Chapter 3

Kaylee watched her uncle anxiously as he began pacing around the log. She knew him to be the kind of person who didn't show his emotions in front of others very often and it quickly became apparent to her that he was fighting really hard not to fall to pieces in front of her now. She felt really guilty about upsetting him and tapped the log beside her apologetically.

"I'm sorry, uncle Travis. I shouldn't have asked you about my mom. It only seems to make everyone upset when I bring up the topic. Just sit down for a while. Then we can go home."

Travis took a deep breath and sat down beside her, still avoiding eye contact as he spoke in a hushed voice. "Don't be sorry, my dear girl. It's just that I miss Amelia so much…"

A sad smile appeared on his face and he slowly looked over at Kaylee. "Every time I look at you, it just reminds me of what I… I mean what we all lost. You look so much like your mother."

Travis dropped his head in despair as memories from that fateful day came flooding back. "I failed to keep her safe in the end. Now with this curse that Silas has brought upon our family, I'm afraid that I won't be able to protect you either."

Kaylee reached over and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Oh, uncle Travis. You have no idea how much I love you. You've been working so hard to keep me, Caleb and dad safe every full moon for six years!"

She offered him a big smile of gratitude. "You've always protected us and I know you'll always be there for all of us."

Travis smiled back at her in appreciation. "Thanks, sweetheart. That really means a lot to me."

Kaylee nodded sincerely. She glanced up at the sun, shining through the treetops directly overhead and sighed in resignation. "I guess we should head home soon. Gammy is probably waiting for us and besides, I shouldn't be staying out too long. I need to lock myself away before you know what starts happening…"

Even though it was still only midday, Kaylee knew the curse would start to take over her soon enough. She knew that in a few hours from now, she would get increasingly agitated and uncomfortable in her own skin. Then as the shadows grow longer and the sun sinks lower on the horizon, she would feel that dreaded, familiar hunger stirring inside her and by nightfall she would be completely consumed by it…

"No. Not yet."

Travis' determined voice startled Kaylee out of her depressing thoughts. She blinked in confusion and looked up at him hesitantly. He was watching her with fondness and all the worries she felt about tonight were momentarily forgotten as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and spoke to her in a comforting tone.

"It's time someone told you about your mother."

Kaylee could feel her heart beating fast with anticipation. Travis took a deep breath, his arm hugging her shoulders protectively as he spoke. "Your mom was like a ray of light. She moved here from California and it was as if she brought all the sunshine with her."

"Hmm, ray of light? That sounds so familiar. I could have sworn I saw that written down somewhere…" Kaylee tilted her head in concentration. "What did I see that written on…?"

Travis gave his niece's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Are you okay, honey?"

"Yeah! I remember now!" Kaylee's voice was filled with excitement and she gave her uncle a beaming smile. "There's this pencil sketch that I found in one of mom's old books. It's like a little portrait of her where she has her eyes closed and she's reaching her hand towards the sun. I showed it to my dad and he said that picture captured her essence better than any real photo could."

She snapped her fingers in revelation. "The words 'Ray of Light' were written at the bottom of the drawing and there was a capital letter T signed underneath that!"

Kaylee prodded her uncle in the side playfully. "It was you! You're the one who drew that picture of my mom!"

Travis grunted in surprise. He felt his face beginning to blush and he quickly looked away before Kaylee could notice that he was embarrassed. "Yeah, you got me."

Kaylee shook her head in wonder. "I can't believe I didn't realize it before! You always carry a lead pencil in your pocket, even when you're on duty!"

Travis reached into his uniform pocket and pulled out a worn-out looking pencil. "You mean this old thing?"

"Yeah. Please don't lick it though! It gives me the shivers when you do that." Kaylee said with a shudder.

A mischievous glint appeared in Travis' eyes as he raised the tip of the pencil to his mouth and pretended to lick it. "Oh, you mean like this?"

"Eww! Uncle, Travis! That's gross!" Kaylee protested.

