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Chapter Ten: Meeting The Children Part Three
They walked the remaining distance in silence. The atmosphere has changed. Kenzie tried to wrap her head around what just accrued but there was no explanation she could come up with. She never met another physic before so she wasn't exactly sure what to look for. He obviously wasn't like her. He would have seen Leo and Josh. He would feel the things she does from being inside. He would have seen Casper the friendly ghost when they were outside. Maybe there were different levels of physic abilities she didn't know about. When she did though get a chance she was going to ask him. It would be nice to not be alone.
Kenzie took them to the room at the end of the hall. It was the room she uses daily when she comes to see the children. She later found out it was their room when the orphanage was up and running. And sadly the same room they died in too. She tried moving to a different one at first but she discovered they were attached to it. They were much stronger in it. She never tried moving again.
She stopped at the door way. "Wait here, please." She told them. "I should tell them first."
"Right, of course." Porter answered for them. "We wouldn't want them to be afraid of us."
Kenzie nodded and than walked into the room. She could feel them instantly and she couldn't help but smile. If everything went the way she was hoping it would and the ghost hunters were able too, the children would be able to experience the outside after so long of being trapped. It was bittersweet just thinking about it.
She walked to the far corner of the room where a makeshift table was with a lantern on it and turned the knob to the on position. The light was dim but enough light casted over the room. She turned her flashlight off and placed it on the table before she turned to face the children.
She looked to the corner in the far right by the window. They were huddled together. She saw Mikey poking his head out from under Carols arm.
"Is it safe?" She asked, keeping her arm protectively around the youngest member of their group. "Will they hurt us?"
"They are not bad men." She told them, looking at each one of them before she walked to the middle of the room. She could feel their apprehension. "They will not hurt you."
Kenzie sat down on the floor and crossed her legs. "Come." She held out her hand to them. "Come sit. There is something I would like to tell you."
Leo and Josh were the first to sit. They had already encountered the ghost hunters but the others weren't as openly with the idea.
"They have really cool devices that you can play with." Josh said, smiling from ear to ear. He was looking forward to touching them again.
"You can make faces at them." Leo laughed, looking over his shoulder to the others. "They can't see you. It was fun."
Kenzie mentally thanked Leo for not mentioning the small detail that one of the guys saw him for a split second. Trying to get the other children to come to her was hard enough knowing that they weren't alone. She could feel their eyes on her as she talked out loud. She didn't want the children to experience any difference when all she has ever done was talked to them openly. "It's okay. I promise."
Abby was the one to move first and Kenzie smiled warmly. Since the very beginning Abby has trusted her. She kept promises that were made, helped them when they were in trouble. Blocked the wicked woman who has hurt them for many years before Kenzie came along. She protected them like she said she would. "Who are they?" Abby asked, coming to sit beside Leo.
Kenzie looked at Abby. "They are what you would call ghost hunters. They go to places that are haunted and try to help those who need it."
Denny was the next to come out of the shadows of the corner and sat down beside Kenzie. She leaned against her, shielding herself from being seen. "Do they see us?"
Kenzie ran her hand through her hair, twirling a curl around her finger. "No sweetheart, they can't see you."
Denny's shyness was starting to show. "Can they hear us?"
Kenzie shook her head. "No. But they have recorders that could if you speak to it. Would you like to see?"
Carol took Mikey's hand and they walked to the circle and sat down. She pulled the young boy into her lap. "How does that work?" She asked.
"Let's find out." Kenzie told them. She looked to the doorway and saw them looking in. "Hey Brannon, can I see your recorder for a minute?" She asked, giving him the okay to come into the room.
"Yes, you may." He said as he stepped into the room. The energy was off the hook the moment he took that first step inside. He didn't need to be a physic to feel the energy. The room was chilly and calming. There was an innocence atmosphere lingering that touched his heart. Even though he can not see the children he defiantly could feel them. It was an experience he had no words for.
He grabbed his recorder from one of his vest pockets and took it to her. He stopped inches from her and placed it into her hand.
"Thank you." She took it and turned back to the children. "This is a recorder that is strong enough to pick up your voices. If you say something into this speaker right here.." She tapped it with her finger. "It may capture what you say. Should we try it?"
The thought alone was intriguing but they didn't say a word. Kenzie turned to Brannon and than to the children. She smiled and spoke to them mentally. "This is Brannon. Can you say hi to him? I think he would like that very much."
"He is the one that has the machine that makes notices when you touch it." Josh told them. "That's how they communicated with us, right Kenzie."
"Yes, that's correct. Not everyone is fortunate to be able to see or hear ghosts." She told them.
"Are there others like you who can?" Carol asked.
"I believe there are others out there but I don't know anyone personally." She said, looking down at the recorder in her hand. There was a split moment she felt sadness and loneliness. She felt alone. She was always alone. Her parents left her when they discovered she was gifted with the foresight. She had no friends from the living; always picked on and made fun of when she was caught talking to herself. No one to love her or return that love.
