  And though nobody could hear her over the sound of the violin in her hands, she whispered.

                “I love you all.” She let her emotions sink into all the Crypja around her. Then with a final string of hopeful notes, collapsed to the ground.