The Songs in Our Hearts Book One: Reaching Out

Chapter Twelve: Bad News

Feeling a cold drop of water on his cheek, Coda scrunched his face in annoyance.

"Ni, you can just tell me to get up," he muttered in a groggy voice. "Water isn't nece—" When he opened his dark blue orbs, the teen was met with the sight of the forest, and he stopped speaking. Memories of the night before caught up to him. After sending Harmonia presumably out of Northpointe, Coda found a place to spend the night under a tree. His breath came out as a white mist in the cold atmosphere.

With a light groan, he stood up from his spot and began making his way out of the forest. Coda planned to drink a cup of hot chocolate right away the moment he got home.

It had been about a ten minute walk back to their house since the last thing Coda was looking forward to was telling his dad about what happened. His lips tightened as he turned the handle to open the door. Much to his surprise, the room was empty; he was sure his dad would have been up by now. Coda shrugged and decided to make that cup of hot chocolate to warm himself up.

As the boy waited for the milk to get warm, he looked to the stairs and muttered, "Seriously. Dad should've been up by now." Crossing his arms, he leaned against one of the counters. The microwave read one minute and thirty seconds and counting. Coda stared at the floor, trying to think of a way to find Harmonia. That spell could have sent her anywhere; it could take a lifetime to find her.

Then again, many worlds on Northpointe's maps had disappeared, meaning there were less places for him to check. However, there was still the problem of traveling when Coda had no control over where the warp spell would send him.

A knock came at the door, breaking the sixteen-year-old from his thoughts. He immediately went to go open it. When the door swung open, Coda was greeted with the sight of Apollo and Octavius.

"Oh hey, guys," he said in a tired voice.

"Did you find Harmonia?" Octavius asked.

Wincing at the question, Coda started, "Well, you see..." He paused, trying to think of how to explain the situation.

"Oh no, did something happen?" Apollo guessed, concern taking over his expression.

"We... couldn't make it back before the barrier was set," he began to explain. "S-so I, um." There was another pause as the teen tried to get the words out. "I used a spell to get her to a safe place," Coda told them, the words spilling fast out of his mouth.

"You what?!" Octavius asked incredulously.

Putting his hands up in defense, Coda added, "It was the only thing I could think of! I couldn't let Ni stay in the woods for the night."

"He has a point, y'know," Apollo stated. "Harmonia could've froze to death, especially without a jacket." Octavius's gaze moved to the floor.

Shaking his head after a little bit, Octavius brought his head up again and inquired, "Have you seen your dad anywhere?" before the microwave started beeping.

"What do you mean?" the curly-haired brunette questioned, motioning for the boys to come inside. Walking to the microwave to get the cup of water, Coda listened to what they had to say.

"Before Drumline set up the barrier, your dad went to find both of you," Octavius started to explain, rubbing the back of his head. There was a heavy silence in the room; Coda could feel his chest grow uncomfortably tight. "A few search parties were sent to look for you guys, but..." The cellist could not finish his sentence.

Apollo began to further explain, "Some people came back sayin' that a large branch fell off a tree— like a real huge branch," The percussionist stretched out his arms, giving Coda an idea of how big this limb was. "And they think Andante was hit by it, or at least, he was about to be."

"Wait, so that means—" Realizing that the only family he had left went missing, the violinist stumbled back against a counter before dropping to the floor.

"Coda!" he heard Octavius shout. Coda squeezed his eyes shut and curled into a small ball.

"This is all my fault!" he exclaimed though in a strained whisper. Remembering that Andante had trouble casting spells without music, he glanced up and asked, "But, how could Dad even warp himself away?"

Sitting down next to him, Octavius tenderly wrapped his arms around Coda. "That is what we're trying to figure out," he told Coda. The sixteen-year-old felt soft lips against his cheek, and he settled down in the other boy's embrace.

With a week's worth of munny, food, and water, Coda walked into their dad's bedroom. Hidden behind a picture frame was a neiro flower with a dark red center. His fingers stroked the soft petals in a careful manner. A deep and shaky breath left his parted lips. Retracting his hand from the flower, Coda turned to exit the room.

As he descended down the stairs, his footsteps echoed through the empty house. Northpointe was never quite, and the silence in the rooms – even with the distant sound of concerts outside – bothered Coda greatly. Stepping out of the front door at last, the mage was met with his friends. Even Celeste (a seventeen-year-old girl with long, wavy, brown hair and dark skin) was there. The sun was setting.

"You ready?" Apollo asked, worry written all over his expression.

Coda shrugged before answering, "I need to start looking as soon as possible."

"There are many worlds out there," Giga reminded him.

"I know you'll find them," Octavius encouraged him. Coda smiled and stretched his arms out for a large group hug.

"Thanks, guys," he told them, letting his dark blue orbs gaze at them one last time. Summoning his violin from its case, Coda played the song for the warp spell. A bird formed from the light that surrounded him, and he felt himself being carried away from his home world.