The Songs in Our Hearts Book One: Reaching Out

Chapter Ten: Taking Flight

Running and tripping over large roots, Coda realized how long it had been since he and Harmonia had played in the forest together. More importantly, as he recalled those countless days playing games like hide-and-seek, Coda noticed that he never ventured as far into the woods as Harmonia did. It may have been a straight run to the cliff, but every surfaced root, low-hanging branch, slippery mud puddle, or thick bundle of thorns that he had not known about before slowed him down greatly now. Not to mention, the forest was dark in this kind of weather— except for the occasional flash of lightning. It was nearly impossible to see any obstacles.

The skin on Coda's face stung from falling over so many times, and he had to resort to a fast walk as to not trip again. Another bolt of lightning illuminated the area, revealing a bundle of leaves hanging from a branch. Coda easily walked around it, only to stumble over a large stone just moments later. He hoped that Harmonia was safe from the thunder, especially when the cliff was so high in the air. Has it been ten minutes yet? he thought, praying that Drumline had not set up the barrier yet. Every passing second reminded Coda that he was on a time limit, and as the sixteen-year-old pushed on, he was mentally beating himself up for not running to Harmonia's side. Coda should have been there for her, and now, because of him, both of them were in danger.

At last, the foliage dwindled into a small clearing. Lightning struck again, lighting up his surroundings. Sitting at the edge of the cliff – her figure hunched over – was Harmonia. The girl's arms hugged her knees tight and close to her chest, and her face was buried between them.

"Harmonia!" Coda called above the wind. Harmonia lifted her face from her knees. Her expression changed from sorrow to shock in an instant.

"Coda?" she called in disbelief, standing up now. Coda ran and pulled his sister into a hug.

"Thank goodness you're safe," he cried. Harmonia seemed to tense up, and Coda pulled away immediately and gave an apology: "Sorry, I forgot you don't like hugs like that." Grabbing her hand, Coda turned around and began running back into the forest. "C'mon! We have to get back before Drumline sets up the barrier."

"R-right," Harmonia stuttered.

Thunder seemed to shake all of Northpointe. A large bolt of lightning had just struck in the sky. Andante's fist was clenched tight as he anxiously waited for his kids to return. There was a low murmur as a crowd of people questioned why Drumline had not done anything yet. Everyone else was growing impatient; Coda needed to move fast. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Adante turned around to see the section leader.

"Mr. Segno, we have to set up the barrier now," she told him, making him grimace.

"There are two young instrumages still out there!" he pointed out, gesturing to the forest. "We need to wait for them to return," the man pleaded.

"And risk the lives of all these people?" she challenged him. Andante looked to the ground, trying to think of a way to give Coda more time. "We'll send a search party out tomorrow, but we need to put up the barrier. The storm's already at its worst, and we can't afford a landslide." Andante gritted his teeth as he listened to her words. She was right. If the ground got too wet, then many buildings would be destroyed, but Harmonia and Coda were all he had left after—

Coming to a resolution, Andante spoke in a low tone, "Fine, put up your barrier. I'm going to find my family." With that, a brown light engulfed his form for a quick moment. When it dissippated, Andante's face was covered by a masked hood, and armor resembling tree bark appeared on his body. Adante summoned large roots and prepared to ride them.

"Mr. Segno, aren't you going to bring an instrument?" Giga asked. "You can't cast any soundless spells."

"I'll be fine. Let me go," he demanded. Giga stepped back and Andante sped into the direction of the forest. Thanks to the roots, the man arrived at the woods in a short amount of time, but due to the forest floor, Andante could no longer use them to travel. Walking deeper and deeper into the foliage proved to be difficult with strong winds and minimal lighting.

Harmonia and Coda struggled to make their way through the trees. It was too dark to see anything, and the wind kept blowing rain in their direction. Harmonia shivered against the cold gale. Coda let out a yelp as he tripped over a root.

"Are you okay?" she asked, bending down to see if he was hurt.

As Coda sat up, he answered, "Yeah, wouldn't be the first time I fell over tonight." Harmonia was about to help her brother up when a loud blast shook the area. Covering her ears, Harmonia curled up on the floor shaking. "It was just thunder, Ni," she heard Coda comfort her.

"Yeah..." she trembled. When she looked up at her brother, the brunette saw a large bubble forming in the sky. The barrier had been set, and they were on the other side of it. "Coda, the barrier!" she exclaimed, pointing to the sky.

"Our time's up," he whispered, his blue eyes filled with worry. Harmonia's breathing grew erratic.

"Coda, I'm sorry!" she cried, shutting her brown eyes tight. "I forgot and..." She was scared now— more frightened than she had ever been. Coda risked his life for her, and now he was taking the punishment for her actions.

"Ni, calm down," she heard Coda say as the teen put a hand on her shoulder. However, Harmonia continued to mumble incoherent apologies and worries.

Bending down to her level, Coda tried to tell her, "You're gonna be fine, all right? Ni, just breathe." The girl listened to his words and tried to slow her breathing.

"I-I can't..." she strained between gasps. "I can't... breathe...!" Harmonia wrapped her arms around her numb body, trying to find a way to calm down. She blamed herself for Coda getting caught in the storm. If she had just gone home like any normal person would, they wouldn't be in this mess.

"Harmonia..." her brother said something else, but she didn't hear him.

"I didn't mean to— I wasn't..." Harmonia struggled to say. Coda grabbed both her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. She flinched as he did.

"Listen, Harmonia," he began to say. "I'm gonna get you out of here, okay? But, you have to trust me," Coda told her. Harmonia nodded slightly, reassured by his promise. Her breathing finally began to settle down.

"Okay," she agreed quietly. Coda smiled and took a few steps back.

Harmonia watched carefully as the boy took out his violin, and her eyes grew wide as she realized what her brother planned to do.

"No! Coda, don't do this!" she commanded him, but Coda ignored her. "You don't know where that will send me," Harmonia pointed out.

"Sorry, Harmonia," he whispered.

"Coda, stop," she told him. A dark blue light glowed and began to take the shape of a bird. "Stop," she said again. The song sounded above the wind and thunder.

Running towards Coda, Harmonia shouted, "I SAID STOP!" A hand reached out to him, but the spell flew in her direction. Harmonia let out a gasp as it hit her. The glowing, blue bird spread its wings and began lifting the girl a few feet into the air. Harmonia's arms flailed wildly as she tried to find something to hold onto.

Taking hold of her hands, Coda spoke to her, "Don't worry. I'll find you." He wore a melancholy expression on his face. Tears threatened to spill from Harmonia's brown orbs as he let go of her hands. Coda, and the rest of Northpointe, disappeared as a blue light shrouded Harmonia's vision.