Rain Gently Tapping Against My Skin

I look around for Melody. Zeus, help me. I was going to ask her out. Why? I’m not even sure. Everything’s been so much easier since she knew.

Now if only we could kill Donovan. Then life would be perfect. The next time he shows his face around here, I’m driving my stake through his heart. If he even has one.

“Umm, hey, Josh. Have you seen Melody?” I ask uncomfortably, looking around.

“You mean you haven’t seen her?” he asks angrily.

“Damn, Josh, what’s up your ass?”

“Nothing,” he snaps. “And, no. I haven’t seen her since yesterday.”

“Damn,” I breathe, feeling worried suddenly. “Where is she?”

“How the hell should I know?”

“Why are you suddenly such a —”

“KEVIN!!!!” That kid, Tyler? I don’t know. I just remember him clawing at my niece. “Kevin!!”

“What the hell do you want?” I growl, glaring at him.

“Melody,” he says, panting.

“What about her?”

“She’s in trouble.”

“No surprise there,” Josh grumbles, rolling his eyes. “She just looks for trouble.”

“Where is she?” I growl angrily.

“Donovan probably tried to kill her,” Josh says, rolling his eyes. “He threatened her yesterday. Wouldn’t be surprised if he kills her.”

“How do you know this?” I ask, ashamed to admit that I’m a little jealous that she told my brother instead of me.

“She wanted my help with it. I told her to just go tell you. But we all know Melody doesn’t listen,” he rolls his eyes. “And do you know what a Storm is?”

“Sounds familiar. I’ll look it up,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Where is she?”

“Down at the Smokys. I found this rock …” Tyler pants, obviously running out of breath. “She pulled it out … this hole appears … she starts walking toward it … I-I tried to stop her …”

“She went into the hole?” I guess gravely.

“But that’s not the worst part! So, then, the frickin’ door closes on her. Melody was panicking! She kept screaming. I tried digging through the door, but that rock is hard!”

“Anything else?”

“Yeah … umm … I think Melody died,” he says quietly, hanging his head like as if he were a bad dog. Which he is. “I just … couldn’t hear her anymore. There was this big BOOM!” he claps his hands to add more effect. “Then silence. I couldn’t even hear her breathing or anything! But she told me to ‘go get Kevin.’”

“That’s it?” Josh asks, seeming shocked nevertheless.

“Other than her screaming for help and if I could hear her,” Tyler says, rolling his eyes. “But then I heard the big crash.”

“Damn it,” I growl, punching the table, making a giant crack form. “Damn it all …”

“Kevin, dude!! You just broke the table!!” Josh says, gaping.

“I don’t give a damn about that!!! Melody’s probably dead for all we know!!!” I growl, already running, soon flying as fast as I could toward her.

♠ ♣ ♠

I found the spot easily. I bang against the giant boulder seperating us. I punch it with all my strength, feeling my knuckles begin bleeding. But I wasn’t giving up. I love her. I love Melody Jordan Knight.

“Kevin!!” Alison yells, running toward me, Martin right beside her. “Kevin, stop!!”

“Melody’s dead!!” I growl angrily, continuing on my fit of rage.

“No, she’s alive,” Alison says, holding back my fist. “The crash Tyler heard was a trick of the mountain!”

“Then how the hell am I supposed to get her out?!!!”

Martin hands me the rock. It had fallen into a shallow hole, from what I could tell. “What the hell am I supposed to do with this?!” I demand furiously, glaring at my little niece. Yes, I’m perfectly aware she’s a married woman with kids, but she’s still only seventeen, looking only fourteen.

“Read it. It’ll let you in. Then begins another adventure of you being the hero,” she forces a smile.

“Mommy!! Can we help?” Jesse and Scarlett asks excitedly. “Please, please, please, please, please, please, please —”

“Alright!” I say, irritated slightly. “They can come!”

“You two be good. Stay with uncle Kevin,” Alison says, kneeling down in front of them, kissing their foreheads. I suddenly remembered back when Jesse and Scarlett first came home, over a year ago.

“Yay! C’mon, Teddy!” Scarlett says happily, grabbing her brother’s hand. “Holy Devil’s child.”

The door opened, and I quickly followed them inside. The door closed, and I suddenly wondered if it was such a good idea to bring them along. But, Alison always knows what she’s doing.

“Scarlett, Jesse, stop!! Wait right where you are!!”

“You heard him, Vonnie, stop!!” Jesse’s boyish voice echoes through the thin tunnel walls. I quickly catch up with them, and we keep an easy pace down the tunnel.