Camp Rock: Chapter 12 ~Now Its Your Turn to see~ Part Four
“Emma! Take my hand!” Kevin said his palm outstretched, hearing her desperate screams every time she looked down below, she felt her ankle throb if only she could reach up and hold on to Kevin’s hand. She stared deep in Kevin’s eyes as she wiggled around trying to calm herself and come to the realization that in a minute she would have no hands on the plank and hopefully that didn’t matter because Kevin’s hand would replace the dead air. She looked down realizing the way down was at least seven feet off the ground. She couldn’t hold her breath, she reached feeling the tips of Kevin’s fingers slide away from her she wanted more than anything to feel them secure around her hand, but the pain in her ankle overtook her, she felt the harsh wind push against her as she fell downwards, she screamed as the impact of the water pushed bubbles down her throat. Under the water she pushed her arms forward but the ice cold water numbed her, she felt something pull her to the side as she lost air in her lungs, her contact eyes fogged up closing them tight she went limp and sank to the bottom of the lake.
“EMMA!” Nick screamed, watching Kevin stand up and unbutton his vest, he shook his dance shoes off. Joe held on to them knowing that Kevin was attempting to bring her back since she hadn’t surfaced.
Kevin kicked off from the pier and dived in, willing his eyes open. He shivered slightly watching the bubbles engulf another form. He pushed his arms forward feeling Emma’s waist and pulling her to the side, trying to adjust her to the side of his body, he watched the bubbles of air from her mouth fade away, knowing that minutes before she hadn’t saved enough air to oxygenate, she didn’t know if she was going to fall into the water. He pulled her closer but as her body went limp her hair wrapped around her face he watched her fall his heart hurt when he looked down again, seeing the sand on the bottom of the lake, the way she was falling she looked like a pearl, her fair skin, her sun-kissed hair. Panic took over as he picked her up gently, holding the back of her head to his chest and kicked off from the bottom of the lake, taking a lungful of air as his head bobbed in and out of the waves. He felt Joe grip his shoulder as Nick helped him bring Emma and place her gently on the ground, he unwrapped his scarf from around his neck and placed it gently behind Emma’ head.
“Are you okay Kevin?” Joe asked watching Kevin cough a bit, but Kevin just threw his hand up walking over to the ground where Emma lay unresponsive.
“I’m okay, just a little scared. How is she Nick?” He asked watching his younger brother place his finger on her pulse points, counting slowly.
“Her pulse is slowing down.” He commented but than placed a hand against her chest. “She’s breathing. But she’s unconscious because she was immersed in the water and the air is slowly trying to oxygenate again.” He heard Kevin and Joe sigh back a sense of relief as he took in Emma’s facial features, her lids were closed her mouth crooked her lips a purple hue. He removed his hand from her chest noting the look of her arms. “She’s starting to shiver…Kevin!” Something clicked in Nick’s brain and he just hoped Kevin wasn’t going to tell him what he had already confirmed. “How cold was that lake Kevin?”
“It wasn’t warm Nick, maybe ten degrees. You’re not saying?”
“Yes I am!” Nick replied. Joe looked like a deer in headlights as he walked over and placed his own jacket on top of Lily’s frozen body. Nick placed his hand against her neck as her neck dropped to the side he noted no change. “If her pulse stays this low and I’m pretty sure her body went into shock she could get hypothermia!” Kevin backed away from his brothers as Nick took of his jacket in an attempt to comfort his brother and keep him warm. Joe pulled away giving Nick some space; he wrapped Nick’s jacket around Kevin watching the water drip into a muddy puddle beneath his feet from his soaked clothes. All they could do was give it time.
“What can happen Nick?” Joe asked after a few minutes.
“It’s not good that she’s already shivering, and I just hope that she hasn’t gone into a stupor but I can’t tell by looking at her. It’s best that we try to keep her as warm as possible.” He noted watching Kevin peel away the jacket and pick up his vest draping it on Emma.
