Saving Koda

  Saving Koda

  By Mikayla Lane

  Editor Beth Braden

  bethjbraden@gmail.com

  Cover art by: humblenations.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, organizations, affiliations and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Find me on Facebook at:

  facebook.com/author.mikaylalane

  To my Readers:

  Thanks so much for all of the awesome reviews, suggestions and comments.

  As always, feel free to email me.

  Mikaylalane.firstwave@yahoo.com

  462 Word Document Pages

  91,753 Words

  Ver. 1.0 2-10-2016

  First Wave Series in Reading Order

  Hunting Cari

  Finding Jess

  Chasing Dare

  Grai’s Game

  Taming Jax

  Grounding Gracus

  True Traitor

  Manipulating Mikey

  Saving Koda

  Second Wave Series in Reading Order

  Viper

  Drago

  Mikal

  Chris (Coming in April 2016)

  Chapter One

  Emily carried the bucket of water into the small cabin and took a deep breath before lifting it up and dumping some of it into the cast iron kettle. She stood, pressed her hands into her sore lower back, and leaned back to stretch her aching muscles.

  The adorable cooing sounds drew her attention to the one closet-sized room in the small cabin, and she walked across the main room and pulled back the sheet she used for privacy.

  “Boo!”

  Emily smiled as she looked down at her happy, 18-month-old sister. She picked her up in her arms and carried her into the main room before putting her on the blanket near the fire.

  Emily kneeled down in front of her sister.

  “Joey, don’t move, OK? Stay right there, so I can get the water heated for you. It’s bath night!” Emily said the last in a sing song voice, trying to engage her sister.

  She glanced sideways and saw that Joey was looking to her right, an angelic smile on her beautiful face as her left hand danced in the air around her.

  Emily smiled to herself, and with an “ugh” of effort, she hung the kettle of water on the hook above the fire in the fireplace.

  “One of these days, I’m going to get you a harp or violin. I think that with those slick hand moves, you’d probably be the best in the world,” Emily said as she picked up Joey.

  Emily made no effort to make eye contact with her sister’s pretty blue eyes. She knew it stressed Joey and accepted the baby’s small quirks as just part of the beautiful girl she was. It didn’t stop her from treating her sister like a baby though, and Emily held her tightly as she swung her around a few times.

  Joey’s giggling was a flaming beacon of light in the darkest of their days together, and Emily cherished every one as a gift.

  “You’re doing great with her, honey.”

  Emily whirled around to see her mom and she smiled broadly.

  “Nah, she’s the one doing great with me. Joey’s the one with all the answers; I’m just not smart enough to see and understand what she does,” Emily replied as she smiled down at her baby sister.

  Joey looked directly at their mother and cooed, and Sally walked closer to her daughters and smiled lovingly.

  “It’s almost time.”

  Emily sighed heavily and closed her eyes, begging for a patience she didn’t feel towards the unwelcome newcomer.

  “Gran, I swear if you start that sh— garbage again . . .” Emily had to correct her language mid-sentence, causing her to completely lose her train of thought. Gran had that effect on her.

  “You must listen to me,” Gran argued, looking to Sally to help plead her case.

  “She’s right, baby. You can’t ignore this,” Sally finally conceded.

  Emily shook her head and walked out of the cabin to get away from the two women. Even though she knew it wouldn’t work, she always held out hope that they’d respect her privacy and give her some space. That was never the case. Not with the unrelenting Gran.

  “You can’t ignore this!” Gran argued, having followed Emily outside.

  Emily didn’t bother to turn around as she walked into the small clearing in front of the cabin and set Joey down. She headed to the side of the cabin and grabbed the ax off of the stump and set up a small piece of wood to split.

  Her mother stood right in front of the stump with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “Emily, please . . . just listen,” Sally began until Emily drove the ax right through her, snapping the wood in two as the sharp blade sunk into the stump.

  “Young lady, that was uncalled for!” Sally said in a huff as she reappeared behind the stump.

  Emily didn’t miss a beat as she made sure her sister was playing in the grass then set up another piece of wood to split before she looked up at her mom.

  “No, that wasn’t uncalled for. This . . . this crap with Gran, that’s uncalled for!” Emily said as she struggled to pull the ax back out of the stump.

  “Emily,” Sally said sadly. “Please listen.”

  Emily got angry enough to yank the ax out of the stump and turned blazing green eyes to her mother.

  “No, I’m done listening! You gave up the right to demand that I do when you died on us! I’m the one that has to keep Joey safe and find her food, clothes, and shelter. That’s all I got time for, not potential wild goose chases for Gran,” she said as she set up another piece of wood and brought the ax down on it.

  “You wouldn’t have to do it alone if you would just listen to me!” Gran argued, popping up beside Sally behind the stump.

  Emily chuffed out a bitter chuckle.

  “Listen to you? You’ve already admitted that your interest is not for us, so no. Your continued presence here is a waste of my time. And yours,” she said with a sneer.

  “That’s not true! I care very much for you and Joey!” Gran hissed.

