Final Story - 006

When I first came here from Wellington, didn't I make a promise to myself? Wasn't there a reason I felt like I had to leave everything I knew behind?

I told myself, that I wanted to be proud of who I was as a person. That I wanted to be kind and honest to others. Wasn't that the reason I came here? The reason that I felt like I couldn't stay in that house with my relatives anymore.

How long has it been since I last said that? When did I forget why I was here? The reason for all of this?

"Are you okay, Alexander?"

Devon looked concerned. I must've been standing still lost in thought for quite some time.

"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry, I can't tell you what's going on. It's a secret."

"A secret?" Devon smiled, "now I'm even more curious."

"What, can't you let me and Tayla have a secret or two? Isn't it a parent's job to wait and find out what their teenager gets up to?"

Devon narrowed his eyes, "you're sounding ever more suspicious, but I guess you aren't exactly wrong…"

So he says, but I can tell he isn't entirely convinced.

"I promised you," I replied, "that I wouldn't hurt Tayla, didn't I? So trust me."

Before Devon could answer me, the door behind us opened.

"Umm, I need to speak with Alexander."

It was Tayla. The look on her face told me that it was urgent. Had she found some clue as to where Kiss and Kayla were?

I turned to face Devon. He shrugged and shook his head.

"Okay, I trust you, Alexander."

With that, he walked past Tayla and back inside the house. The two of us watched him as he made his way along the hallway, before turning toward the stairwell.

"What does he mean he trusts you? You didn't tell him about-"

"No, I didn't tell him. He was worried about something else."

"Something else?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you."

"Huh…"

…

…

"Umm, so what did you need to say? Is it to do with finding Kayla?"

"Oh," Tayla's sense of urgency returned, "yes, I worked something out from what Kiss said in her phone call with you."

"But how?" I queried, "she didn't give us any clues to where they might be, just when we had to find them by."

"Correct. It's not so much a clue pointing to where they are, but a clue pointing to a way for us to find them."

"I'm not sure that makes sense…"

"Whatever, what I'm trying to say is, that we were looking at what she said the wrong way."

"How do you mean?"

"We focused on what she said about Kayla's services being required, right? But that wasn't the important part. What she called you: the Chosen Child. That's the most important part of what she said."

I tried to figure it out in my head, but it didn't make sense to me. How could that help us find Kayla and Kiss' location? It just didn't add up.

"How does that help us find them? Does it mean something?"

"No, well… I'm sure it means something, but I don't know what."

Kayla isn't really making much sense to me, but I'm sure she'll explain herself in a second. How can that creepy nickname that Kiss calls me by, be a clue to where she is? She's been calling me that since we first met. It has nothing to do with what's happening at the moment, right?

"Kiss Duskdancer must want you to find her."

"Huh?"

"Chosen Child. I don't get what that means," Tayla explained, "but it sounds like something you'd call someone important, right?"

"I guess… I always thought she was just messing with me."

"And," Tayla continued, "she didn't have to answer your phone call. If she'd ignored it, we probably wouldn't have realised something was wrong until tomorrow. But she answered. Because she wants us, or rather, you, to find her."

"Huh… maybe…"

I'm not entirely convinced.

It seemed like a bit of a stretch. Convoluted conjecture. It seemed possible, but unlikely. If I had to think of a reason why Kiss Duskdancer answered Kayla's phone, it was probably just for dramatic effect. She seems like the kind of person to do that. Every time that we've ran into each other, she's made quite a dramatic entrance.

As for the 'Chosen Child' thing, like I said, I think she's just messing with me.

But…

"Well, it's not like I have any better ideas," I sighed, "so, how are we going to go about that?"

"Isn't that obvious? You'll have to talk to her."

I knew it, but just the thought of talking to Kiss Duskdancer fills me with dread. Her playful tone can't mask the intense ominous presence that she has. It's almost like an atmosphere or an aura that she has. Of course, none of that would be present just over the phone, but it still makes me uncomfortable. The idea of talking to that woman.