He sat down, a song coming from his mind as he grabbed Emma’s cold hand holding it against his warm cheek. “Come on Emma!” He whispered in her ear and than began singing a song he heard from the a band that opened for them on tour, hopefully she could hear him; if anything the notes warmed his heart as if he could transfer them through. He pulled her head away from the ground draping his arms around her shielding the wind from her face, holding her in his arms.
“She never thought that she would
Get her second chance
Running so far from all
She’s ever known”
He paused to look at his brother’s with downcast eyes, Nick felt her pulse regulate he nudged Joe as they sang out together into the night.
“And than she lost all meaning
Where did her dreams go?
And she still that there was something more”
Kevin moved his hand down, her shivers hit against his chest; he wished the shivers away as he sang with his brothers.
“Don’t be scared, there’s someone there
To say these words you need to hear.
Don’t let anybody tell you who you are, who you are.
Its okay to let go your that shooting star, shooting star.
Remember all you wish for
Believe it will be true
You will never find yourself anywhere else
Find yourself in you
Sometimes people tell you
Be like me to fit in
Don’t you know your identity is not in them?
Don’t be scared, there’s someone there
To say these words, you need to hear.
Don’t let anybody tell you who you are, who you are
Its okay to let go your that shooting star, shooting star
Remember all you wish for
Believe it will be true
You will never find yourself anywhere else
Find yourself in you
Kevin broke from the words looking down at Emma whose shivers seem to fade away he lowered her head closer as the wind picked up again, he could see her lips turn pink; he smiled knowing he had helped someone who really needed it. He heard Nick and Joe’s voices connect to his eardrum, Joe taking the lead.
Why should I measure the world
By someone else’s design
Oh I won’t let this fly by
Look over here I just found the real me
Now it’s your turn to see
Now it’s your turn to see
Kevin’s own heart beat against his internal chamber, Lily could feel it against her cheek as she heard sounds around her. Kevin knew on the phone Lily had said those same words, he just didn’t know she said them spilling from her heart. A single drop of water from Kevin’s eyelash landed atop Lily’s lips almost like a sweet kiss.
Don’t let anybody tell you who you, who you are
It’s okay to let go, your that shooting star,
Remember all you wished for
Believe it will be true
You will never find yourself anywhere else
Find yourself in you
Find yourself in you
Find yourself in you
A small voice popped out calling into the night desperately, her eyes shined against the moonlight, her shivers warmed up by the stars dancing across the sky.
“Joe? Nick? Kevin?” Lily said finding her voice once more; she leaned away from Kevin’s chest to look at the two brothers with worry written across their faces.
“Emma, we’re right here you are safe now.” Nick said reaching his hand and scooping up his best friend’s hand giving it a reassuring squeeze, she smiled at Nick as Joe gave her a wink of his eye.
Kevin placed his hand against the back of her neck helping her sit up slowly.
“Kevin!” She sang out taking in his wet composure, he looked on the verge of tears but as she leaned closer she noticed drops of lake water around the edges of his hazel eyes, they sparkled at the sight of her safe now.
“I heard you singing, thank you Kevin.” She said in a silent voice that only Kevin could hear as the other brothers gathered themselves standing, Kevin and Emma remained sitting; Kevin drew Emma closer just to hold her.
“You scared me Emma, when I lost my grip on you under the water I…” He began to say his emotions burning into his chest.
“Kevin, you’ll never lose me.” She replied softly her ear against his chest listening for the soothing beating of his heart; her mind wondered into his deep gaze. “No matter how hard I fall your heart with soften the blow.” She said to herself before her mouth drew out a voice of concern into Kevin’s ears. “Kevin are you okay?”
“I am now, why do you ask?” He inquired back blinking not believing his eyes.
“Because you heart is beating so fast.” She said quietly her hot breath landing against his shirt buttons. He felt the warmth and looked down for the last time that night. Her hair dark from the troubled waters, a chestnut color hue, the vision of Lily making his heart yearn, the more he wished, the more he thought, the more his heart kept telling him to take one more look, take a breath, and trust his gut feeling.