  Emily bent to pick up the small pieces of wood in one arm and headed to where Joey was staring into the forest, her left hand reaching out. She bent down and took Joey’s raised hand and urged her to stand and walk with her into the house.

  She let Joey walk around the cabin while she stuffed a few pieces of wood into the fire and stacked the rest beside it.

  “Are you hungry, Joey Joe Joe?” Emily asked as she kangaroo hopped a few steps to her sister.

  The brief smile on Joey’s face was enough for Emily to smile, and she ran her hand over Joey’s silky blond hair on her way to the cabinet in the corner of the room.

  Emily looked inside and sighed at the meager contents. She was going to have to go hunting again soon if she planned on keeping Joey’s diet as balanced as possible. She grabbed a can of pasta and meatballs, popped the top, dumped it in a smaller pot, and hung it over the fire to warm.

  “Emily, I know you don’t want to listen to me and you don’t trust me. I don’t blame you. But I care a great deal about you and Joey,” Gran said from the doorway. “I promise you that if he doesn’t come by tomorrow’s moonrise, you will never see me again. But if he comes, will you please listen?”

  Emily sighed heavily and ran her hands over her cropped, light brown curls.

  “Fine! Fine! Just go. Please, just go,” she said and looked up to see Gran gone.

  The relief that washed over Emily didn’t surprise her. Gran had been a pain in her ass since the moment she showed up. She stirred the pasta in the pot and turned to check on Joey, who was quicker than expected for a toddler.

  At least Emily th
ought so anyway. It wasn’t like she knew that much about babies and had taken one hell of a crash course with Joey. There wasn’t a day that went by that she wasn’t amazed they were both still alive.

  Emily saw Joey sitting on the floor staring towards the open door and felt the familiar chill rush up her spine. She rushed over to her sister and picked her up in her arms just as the man barged in through the open door.

  “You sit down!” Emily ordered the man.

  He looked shocked for a moment before he nodded and sat down in the one chair in the small room.

  “I will lay her down and be back in a second. Don’t you dare do anything to our home while I do, or I’ll send you back out there!” Emily said, her voice strong and determined.

  When the man nodded his head silently, Emily turned and pulled the sheet back from the room and put Joey on the small bed built specifically to fit in the small space. She kneeled down and looked at her sister’s averted gaze.

  “I have to take care of this, baby girl, but I’ll be back in a minute, and we’ll have dinner and our bath. Don’t come out,” Emily said as she stood and kissed the top of Joey’s head.

  With a heavy sigh, she re-covered the opening with the sheet and moved to stand in front of the man who sat in the chair, wringing a hat in his hands. He looked old and worn out. Like he’d lived a hard, unforgiving life.

  “What’s your name?” Emily asked gently.

  “Elmer . . . Elmer Stevenson. I . . . I don’t know why I’m here,” he said as he looked at her with pain filled eyes.

  Emily smiled at him, went to the fire to pull the pasta off so it wouldn’t burn, and sat down in front of him as she drew her knees close to her chest.

  “Elmer, do you know why you’ve been wandering?” she asked.

  The man broke down as his head bowed and he covered his face with one hand. His heart-wrenching tears shook his whole body, and a normal person would have felt terrible for the man. Emily wasn’t normal, and she knew better.

  “Save your tears; I’m not the one who needs to see them. I just send you on to where you will need them,” she told him.

  She wasn’t the least surprised to see him stand so quickly that the chair was knocked over behind him. He towered over her, his teeth flashing in a twisted smile.

  “I’d sit the hell down if I were you. I may not be the one who needs to see your tears, but I am the one who’ll send you back into the damn nether realm for as long as I see fit,” Emily threatened as she stood to face the angry spirit.

  “You have no power over me, little girl,” the man hissed at her in fury.

  Emily laughed sardonically before she leveled a hard stare at him.

  “You’d be damn surprised what I’ve learned over the years, asshole. Try again when you’ve learned some respect,” she said as she closed her eyes.

  Emily held her hands up in front of her as the man began to plead.

  “No, no, no! Please, I’ll behave! I didn’t mean it!” he roared in fear.

  Emily visualized the white barrier in her mind the way the angel, Indrid, had taught her. Once she had it set in her mind, she expanded the barrier to encompass the trapper’s cabin. With a hard push in her mind, she burst the barrier and opened her eyes to see the man sucked out of the cabin.

  “You’re getting so strong. I’m so proud of you,” Sally said as she appeared near the door.

  Emily laughed bitterly as she put the pasta pot back over the fire.

  “No, Mom, I’m not stronger; I’m just tired and numb. I stopped feeling anything a long time ago,” she whispered.

  “I’m sorry . . . I don’t know why I’m here,” a voice said from behind Emily.

  Emily reached to take the pot back off of the fire when the newcomer spoke again.

  “Please, don’t let me interrupt your dinner. I didn’t mean to bother you,” he said softly.

  Emily turned to the young man and saw that he truly seemed to be upset that he bothered her.

  “What is your name?” she asked.

  “Devlin Jones,” he answered as he removed the old baseball cap from his head.

  “Devlin, do you mind sitting down while I feed my baby sister and get her a bath?” she asked him as she tilted her head to study the young man.