Travis shrugged innocently. "It's just a habit, I guess. Something I've always done since I was a kid."

Kaylee's eyes lit up in revelation. "Hey! You're the one who drew that sketch of my dad that I saw in his office!"

Travis put the pencil back in his pocket and nodded apprehensively. "Yeah. Those old sketches are not that good..."

Kaylee stared at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? They're amazing! I never knew you were so good at drawing, uncle Travis."

Travis shrugged dismissively. "I always enjoyed art when I was at school. Of course, I don't have time for drawing much these days."

Kaylee's expression turned reflective. "So, my mom was a California girl?"

Travis nodded slowly in confirmation. "Yeah. She arrived here when I was in my senior year of school. She was in the same class as your dad. Chris was always really into the great outdoors and sports. Even as a kid, he was confident and outgoing. Handsome too…" He smiled warmly at the memory. He and Chris had always been close. Despite being the older brother, Travis would often look up to his younger sibling as a role model. Chris was a natural born leader and Travis admired his confidence and adventurous spirit. He remembered all those fond summers he and Chris had spent right here at their family's Summer Camp. Chris would always encourage him try new things that he wouldn't normally do; such as go canoeing on the lake or horse riding in the forest. Thanks to him, their childhood was never boring. His brother knew how to have fun whereas Travis was content to bury himself in his books or sit at his desk in his room drawing for hours at a time…

His expression turned grave and he looked down at his hands uncomfortably. "I was the complete opposite of my brother. I was always shy, reclusive and a bit of a loner. It was as though I were invisible. I used to observe everybody, but no one ever seemed to notice me."

Travis cleared his throat and shook his head sadly. "As for my looks, well I was the total opposite of Chris in that regards too. I was short and skinny. I used to wear glasses back then and my face was covered in zits. Basically, I was the textbook definition of a nerd."

"Oh, uncle Travis." Kaylee touched his arm and offered him a reassuring smile.

Travis closed his eyes as he continued speaking quietly. "Like I said, no one paid any attention to me for years. But then your mother- Amelia, started to take notice of me one day. I couldn't understand why one of the prettiest girls in school would ever want to hang out with me during lunch. I tried to brush her off a couple of times. I even tried hiding from her by having lunch behind the gym or in the library. But she always found me somehow."

Travis paused and took a shuddering breath. "It was as though she could sense my loneliness and need for at least one person to acknowledge my existence. She was naturally caring and kind and for the first time in my life, I felt like I finally had a friend."

"I'm sorry, uncle Travis. I know what it's like to not have many friends as well." Kaylee whispered sympathetically.

Travis nodded slowly. "I wasn't sure what she ever saw in me. She was much younger than me and at first, I didn't think we'd have much in common. But we talked everyday during lunch break. She told me about her love of dancing while I talked about my passion for art and nature. I just really enjoyed having her company and over time, our friendship grew stronger. Unfortunately, our new friendship soon attracted the attention of sharks… and by sharks, I mean bullies."

Travis clenched his fists in frustration. "It started with small things at first. Some girls who were in the same class as Amelia began following me around and passing me notes with their phone numbers. I knew they were trying to mock me and I did my best to ignore them. But some of the older boys didn't see it that way. I heard them whispering and snickering behind my back during class. They started calling me names and threatened to beat me up after school."

Kaylee patted his hand comfortingly. "Uncle Travis. That's awful. I always wondered why us humans choose to be so mean to each other when kindness and tolerance would make the world a much better place for all."

Travis shrugged. "It's just part of human nature, unfortunately."

He rubbed Kaylee's arm reassuringly and smiled fondly as he recalled something Amelia had said to him one day while they were having lunch together. "Amelia told me not to worry about the bullies. She said that whoever didn't agree with us being friends, could shove it where the sun doesn't shine." Travis' voice was tinted with sadness and he let out a deep sigh. "She used to joke that I'd never get rid of her. According to her, we would be friends forever."