Tess slammed the wooden drawer back in hearing the ratting of the contents throwing her hand up and brushing tears away. She threw her head back breathing deeply her vision fogged up as the tears rolled harder against her cheeks. After all this time she never told Lily what she had done, after all that time Bridgette still thought it was her singing the song that nobody had fixed it. Sure it brought Tess a stronger sense of who she was she got to attend college because on thing that lay here tonight, but why did it have to hurt Lily so bad? Hopefully she could turn that around as she stepped forward towards another dark black stained oak door.
She heard the door swing back and forth revealing a long wooden-floored hallway. She looked behind her drawing in a deep breath; she pressed her hand against the center of the wall. If you were too far away you couldn’t see the break in the wall, the wood work of Lily’s uncle. With a jolt she pushed farther in hearing the snap of the wall, and there it was, the secret hole behind the wall. Clothes stood in line on a wooden rack, Lily’s old performing costumes, a photograph in a wooden frame a blanket of dust hiding the people in the photo, engraved along the bottom was the words, You are the music while the music lasts~T.S. Eliot, a large white first-aid kit, and papers in boxes on the floor as she peered in. Only Lily, her father and Ethan knew about this wall and now thanks to Lily’s family Tess herself. It was close enough for them to hide Lily’s secret in case she needed to become Emma in a flash or in case something went drastically wrong and they needed to hide something, like a guitar for example, but the wall was so well constructed that it created the dream of Ethan and Lily’s father to create her bedroom wall. It let her shy away on the outside, but on the inside it kept her life from dying away.
Tess grabbed a handful of cloth, hand sewn glitter residue landed on her fingertips leaving a sparkle and from the soft lights inside the hallway began to shade a spotlight against the card attached to the costume in the corner. Tess grabbed at it as it spun around in circles; she read the name of her sister, her measurements and her alterations described in details. Tess pulled at the tag leaving a hole in the sleeve of the arm, taking it in her hand she panicked at the thought that Bridgette may have brushed up against the wall, saw the outfits and thought of it as a shopping spree. But at the sight of the dark shadow of a guitar in the corner she could have cared less as she picked up a guitar and welcomed it home in her hands.
Tess climbed into bed, her mother shutting off the lamp on the night table, kissing her forehead; she left the room pushing the light on in the hallway. Tess noticed how the light emitting from outside the door cast a strong shadow on the crooked guitar neck between the far right guitar strings, where somebody had tried to fix the guitar, to let Lily play, it was Lily’s left hand guitar. Tess fell into a deep exhausted slumber moments before she thought those memories and seeing them into her dreams one last time.
Tess clutched the acceptance letter from the University of Northern Colorado in her hand pushing the door to the record label open, she counted the steps to recording studio six, Lily’s father sitting in the chair working on the equipment, she could hear soft notes play back and forth on repeat, hearing Tess knock softly on the door he spun around in the chair pressing his finger to his lips pointing down at Lily. Tess looked down, Lily was laying down hugging a blanket close to her cheek on the sofa, her chest rose and fell it seemed as if the repetition of the music coming from the equipment was a lullaby easing her into her dreams. Tess had heard it before as she grabbed a chair and rolled it forward.
“Where have I heard that before?” She asked peering over at the computer screen seeing music notes dance across the screen.
“It’s the three first notes she played on the guitar her uncle bought for her, I’m trying to work this into a couple of her new songs, you heard it on her first album. It’s a B, D and G guitar string combination. Here listen.” Lily father replied as he played back a few of her songs Tess smiled remembering. Lily’s father took the piece of paper out of Tess hand reading and than drawing her into a hug he pulled back question her as he face retorted back in sadness.
“I don’t want to leave.” She said firmly.
“Tess, why not? This is what you want to do, you are going to help people, and this is…”
“I do want to help people, but I can’t leave your family behind, all this stuff that is happening and if I know my godfather he’s going to take everything, and from the contract he’s going to think everything is his for the taking. Look how far he’s gotten already? Please I have to do something, Lily’s my friend.” She said looking at Lily sleeping not knowing what was behind her dreams. Lily’s father got out of his chair looking at his daughter into concern.
