Chapter Thirteen

By Joshua Freitag

“Shane. Shane! SHANE!!! You have to get up!”

Shane could hear Keah yelling at him, but he was having trouble moving his body. Couldn’t she just leave him alone, he was in so much pain right now?

“Shane you’ve slept for 30 hours already, and if we’re going to fix things we have to get started NOW!!!”

Shane finally forced his body to sit up in bed. He could see Keah had been stressing lately. Her hair was strung out, her eyeliner was smeared a little down her right cheek, and she was sweating and breathing hard. Brightlee ran into the room to join them before Shane could asked any questions.

“Keah you have this all wrong,” Brightlee sounded just as frustrated as Keah was stressed. “Everyone knows that the Legend shouldn’t be followed word for word. It’s just a guideline.”

“But now we have the letter and this confirms everything,” Keah retorted.

“Woah, woah, woah girls what’s going on? Can’t you guys just leave me in peace?! The most amazing girl, the love of my life, is gone. I’m in excruciating pain right now from a simple trip. And apparently I’ve been out of it for almost two days. I have nothing left for me. Just leave me alone!”

“First of all,” Keah was quick to reply, “You do NOT have nothing left for yourself. We have lots of work to do and you are the key to it all. Second, it wasn’t a simple trip. Yeah sure you fell and hit the ground and looked like a flopping fish, but after you passed out you rolled into the blue flame. It was like the cave wanted you in there. And thirdly ---"

“And thirdly don’t listen to anything Keah is saying, she’s delusional. Things are simple, we lost our chance and now we have to wait about twenty more years for a chance to change things,” Brightlee and Keah were obviously not seeing eye-to-eye but what else was new for them.

Shane really just wanted the girls to leave him alone, but he knew they wouldn’t leave until at least one of them was completely satisfied.

“How about you both tell me your stories without interrupting each other? Then I can decide if I want to kill myself or take one of you with me because I really don’t feel like dealing with your bickering right now.”

Shane told them to play Rock, Paper, Scissors for who spoke first, but Brightlee just started talking.

“Shane the short of it is Kim is gone. Yeah it’s sad, but we have to move on. And the moving on is about all I agree with Keah on. You are a Solomon, Shane, and someone in your family is able to fulfill the Legend.

             “The problem is you need a ‘called’ girl to help you on the journey. Kim was a called girl, but now she is dead. The same thing happened to us forty-five years ago with your granddad. We thought then that we were headed down the right path. Then his girlfriend got terribly sick while at Camp Peace, left, and died in the hospital. It was a tragedy here, but we found new hope when your father was born. He never found interest in the ‘called’ girl for whatever reason and we were distraught again.
             “Then we saw you and Kim in Salem. Keah and I tried to pull you two in while we had a chance, but Dr. Gustafson swore that it was the wrong time so we bailed on the plan. That’s when you saw the aircraft.
             “But now Kim is dead. She’s gone Shane and you need to accept it. Rest up and feel better, leave Camp Peace, and go find you a girl that you can have a son with. Maybe he’ll be able to fulfill the Legend, but it remains a legend for now.”

Shane could tell it was killing Keah not to interrupt, but she held her tongue through the entire speech. When Brightlee finally stopped talking Shane was still left confused. He was amazed that his grandfather had never told him about this type of story, but in reality grandma usually did all the talking. The bigger question was how old were these two girls. He decided maybe Keah would be able to answer some on her own (though more likely to add more questions) so he motioned to her to give her side of the story.

“Shane parts of what Brightlee said are completely true. You are a Solomon, your grandpa was the last good chance we had at fulfilling the Legend, and all that other stuff really happened. But what she didn’t tell you is why it happened.

             “Your grandpa’s ‘called’ girl did not just get unfortunately sick. She and your grandpa came into Camp early in the summer. A few weeks after they came, we had a young student named Gerard who wanted to help in the kitchen for the summer before going back to school. Although Camp Peace has never had any problems with people getting sick from our food, the doctors in the hospital diagnosed the young girl with food poisoning. She got sick just three days after Gerard started working.
             “Then came your father’s ‘called’ girl. She and your father had lived on opposite side of the country. That wouldn’t have stopped us, but we always had to wait until our camp members are old enough to join before we can reach out to them. Before we even started trying to pull her to camp, she was given an opportunity through her high school to study abroad in Europe with her psychology department. Her plane crash landed in Europe and she had to stay in the hospital for weeks before getting out; however, it was too late for us to get her then. It turns out her mentor in Europe was supposed to be our old friend Gerard, although he was now known as Dr. Gustafson. Back then we thought he was just trying to reach out to her early.
              “We finally decided to change our protocol with you and that’s why we reached out to Kim early. We led her family to Salem to meet you so we could contact you guys before you became of the proper age. Dr. Gustafson, who we thought was on our side after ‘attempting’ to reach out to the last girl, told us you were off limits for now. That’s when I started putting pieces together. This guy was not just bad luck in the kitchen or around planes, he was trying to gain our trust just to kill off the ‘called’ girl and prevent the Legend from being fulfilled.
              “But now you have fallen into the blue flame and survived and this changes everything! The Legend states that only a Solomon man can walk through the blue flame and open the third floor door. We tried to lead some early Solomon men through the flame, but they sadly just burned up. We discovered that with training we could strengthen not only their bodies but their hearts and we finally lead some through the flame. They would develop great abilities in their training that would be enhanced by the flame. They went from being strong humans before the flame to a power such as only the Guardians have just by passing through the flame. But then we mistakenly took them to the door and as soon as they touched the doorknob they melted.
              “We called a meeting of all the Guardians several decades back, and we agreed on a new training regime that could strengthen you Solomons in mind, body, and soul. You were to elevate your abilities passed a point that any of us Guardians could ever dream of getting to. This is why we need you to get out of bed.
              “Your body has miraculously gone through the blue flame and did not devour you. You are already stronger than we realized now we must harness those powers. The Legend also says that a ‘called’ girl must follow you through the door. Shane, Kim is that girl, and we must use your powers to bring her back. But we don’t have much time to make it happen. That is why you must get up.”