"One day, she got this crazy idea for a school fundraiser. She wanted to make a production of 'Dirty Dancing' to raise money for dance and theatre classes to be added to the school's curriculum. Out of all the good-looking guys at school, she picked me to play the part of Johnny while she would be Baby." Travis snorted and shook his head in wonder. "I was completely against the idea. I told her that she needed to choose someone else. That I felt like a big baby who wanted to stay in my safe corner forever! She just laughed and insisted on calling me 'baby' from then on. I pleaded with her to change her mind. I was so insecure and didn't know the first thing about dancing. But Amelia claimed that with someone like her to teach me, I would be a professional in no time."

Travis made a sound like he'd just been kicked by a horse. "There were these three bullies who really went out of their way to make my life miserable. Their names were Bubba Hopkins, Jeremy Wood and Marek Kukula and they overheard our conversation about the dance production. They started calling me insulting names and threatened to beat me up so bad that I would be walking with a limp for the rest of my life."

"That's terrible! What did you do, uncle Travis?" Kaylee asked worriedly.

"Nothing." Travis admitted regrettably. "Your mother stood up for me though. She walked right up to Marek Kukula- the ringleader of the trio- and punched him in the nose with all her might. She actually ended up breaking his nose! When I looked around, I noticed that the whole school seemed to be standing there watching us. Amelia was holding her hand like she was in pain. Then Bubba told her to back off and pushed her so hard that she fell over."

A proud grin flashed across Travis' face for a split second. "Next thing I know, your dad showed up and flew into a rage like I'd never seen before. Without hesitation, he threw himself at Bubba- who was nearly twice his size and punched his lights out! Once again, my little brother had stood up for me like he always did. Amelia really seemed to appreciate his courage because from that moment on, she really started to take an interest in him. Needless to say, we all got suspended for a week afterwards and the fundraiser was canceled."

Kaylee listened in rapt silence. So that's how her parents met! Before she could say anything, Travis let out a resigned sigh and continued quietly. "It all worked out for the best in the end because from that day on, your dad was always looking out for Amelia. They began spending more and more time together and soon they became inseparable. As for myself, I decided to join the police academy after I left school the following year. I wanted to learn how to stand up to bullies and protect others as well. I can honestly say that becoming a cop was probably the best decision I ever made in my life."

"Uncle Travis? Can I ask you something…" Kaylee spoke with a hint of sadness in her voice.

'Sure." Travis encouraged her gently.

"Did you love my mom?" Kaylee tilted her head at him questioningly. "I mean did you really love her?"

Travis looked away evasively. "Oh, Kaylee…"

"You did, didn't you? Why didn't you fight for her then?"

Travis offered her his most sincere smile. "Because I have no regrets. I believe with all my heart that your mom and dad were perfect for each other. I've never seen Chris happier than the times he and your mother spent together and I was not about to come between their happiness. Chris has always been there for me like a guardian angel ever since we were kids, and now it was my turn to give something special back to him. Whatever feelings Amelia may have had for me were not even close to how much she adored your father."

Travis looked at his niece with pure adoration. "Besides, from that love our family got the greatest gift of all: you and Caleb."

Kaylee stood up and hugged her uncle tightly. "Thank you for telling me so much about my mom, uncle Travis. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Travis closed his eyes and hugged her lovingly in return. "Anytime, my sweet girl." He glanced at his watch and sighed wearily. It was well past midday and he realized that he really needed to go check on Laura and Max at the police station. He pulled out of her embrace gently.

"Let's go, sweetheart. I'll walk you back home, then I'll head on over to the station."

Kaylee nodded and smiled at him gratefully. She took him by the hand and the two of them walked along the dirt trail back to Hackett House in reflective silence.

Author's Note:

By the way folks, this is not all she wrote. There are still a couple more chapters to come! Thank you for reading and be sure to stick around if you want to find out what happens next...