Musical Hearts

The details were few, precious needles in a haystack of unknowns. Ness and Paula had left the party sometime around one, then taken a stroll in Rosewood Park by the lake. Ness had walked Paula home and called her briefly when he arrived in his room on the second floor of the dormitory. He hadn't said a word about leaving, only that he loved Paula, and that he was so happy. Then goodnight came, and he was gone.

He was supposed to meet Paula in the lobby at 8:30 this morning, but he hadn't shown up. Paula called his room at quarter past nine, but no one answered. She went upstairs to knock on the door, but no one would open it. Behind the door, she heard only the deafening silence rising to her ears, producing a sharp panic. Something's wrong.

The police were still investigating. It seemed that Harvey had crashed at the apartment where the party had been held the night before, while Ness had most certainly come home. His bed appeared to have been slept in, and the clothes he'd worn to the party were on the floor. There was simply no trace of him, just a slip of blue paper left pinned to his pillow. Two words graced the surface, seared into the paper in brilliant purple script: DEEP DARKNESS. The handwriting was not Ness's.

Paula was crying, and Jeff felt responsible. Hadn't he wished last night that Ness hadn't come home? What was he thinking? The guilt and regret were almost overwhelming. Holding her, letting her cry on his shoulder, Jeff felt so undeserving. Paula wasn't his to hold, and she never would be. She needed Ness now, and he wasn't here. And Jeff himself had wished him away last night.

DEEP DARKNESS. There were no fingerprints on the page, no clues, nothing, just the two words.

Stupid cops, Jeff thought to himself. Don't know what they're doing. He lay in bed, still reacting to the news: nothing had turned up in a thorough investigation of the swampy Deep Darkness.

He pictured the Onett Police Force moving in, covering the place with roadblocks that sunk into the wet earth, scratching their heads, wondering what they were doing there. The task force sent to search the swamps was probably no better. Ness had to be right there, waiting with his kidnapper out in plain sight. They were just too blind to notice.

Jeff couldn't fight the slow burn moving in, the sinking feeling that his wish had somehow caused Ness to disappear without a trace, without hope, and that Paula would never be right again because of it. He could see it in her eyes now, her love for Ness. Jeff had ruined her life.

And even though he knew that deep down, there was no way a simple wish could have caused Ness's disappearance, Jeff felt responsible for Paula's tears. His own life would be ruined by this too. Ness had asked him to take care of Paula while he was gone at war. Now Ness was gone, maybe forever. How could Jeff spend a lifetime comforting Paula when just last night he'd hoped for this exact scenario?

He rolled over on his side, gazing out the window. Steve was downstairs, attempting to study in the heat of distress; the room was eerily quiet when Jeff was there alone. He hadn't been able to listen to music all day. Music was a pleasure, a joy for the senses, and today just wasn't a day to celebrate. The television was off, the screen black as pitch, and the room was dimly lit, just enough to see.

The sky was opal, smooth and black. No stars tonight. Jeff felt his heartbeat quicken. He wished he could crawl into a hole in that dark void and never come out, hidden away forever. He wanted things to be right again. Ness had always been a close friend, and Paula needed him. They all needed him.

I'm sorry. He blinked at the blackness of the sky; it seemed to mirror the emptiness inside of him. The sound of Paula crying rang through his ears even now, more and more heart-wrenching with each lonely sob. Are you happy now, Jeff Andonuts? Now that you made her cry? He tried to accept that it wasn't his fault, but the coincidence of it all just wouldn't let him. No escaping this...

Or maybe there is a way. He sat up slowly, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. His eyes trailed away from the window and focused in on his backpack, then on the laptop sitting on his desk. He pictured the Deep Darkness in his head, the murky swamp water, the thick vegetation all around, the rotting logs floating in the middle of the mess, the secret trails Ness had led them on. Ness... He could see Ness now, walking ahead of Paula and himself, red baseball cap signaling them to continue.

They had been so young then, barely thirteen. Jeff felt the last eight years fly by in a blur now, until they were here, juniors in the middle of spring semester, sorely missing the leader of the Chosen Four. He felt sick about it, recalling old memories. Coming from Winters one night to answer Paula's call. He had given his life to the cause.

Now he felt Paula calling him again. Destiny waited for him, impatient as he decided whether to accept this new mission. Paula loved Ness, and Ness was lost somewhere in Deep Darkness, and Jeff had to make things right again. I have to go there, and search high and low, and leave no rock unturned, and not come back until I can bring Ness home to her. It was a simple idea, and yet it would be a complicated trip, surviving in the wilderness until he could gather some clues. Yet Jeff was confident in his impending success. He had never doubted Paula's call before, and he wasn't about to doubt her silent one now, her plea for Ness's rescue. She didn't have to tell him this time; Jeff already knew.

Tomorrow was Monday, the start of a new week of classes. Jeff sighed, thinking about it. If he left now, he'd be missing physics and astronomy, plus his Monday engineering seminar. And who knew how long he'd be gone? This could take a few days, Jeff thought to himself, rethinking his earlier vision of the rescue squad walking right by Ness and his kidnapper without realizing it. If they've hidden him away. But I know every trail through those woods, every bend and turn of the marsh... I'll find him. I'll be the one to bring Ness home. And if I miss a few classes in the process... so be it. It was a powerful statement, a strong plan in Jeff's head, and he intended to carry it out to the letter.

Dropping to his knees, he started to shove things into his backpack. He had to be all packed for the morning if he wanted to leave tomorrow.

