Chapter 25

I went home from school to find a note taped up to the scarlet door. I took it down and looked at it. The design in itself was fairly simple: a heart with butterfly wings, but the details of the wings were beautifully drawn. Every line, every vein was etched carefully with a skilled hand onto the paper in red. I was marveling at it until Light's voice snapped me out of my almost hypnotic attraction to the drawing.

Khol, check to see if it's blood, he suggested.

Huh?

Rub it with you fingers and lick them. See if it tastes like blood.

I nodded. I rubbed my hand gently along the intricate patterns of the delicate-looking wings. I stuck the two fingers in my mouth and sucked on them for a bit. A salty, coppery taste filled my mouth. It was faint but prominent, like sucking on old pennies.

"It's blood," I muttered, looked down at the artwork no longer with admiration, but with fear.

It's just as I feared. That's the Kira symbol and it's done in blood... It's a warning, Khol. They're here. The Kiraists are here and they aren't happy. That blood's fresh, it can't be more than a few hours old.

With a quivering hand, I slid the key into the lock, wondering what secrets the scarlet door would reveal. As the door opened, my mind started to race as to what might be waiting for me, but nothing in the house seemed out of place. I scoped out every room, my room, my mom's, the basement, the attic, to see if anything was out of place. Everything seemed to be the same. They hadn't entered the house, just pinned something to the door. As I came to kitchen, I noticed that the light on the phone was flashing, altering me to the presence of a message. I pressed the "Play New Message" button as I was greeted by a low voice, like the devil himself. It sent shivers up my spine and even sent shots of fear and worry into Light's usually relaxed demeanor.

"Greetings Kremen, did you get my note? Be sure to take good care of it because your little friend here poured his blood, sweat and tears into it. That's right, he wasn't in school today, was he?" the voice purred, "Well, if you don't believe me, what if you heard him scream?"

"Aaaagh! Khol! Help me!" Kellan's voice screamed, seeming to be in agonizing pain. It was farther away from the phone than the other voice.

"If you want to see Mayix again, meet me at the Woodlawn Chapel. And don't bring any unnecessary friends, just my Lord, Kira, and we will exchange: Kira for Mayix. If you don't comply with these demands, Mayix dies. And I know you don't want that. You have until sundown," the voice threatened.

"Khol! Don't go, it's a trap!" Kellan's voice screamed.

This was followed by more screaming and more from the voice, coming from around the same place as Kellan. "Be quiet! I'd watch my mouth if I were you, kid!"

With this, the line went dead. Acting on sheer instinct, I ran down to my garage and straddled the seat on my bike.

Khol, what are you doing? Light asked.

I'm saving Kellan.

Don't you think you should be thinking this through first?

If I don't get there by sunset, Kellan will be dead!

And if we don't think this through, the both of you could be dead!

If it were L's life on the line, would you risk your neck to save him?

You really love him, don't you?

I'm not sure, but if he died I'll never know.

Light nodded. Alright, Khol. Good luck.

Though he never told me until later, he left my body at that moment. I could feel it. The sensation is difficult to explain. Getting Kira into my body was agonizing and painful, but having Light leave was different. It was like being covered by a cold mist that hangs over you. I shivered a little and sent my bike speeding out of the driveway. Woodlawn and the chapel were on the other side of town. Though Acton is small, it's still a tedious bike ride. What I wouldn't give to be old enough to drive!

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