"We lobe you, Kenzie." Mikey's voice was soft, pulling her out of her moment of weakness. He got up from Carol's lap and went to Kenzie. He didn't understand the sadness or why she was upset.
Her heart smiled and filled with love that she couldn't quite describe for them. She welcomed him with open arms as he took his place in her lap. "I love you too, Mikey."
She took a moment to collect her thoughts, pushed her sadness and loneliness aside. Now wasn't the time to let her feelings get in the way. She will have plenty of that when she is alone. Her focus had to be on the children. "Now, how about welcoming our new guest."
...
They watched Kenzie from the door as she interacted with the children. If they didn't know about the children only one would assume she was talking to herself. They took in her expressions, body language and how it looked as if she was holding a child.
Porter monitored the energy levels spiking occasionally and than held a steady reading from there after. There was a slight chill in the air he could feel coming from inside.
"How are we going to do this?" Doogie asked quietly. In all of their cases they have done in the past none were quite like this one. There were multiple spirits or in this instance, children. Children who lived such tragedy that they don't trust anyone but Kenzie. And to make it even worse Miss Rosemary still has them in her clutches; keeping them earth bound.
"I have an idea." Chasey whispered. Since the beginning of this investigation when the phone call came from Mike, he has been thinking of ways that could help children spirits. "It's like the devil's toy box we created except it would be a child's toy box filled with good and love and things that children love. We could use crystals inside to hold them, to protect them. Miss Rosemary won't be able to get to them than."
"That actually might work." Chris replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "I think we should have Kenzie help us too. They trust her more than they would us and she can get them inside the toy box."
"I agree." Porter said.
"After here, Chasey, you and Brannon start putting the toy box together. If Miss Rosemary is as bad as Kenzie has told us, we need to get the children out as soon as possible." Doogie told them.
"There's just one problem with that." Porter began looking at the others. "How will we break the hold that Miss Rosemary has on them?"
That was the question that had no answer.
...
Kenzie fiddled with the recorder and pressed the record button. She held her hand out to the children and nodded her head.
The children looked at each other before they came together and said hi to Brannon. It took a few tries for the recorder to pick up their voices.
When Kenzie knew it finally worked, the energy in the room spiked and she pressed stop. "You guys did great. I'm sure Brannon will really appreciate this."
"Can we hear it?" Abby asked, scooting closer to her.
"Yes, let's hear it." Josh chimed in, excitement claiming his facial features.
"In a minute I will have Brannon play it back. But first I need to tell you all something really important." Kenzie began. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I want to tell you why the ghost hunters are here. You know that I have really tried to break the hold and barrier that keeps you here. I've tried everything that I know and could find. All I could do was keep the wicked witch away." Kenzie has never mentioned the wicked witch by name, only referenced her as the witch from The Wizard of Oz; she felt it was better that way. She knew they were traumatized and scared of her, calling her by name would continue to open wounds she has tried to fix.
She took another deep breath and continued. "But I'm afraid my hold on the wicked witch is breaking. I can feel it and I know you can too."
Tiny gasps erupted from the children. Mikey clung to Kenzie and she tightened her arm around him. Denny squeezed her arm sending a cold chill through her body.
Carol was the first to react to the news. She shot to her feet, cold air swoosh past her. "She can not get free, Kenzie. She will hurt us, I know she will."
Energy spiked again in the room. The hairs on Kenzie's arms stood on end. Her fear and anger slammed into the psychics body, taking it all in as mental pictures of their torture squeezed through her mental wall.
Kenzie was quick to defuse the situation before Carol lost her innocence and crossed the line. She looked at the young girl with sympathy and with love. "I will never let her hurt you again." She spoke to her through her mind. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "I promised you before and I still hold that promise. With my dying breath, I will protect you." She got to her feet and took the few steps to Carol. She touched her gently on her shoulder, a wave of comfort slowly filled her. "I feel your pain, your hurt and your anger. I've seen what she did to you and the other children through your eyes. I vowed than that I will do everything in my power to keep you all safe."
Carol looked at Kenzie. Her bottom lip began to tremble, tears formed in her eyes and rolled down her pale cheeks. "Please don't let her hurt us..."
"Never. Never again." Kenzie promised wrapping her arms around her and hugged her.
She felt arms all around her as the other children joined in, hugging her and Carol. Kenzie looked to the door and motioned for them to come in. They waited long enough to meet them.
"Guys, I want you to meet the children." She smiled as she looked at each of them, as she watched them step into the room, her eyes lingering a moment longer with Chris. She blushed. She than turned her attention to the children. "Children, I want you to meet Porter, Chasey, Doogie and Chris. You met Brannon. I have asked them for their help and they have agreed to help free you from this place."
Doogie stepped forward and went to one knee. He looked towards Kenzie where he thought the children were. It felt as though he could see them, feel them looking at him. His sensitivity to the spirit world opened far more than he ever had before. He smiled at them. "I can't see you but I feel you. My brothers and I want you to know we will try everything in our power to release you. Some of us have children of our own and we wouldn't allow anyone to hurt them...we won't let anyone hurt you no more."