  Devlin looked around the room and saw the knocked over chair. He leaned down to pick it up, but his hand went right through it, and he looked at her with a pained expression.

  Emily smiled at him, rushed over to the chair, and set it upright.

  “Here you go. We can talk while I get her some dinner,” Emily said.

  She stirred the pot and blew on the contents to make sure it was cool enough for Joey to eat before smiling at Devlin.

  “I appreciate your patience. I know you’ve probably waited a long time for this,” she apologized.

  The young man worried his hat in his hands and gave her a small smile.

  “I’m hoping it’ll be better than what I’ve been going through, but I’m real scared, so take all the time you need,” he said, his nervousness clear in his shaky voice.

  “I don’t decide where you end up; I just get you to where you need to go. Do you understand?” Emily asked, making sure he remained emotionally stable before bringing Joey out for dinner.

  Devlin nodded his head at her.

  “Yes, ma’am. I kind of figured that. Take care of your baby; I won’t bother you none,” he said.

  Emily took another look at him, saw that he had remained calm, and hoped he’d stay that way.

  “Tell me about yourself, Devlin,” she said as she went into the other room and got Joey.

  She closed her eyes and held her sister tight as she heard Joey’s stomach rumble.

  Just once, I wish I could do something right for her, she thought. She never eats on time or bathes on time . . . it’s a wonder I’ve even kept her alive this long.

  “She’s beautiful,” Devlin said as Emily came into the room with Joey.

  “Thanks. So where are you from?” Emily asked as she set the pot on the floor in front of the chair.

  She grabbed the only spoon in the house and sat in front of the pot with Joey. Her sister immediately grunted and leaned towards the still hot pot.

  “No, Joey, it’s hot. Say hot,” Emily said and smiled when Joey only grunted in response.

  “I’m from Boston. 1938 . . . if you need to know the year . . . I . . . you know,” he said, then looked away.

  Emily shook her head as she blew on a spoonful of pasta before feeding it to a waiting Joey.

  “I don’t really need any specifics. I don’t make any decisions,” she repeated, knowing it was important that the spirits saw her for what she was.

  “How do you do this?” Devlin asked, looking down at the hat in his hands. “Are you just like the ferry man or something?”

  Emily blew on another spoon of pasta and fed it to a waiting Joey as she used her other hand to wipe her sister’s mouth.

  “I guess you could compare me to a ferry man. But I don’t require anything from you to get you to the other side. All I do is open the corridor for you,” she admitted, not wanting him to misunderstand.

  “Will it hurt?” he asked.

  “No, I’ve never seen anyone hurt by going into the corridor. Most are relieved that the waiting and wondering are over,” she said gently, not wanting to frighten the already scared young man.

  Devlin laughed bitterly and turned despair filled eyes to hers.

  “It can’t be good though right? I mean, if I was supposed to go to a good place, I wouldn’t have gotten stuck here, would I?” he said with sadness tinging his words.

  Emily shook her head as she continued to feed her sister. She was hoping to get it over with quickly so she could help Devlin and then try to get her sister back on a schedule. She knew how important it was for things to be repetitive for Joey.

  “It’s not like that. Sometimes, not all the time, people get caught in between because the energy around us gets weir
d. A sudden, traumatic passing, or even a preoccupation with finishing something can cause someone to not see the corridor. It’s not always the fault of the spirit. Just a bad series of events,” Emily explained, hoping to make him feel better. It was always easier when they were calm.

  “Are you positive it won’t hurt?” Devlin asked again.

  “No, not at all. I’m just a bridge between here and where you were meant to go when you died. It’s not your final destination, but the place where your destination is decided,” she explained, seeing the comprehension in his tired gaze.

  Emily fed the last spoonful of pasta into Joey’s mouth and set the bowl and spoon aside while she cleaned her tiny hands and face.

  “OK, baby girl, you need to stay in your room until I’m done; then we’ll have bath time,” she said before picking Joey up and putting her back in her bed, closing the sheet curtain behind her.

  Emily stood casually in front of Devlin, hoping to keep him at ease. It was harder when they fought what was going to happen, so she didn’t like to take any chances with Joey around.

  “Do you have any more questions?” Emily asked him.

  Devlin shook his head, then nodded it.

  “What do I need to do?” His voice shook as he spoke.

  Emily smiled gently at him.

  “It’s easy; just relax, and when you see the light, go inside of it,” she said as she held her hands up and closed her eyes.

  This time, she visualized a white corridor in her mind and felt him begin to fight the pull into the light. She gathered her strength and fought against him, yanking away the wispy anchors of energy he tried to keep with this world until he finally drifted into the corridor.

  Emily opened her eyes and fought the wave of dizziness that hit her. She hated when they fought her; it always took so much of her own energy to send them off.

  This was usually how it went for her. The ones like Elmer were the exception, not the rule. It had taken her years of practicing the mind strengthening techniques that Indrid had taught her to not only understand what she did, but to gain control of it.

  She stared into the fire for a few minutes, trying to regain her mental and emotional balance when she realized the water was still heating.