“Tess so much is happening so fast, I don’t know about this.” He said rubbing his hand against his neck.
Tess heard the notes play back, she kneeled against Lily as a long strand of tears ran down past her cheeks, a small hiccup issued from her mouth falling back into her dreams, Tess grabbed a small section of the blanket to wipe the tear away before she looked up straight into Lily’s fathers eyes as she rose.
“Her guitar! I’ll keep it safe, you need the money and I could buy it and than…” Tess began to say trying to explain herself.
“Alright, alright! Tess come here, quickly.” Lily’s father said and pressed his hand against a black stained door it swung back and forth as Tess stepped inside, a long hallway ended with a large mirror at the end, there was no doors, no windows, no pictures hanging on the wall.
“Tess we trust you, but you have to promise me something?” He said taking her hand so they were facing the same wall.
She looked around her wondering why they were staring a wall if there was no exit anywhere else besides going backwards.
“You have to promise me that you won’t tell anybody about this.” He said raising his hand pointing at the wall.
“It’s a wall…” She said before getting cut off.
“Promise me, Tess!” Lily’s father said with passion in his voice, she gave him a queer look as she breathed out slowly.
“I promise!” She agreed as he raised his hand with hers against the wall, up and than down and than across.
“Tess, now it’s your turn to see.” He said smiling as her fingers felt a sharp dip in the wood that was too discreet to view at a far away distance, one had to see it and feel it at the same time to truly understand that a deep line ran the length of the direction that her fingers were being guided. She looked up for an explanation when her hand was placed in the dead center he gave her a forceful push against her palms she heard a click deep inside the wall her jaw dropped as the wall slid, the first image she beheld was the not so straight neck of Lily’s guitar as Tess’ jaw dropped in awe.
Emma placed her hands on the banister looking down below in Swallow Hall, taking in the moments she had left, her inability to teach driving her to work on weeks of stacked paper work to be graded. Nick and Joe were seated at a large round wooden table the table leg ending near the bottom of the stairs. Nick was busy highlighting song lyrics composed by students and was oblivious to Joe sitting at the head of the table his outstretched arm trying to grab a pair of yellow sticky notes, but his cast on his hand was telling him that he could grab the sticky notes without asking for help, Joe pulled his hand back in withered pain as Nick looked up. Emma could hear Nick telling his brother to just stand up and walk across the table as Kevin brought Tabitha the cat towards her.
“Found her!” He said smiling looking around for a place to feed her.
“Here, I’ll get the milk Kevin give her to me.” Emma replied bringing the cat over to the room behind the exposed brick separation. Kevin walked in behind her as she leaned over to place a large bowl of milk on the planks of wood she felt her fixed necklace gravitate away from her neck, the guitar pick in clear view of Kevin’s eyes.
“Wait Emma, that’s the necklace I fixed but…” He stepped forwards to hold on to the object both of their eyes widening in a mix of emotions at the same time. “Is that a guitar pick?”
Emma’s cheeks turned the shade of her guitar pick, she felt her heel twist leading her away from Kevin, she dashed down the stairs, she could hear the hurried steps of Kevin running after her desperate for an answer. But all she could focus on was her breathing before she smacked face first into Joe’s right shoulder causing her to fall backwards, hitting the last step harshly on her back, Kevin’s shoes cushioning the fall.
“Are you alright?” Joe inquired picking up the sticky notes and a pen from the far end of the table, noticing the force at which they collided.
“I’m fine!” She said weakly as she looked up to Kevin’s face, his chest was heaving up and down and his knuckles were turning white holding on to the banister on the last step. She could red nothing but safety in his eyes. Kevin crossed his arms Emma holding on to them as she twirled up gracefully, her guitar pick swinging behind her back. Joe quickly brought the pen to the sticky note writing awkward in bold letter and slapped it against the guitar pick, hiding her secret. Emma felt the impact of the sticky substance against her neck as she quickly turned towards Joe.
“Thanks!” She said half-sarcastically before her knees buckled. She felt her body fall back, Kevin hooked is arms under her in what would have been a classic dance step, but in this situation was Kevin’s time to shine, and Lily’s saving grace. Her guitar pick necklace slid towards Kevin as he ripped off the sticky note, rolling his eyes at Joe.