Shane didn’t know what to think. He should probably just laugh this fairytale off and go back to sleep. These two girls are making up stories about call girls and trying to pretend that they are old magicians or something and that he is their chosen one. It could just be a story, but then again, there were a lot of weird things going on here: the blue flame, the chanting, the strange aircraft, Tate crushing his chest. Maybe it was real.

“What is all this Legend stuff you guys keep talking about? Some ancient text passed down from generation to generation?” Shane asked mockingly. This all had to be a joke.

Keah began:

                “We the ten Solomon men,

                Do create this place Camp Peace.
                We put up the walls and placed out the halls,
                And set a door in Salem, third floor, East.
                People shall come from all around,
                Seeking that which they need.
                Some will leave to better lives,
                Some will do what we need.
                The world is a muck and we don’t have much luck
                But we have more powers to spare.
                We place them here in our beloved Camp
                For all of the Guardians to share.
                Until the day comes when son seven and ten
                Enters into these hallowed grounds.
                He shall be the chosen son
                To bring the powers back ‘round.
                He will pass through the flame and open the door
                And turn and reach out his hand.
                He will pull through the door the lovely daughter
                Who has been called by our Camp land.
                But should she not be there, quickly return he must
                Or all the world may return to dust.
                For on the tenth hour of the seventh flame day
                If the son and daughter do not pass the way
                Our beloved Camp Peace will no longer stay
                And all our powers will be gone on that day.”

Shane sat in silence. He never felt such a strange bewilderment in his life. He knew this all had to be a hoax, but how did she know this poem.

“That poem,” Shane said, “I know it from when I was young. I didn’t memorize it, but it sounds familiar. It feels like my mother told it to me as a baby, and I can only remember faint parts of it. So this is all real?”

Keah laughed, “Of course it is Shane, that’s why we need you. For many generations, we thought son seven and ten was just seventeen years old. That is until you came, and we traced your family tree. You are the tenth generation Solomon son of the original seventh-born Solomon. You ARE the chose one. You have already passed through the flame and now we have only six more days to get you through that door. The Legend doesn’t go into all the powers of the flame or what is behind the door. But I believe with your new powers and with the blue flame itself, we can bring Kim back. We can bring you two here to the Salem house, take you up to the third floor, and take you through the door.”

Keah sat staring with an empowering look in her eye. It gave Shane hope that maybe he was the one the Legend spoke of.

“But Kim is gone and we don’t know where to find her. That doctor killed her and took her away remember?”

“Shane, with your new powers, we can find where she is in no time. Your mind and body can now do things you could have never imagined.”

As Keah’s words drifted off, the door slammed and Brightlee was gone.

Chapter Twelve

By Daniel Hofmann

“Kim!”

            Shane flew to where his ex-girlfriend had landed hard on the cave floor. His hands went to cradle her head and he could feel the thick warmth of Kim’s blood mingle with the dirt on the ground.

            “Oh god, Kim! Wake up! Shit, please wake up!” he hissed in the dark.

            “She won’t wake up.”

            Shane whipped his head up to see Tate slinking out of the space craft in front of him. His pale face, ablaze with freckles, was grotesque in the light of the giant blue flame.

Chapter Eleven

by Steven D. Lee


Damage Control.

That was what he was doing for the longest time.  They had no idea how much he had to do to keep this project rolling.   None at all.

First, he had to deal with the inevitable call from Mrs. King.

He had to reassure her that her darling daughter needed a different environment in which to continue to get better.

Chapter Ten

By Kiesha Priem

Shane was breathing hard.  Or maybe he was hardly breathing.  He was having a hard time feeling his body lately.  But he and Kim had barely made it back to their beds before Tate came in with his wake-up call. 

Shane remembered Kim saying that Keah was going to need their help, but what did he owe the olive-eyed girl?  Nothing.  Things were getting far too creepy for Shane.  He had to come up with an escape plan to get Kim and himself out of there without being seen or noticed.  His thoughts were interrupted by Tate’s roaring voice. 

Chapter Nine

Shane woke with a start.

That was some seriously good sleep. He thought. And yet, he was all of a sudden wide awake. Everyone else in his room was still sleeping. It’s a wonder none of them were disturbed by Brightlee last night, either. Camp really wears some people out. As Shane returned to consciousness, he had many ideas flowing back into his mind.

First, Brightlee wins the award for creepiest flirting.

Chapter Eight

By Ben Freitag

Shane sat bolt upright, struggling against the sheets soaked with his sweat. He looked frantically around the room, hoping for some sign that the world hadn't fallen apart.

A dream, he thought, it was just a dream.

Wasn't it?

Chapter Seven

By William Baker

The sunny day had passed, and blue as the turquoise night, the evening air flooded both into Kim’s room and Shane’s mind. An uneasy peace. Shane could feel his mother’s words hanging over him in the most peculiar way, a Godsend caress of matronly cares on the skin as she prayed, 

Shane…that day, the day when you had left home and all the sunshine in my world uprooted and followed you, the only thing that mattered was hoping that you were safe.