Piloting the Sky Runner through the clouds, Jeff knew that he was doing the right thing. Or so he hoped. It had all seemed so clear in his dreams the night before, but now he had begun to question his mission, not its purpose, just the little things. What if Ness turned up, safe and sound, hours later without Jeff's help? Or maybe Ness had just taken a trip on his own... no, that couldn't be it. That was just wishful thinking. Ness would never have left Paula like that, and it didn't explain the strange note.

DEEP DARKNESS. He'd find Ness there, if the task force hadn't found him already. They were searching again today, hoping to at least find a clue into Ness's disappearance, but Jeff had a bad feeling that this would be another fruitless search. Doubt and uncertainty swirled in his head, and he didn't know what to expect anymore.

In his heart, he knew that what he expected or what he found didn't matter. He was doing what he had to do, following his own path, being brave. Jeff didn't do brave things often enough, and it bothered him. Always playing it safe, he cringed at the thought of taking risks. He'd finally summoned all his courage and tried to enlist in the Eagleland Army when the war broke out, but when they turned him down, it seemed to disperse and fade away.

That won't happen this time. Jeff gazed out over the clouds, smiling at the contrast between the white fluff and the periwinkle blue of the March sky. He had made up his mind to follow the voice inside, his conscience, his destiny all the way, no matter what doubts or struggles might try to stop him...

Jeff smiled again. He hadn't thought of that song in a while, but now it felt so true to him, his personal anthem, a mantra of sorts. I've gotta be me. I'm going to do what I have to do, no matter what. He would bring Ness back to Paula, no matter what it took. And he would do it in the spirit of friendship, and in the name of love.

Paula was inconsolable. No matter how strong she tried to pretend to be, her eyes would always betray her, glistening with new tears. She and Ness had been apart for so long, six unbearable months, and now he had come back to her, and they were going to be married. They were supposed to have forever to spend together, but now, Ness had disappeared. Their beautiful reunion had been cut all too short.

No stranger to abduction herself, Paula knew that Ness must be scared. She had been kidnapped twice by the enemy during the war against Gigyas, and each time, it was Ness who had rescued her. Well, Ness and Jeff, the second time around.

Jeff. What if something happens to him? She felt a tugging at her heart every time his name crossed her mind. Paula and Jeff had grown very close while Ness was off at war, and their newfound friendship was something she treasured. Now he'd gone off to Deep Darkness to search for Ness, and Paula couldn't help but worry about him. She hoped that both of them would return safely, Jeff and Ness, and that everything would be right again.

She needed them both, for things to be right again.

"When did he leave again?" Laura asked. She was standing at the window, looking out at the city lights. Fourside was breathtaking at night, beautiful when it was all lit up against the dark sky, and Paula loved to stargaze on clear evenings, but not tonight, not now. "First thing in the morning?"

"Yeah. Yesterday morning," Paula replied slowly. "I haven't heard anything from him, though. He said he probably wouldn't be in touch much, or maybe not at all."

"That Jeff," Laura said, smiling. "Always the loner. Smart, though. He's a rare one, he is."

Paula felt her heart start to pound, and she was suddenly glad that Laura had her back turned, so that she couldn't see the flushing in her cheeks. "Yeah, he's... really something."

"I have to admit, I was a little surprised when you told me," Laura continued. "Jeff never seemed like the adventurous type to me. Those shy ones usually aren't, you know?"

"I know," Paula agreed, "but I... I'm glad he went. I just hope he's okay... if anyone has to be searching for Ness at all, I want it to be Jeff." She had started sniffling involuntarily, and Laura turned around at the sound.

"Oh, Paula," Laura said, rushing to hand her cousin a couple of tissues. "Don't cry. Try not to think about... bad things." She stopped, trying to think of a way to put a positive spin on things. "If Ness is out there and he's in trouble, Jeff will find him. You know he will."

Paula nodded weakly. "I know he will," she managed to say. "I know it."

Or at least, I hope so.

Jeff sat up, his heart racing. What a dream... It had all seemed so real, like Ness was there, close enough to touch. Now Jeff was alone, terribly alone in the murky bog. He has to be here somewhere. I'm going to find him today, and bring him home to Paula.

He rubbed his eyes and looked around. It was morning, just after sunrise, and the swamp was softly illuminated, brushed with green and gold by the dawning light. Several birds called from the trees, and the murky water gurgled as it lapped at the muddy shore. In the distance, he could see four or five monkeys playing, chasing each other along the banks of the bog. He sighed, wondering how to begin his search for Ness.

For the past two days, Jeff hadn't ventured very far into the swamp, partly from fear and partly from exhaustion. A thorough investigation required an intense search, rooting through vegetation and behind every tree, looking around the rocks and through the brown swamp water. He hated to admit it, but in some sense, Jeff knew that he was looking for a body, any body, alive or... not. Ness has to be alive, though... he's a fighter. I know he's pulling through this.

Today, he would find Ness. He was sure of it. Jeff started to throw his survival gear into his backpack, knowing that this night had been his last at this campsite. The shoreline near the old Monkey's Inn had served him well as home base for two days, but from now on, Jeff would be venturing deep into the swamp, making camp wherever his legs gave out and he decided to crash for the day.

The thought didn't worry him, though. Somehow, Jeff knew things would turn out right, no matter what it took, no matter how long he had to search, no matter how tiring it was. Maybe Paula would never be his, maybe he'd always be an outsider looking in, but right now, these things simply didn't matter. No matter how everything else turned out, Jeff had to obey his heart.

Jeff's heart was telling him to embrace this mission with open arms.