“Joe seriously this is not time to be funny, Emma I think you should sit down.” He said watching Emma looking down as she slid the guitar pick to the back of her neck.
“I said I’m fine!” She said with a tinge of hurt creeping up the side of her back, not knowing what it came from she turned her head around, Kevin quickly placed his hand on her back to steady her in case she swayed again. With Kevin’s hand on her back she made her way around the table to the back of the armless swivel desk chair. “See? I walked over by myself didn’t I?” She said at the same time she noticed that Kevin was standing close behind her.
“Kevin?” She asked.
“Lily, I was holding your back, if I didn’t you would have fallen.” He replied moving his other hand on her shoulder blade.
“No you didn’t Kevin, I walked over…” She began to say before she blinked in pain, a strong pressure on her back shot down but she knew it was all wrong, nothing connected to the phantom pain that brought her close to tears.
“Emma, Emma what’s wrong?” Kevin asked seeing the pain overtake her. If Kevin’s hands were against her shoulder blade than the pain was from the center of her lower back, she turned around trying to figure out the puzzle when her head took a turn for the worse from the impact of her hidden life and the stairs; Kevin held her disoriented body, both hands on her lower back she felt like she was frozen in mid air.
“I’m going to fall.” She muttered closing her eyes unaware that she was being pushed into Kevin’s chest her head falling sideways.
“No, no it’s okay I have you, I’m right here!” Kevin said lifting her chin up with his finger.
Emma slowly opened her eyes staring deeply into Kevin’s hazel ones; she blinked feeling a fearful tear touch the rim of her deep green contacts. “But I can’t feel you.” She said panicked, Nick got out his chair slowly walking forward.
“Can you feel this?” Kevin asked worried placing his fingertips against her lower-back.
“No.” She replied raising her head up as Kevin turned his head in the opposite direction.
“Can you feel this?” Kevin asked again placing his whole hand firmly and applied direct pressure. Joe could see from the angle they were standing that Kevin was being misled, he quickly yanked a sticky note off the pad and moved behind Kevin’s head giving Nick a look, Nick nodded.
“No.” She said in a soft voice, Kevin leaned his head so his pair of lips could feel her hot breath.
“Can you feel this?” He said soft and airless, the edge of her lip almost touching his, his heart began to speed up; Lily’s chest against his could feel it just above her own beating in perfect rhythm.
“No! But can you feel this?” Joe said loudly in Kevin’s eardrum smacking a sticky note at the back of head. Kevin grabbed the back of his head in pain as he let go of Emma.
“OW!” He shouted at Joe, and smacked him upside the head.
“OW!” Joe shouted back at him rubbing the back of his head with his free hand.
Nick slid the chair straight under Emma’s knees as she tumbled back from Kevin’s quick release. It was clear to Emma now that she had no feeling in her lower back as she regained her breath, watching Kevin and Joe removing sticky notes in an all-out war; it looked like Joe was winning.
Kevin spun around to see Emma seated, his eye caught a glimpse of the guitar pick as he drew himself closer to examine it, Emma panicked as time to her slowed down she looked around her noticing Nick’s Diet Coke-Cola can and elbowed it off the table. Nick grabbed her guitar pick and placed it against the back of her neck.
Kevin diverted his attention downwards quickly running over to the roll of paper towels in the back of the room; he didn’t need Emma pushing her limits. Emma looked up awkwardly at Joe who had one hand outstretched and his teeth grinding against each other as if he was going to grab Kevin by the scruff of his neck. He walked over to the side of the table laying the sticky notes atop it, breathing outward.
Kevin bent down as he let the paper towels soak up the liquid, placing the last paper towel down he could hear Joe scratching a pen against a sticky note. Somewhere between getting lost in Emma’s eyes and watching her smile back knowing that this instant that smile reminded him of Lily where his heart longed to be Joe shoved his shoulder back with blunt force. Lily looked down at Kevin her hand trembling as their eyes locked, her mind trying to slow down time, and let this moment last forever.
“I win!” Joe shouted waking both Kevin and Emma from their daze. As Joe stepped back Kevin curled his chin down, Emma looked face-forward into a sticky note that Joe had used as his weapon of choice. She read the words over and over her eyes following the lines surrounding it touching together from start to finish, a perfect shaped heart, as Kevin frowned trying to read it upside down:
L.A. + K.J.
Emma could see Kevin mouthing off the words so she pushed her arm forward hearing the rip of the paper, taking the other half with her Kevin grabbed her arm back to him so he could finish reading. Her palm was flat, close to Kevin’s heart she felt panic and love collide. They read the words again, knowing to whom the initials belonged to. Emma panicked until she saw Kevin looked up, his face was illuminated his eyes were bouncing with pure joy and his smile was as big as his heart felt, all of these emotions surfaced by just the mere mention of Lily’s name. Emma felt weak at the knees. She lit up words could not describe how she felt, all this time she kept running Kevin into the wall, he found his way to Lily, she knew right there and than that he loved her, she felt the courage answer his pending questions, to fill the depression in his heart. She knew that he was in love with the right part of her, and her rockstar part he was growing to love each and every summer day. He just still was unaware how to fit the puzzle pieces together.
“Kevin, what I wanted to tell you down by the lake is… I do believe in love at first sight!” She said soft and airy. Kevin blinked as Emma’s arm dropped he rose stepping away slowly at first and than bolting out the front door, Joe at his heels. Did Emma just say that? Or was there another meaning behind it?
Kevin ran all the way back to his bunk house without slowly down to let his brother keep up with him, he didn’t think as he let the bunk house door slam close to Joe’s face. Kevin walked quickly over to the sink scooping up ice cold water and pouring it over his face his eyes wide open. He pushed his palms against the sink looking at his reflection in the mirror. He grabbed a washcloth patting his face dry he sat down one of the lower bunk beds. He felt a heavy load on his lower shoulder as he looked down and picked off the piece of torn sticky note, he sprung off the bed to the closet where his tuxedo awaited next Friday, he stuck it there just to get it off him, he made his way towards the door as Joe began banging, looking back once more to read Lily’s initials. He smiled feeling chest fall in and out, if only he knew that she really was a rockstar!
Lily felt dazed her eyes not leaving the piece of sticky note in her hand, Nick scooted the other chair in front of her thinking she was heartbroken. But her mind wasn’t, not even close. Nick began to speak but it went in one ear and out the other.
“The only piece missing now!” She said looking directly at Nick, Nick was taken aback but was quick to understand. “Is the one that Kevin has.” She looked down at the piece that had Kevin’s initials, the other half to the whole.
Author Notes: Oh my Jonas! You just read 47 pages! Congrats! I am more than honored to announce this as a special birthday gift from me to you! Happy June 5th birthday present to me and to you! I never imagined this to be all that is, and that it has become. Thank you again for waiting as long as you have for this chapter, but was it worth it? NOW do you see why Lily doesn’t listen to the radio? I know that this was an action-packed emotional and dramatic but it’s when her past is a stepping stone to her future. Did all your predictions come true? Was it all you hoped it would be? You don’t know how long I was wanting to write this, and seeing as Tess lived it, breathed it, she let you see it, it was finally your turn to see. Now you are on a cliffhanger and you have to wait just a little bit longer. So why does Lily have those mysterious back pains, and more importantly why can’t she feel pressure on her back? Just like Lily you think you know her, but she is also a rockstar, think about it. That is where chapter thirteen will come to life. I think something finally happened to Lily and Kevin’s characters as well; she needed to know that Kevin cared for the other half of her, as if she had anything to worry about! Be sure to check out the poll that is on my profile and get your vote voiced. Tess’s character picture is also there for you to see. This chapter will stand out as one of my favorites, because of the passion and drive, the moments that make it all worth while. I wouldn’t have it any other way because where would we be if we couldn’t dream? Please take time to read and review!
Until Chapter 13! Rock your life! Bye!