Here it is!  I hope everyone enjoys it!  If you want to know what happens next, let me know by e-mailing me or leaving a message on the message board!  You can find my e-mail on the Contact Me page!
Remember, God loves you!

 

 

 

CHAPTER 1- Kasie’s Calling

 

 

Ten year old Kasie Rebecca Burke sat in her hospital bed feeling very bored.  She had been reading all day and now she was tired of it.  She couldn’t get up at the moment, so she was pretty much resigned to either reading or watching TV.

          Heaving a sigh, the ten year old turned on the TV and started flipping through the channels.

          As Kasie continued to channel surf, a news broadcast  caught her eye. 

A little girl who looked a little younger than Kasie herself, stared back at Kasie from the screen.

The little girl on the screen had long brown hair and eyes that looked like they had a secret to tell.  What this secret was, Kasie wasn’t sure, but she found herself wanting to know more about this girl’s story.

          Kasie left the news on and turned the volume up a little bit.  She was fortunate enough not to have a roommate just yet.  It had been like that for the past two weeks. 

Kasie had been in Hope for the Children Medical Center for the past six months now, and there was a good chance she wouldn’t be leaving any time soon.

          As Kasie listened, the reporter came on and began to tell the story from the beginning.

“Today, the British police questioned the Miller family again on the charge of abusing and enslaving six year old Aurora Smith.  Smith’s parents died when she was three years old.  She was taken to an orphanage and adopted by the Miller family.  However, it was not to become part of a forever family, but to be a slave in their house.  Tom and Regina Miller deny the claims and charges brought upon them by Aurora’s pediatrician and her former teacher, Mrs. Parker.  Aurora had been going to school from the age of five till recently when the family pulled her out, claiming they were going to home school her.  But according to neighbors and a close friend of the family, Cindy Johnson, that is anything but true…”  The reporter went on to state that during Aurora’s latest doctor appointment, her pediatrician, Dr. Stacey Davis, had found bruises on Aurora’s arms and stomach.

As Kasie continued to watch, she felt tears come to her blue eyes.  She felt a sudden pull in her heart to help this little girl.  And as Kasie closed her eyes, she knew the pull was coming from God.  Kasie knew without a doubt that God was calling her to help Aurora.

Kasie was always one to obey God and her heart.  She wanted to help this little girl and she knew just the right person to help her do so.

As if on cue, the door to Kasie’s hospital room opened and her Aunt Gloria walked in.  Gloria had been taking care of Kasie ever since she had found the child abandoned in the park,  back when Kasie was just three years old.

Gloria’s Aunt Valerie had adopted the child legally, since Gloria had only been seventeen at the time.  But once Gloria turned twenty one, she had become fully responsible for Kasie, who she had named Kasie Rebecca Burke.

Kasie and Gloria were very close.  Kasie also got along extremely well with Gloria’s two younger sisters, Madeline Faith, who was fourteen and Zoe Noelle, who was eleven.  Kasie also got along with the girls’ Aunt Valerie, whom she called Aunt Valerie as well.

When Kasie had first been diagnosed, Gloria was heart broken.  But her faith in God and support from her sisters and their Aunt Valerie kept her going.  She was grateful to her family for all they had done for her and Kasie.

Kasie’s blue eyes lit up upon seeing her aunt.  She viewed Gloria as an aunt and she had called Gloria, ‘Aunt Gloria ever since the first day they had met.

Gloria didn’t mind in the least.  Gloria knew Kasie loved her, so it didn’t matter what Kasie called her.

“Hey Kais!”  Gloria said, using her nickname for Kasie.”  ”What’s up?”
          Kasie shook her head.  She held her arms up to her aunt and Gloria got the hint.  She sat on the bed and took Kasie into her lap.  She gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head.

It was only when Gloria heard Kasie let out a sob, did she start to worry.  She pulled away from Kasie just enough to see her face.

“Kasie?  Kais, honey what’s wrong?”  Gloria asked, her brown eyes full of concern.  “Are you hurting?  Do you need me to get Miss Susan to help you feel better?”

Kasie shook her head.

“No, I-I’m okay.  It’s just that I…I saw something on the news and there’s a little girl named Aurora who needs help!”  Kasie told her aunt, more tears spilling from her oceanic orbs like a smoothe, spring shower.  “We have to do something!  Please, Aunt Gloria, we have to help her!  I know God wants me to help her.  I know in my heart that He’s calling me to rescue her.  I know He is!”

 “Okay, Kais, okay.  It’s all right. Why don’t you tell me what happened and we’ll see what we can do, okay?”  Gloria said, stroking Kasie’s dark blond hair gently.  She hated seeing her daughter upset and she wanted to do everything she could to see Kasie smile again.

For someone who had been diagnosed with cancer at the age of eight, Kasie was still as happy as they came, maybe even more so.  She was appreciative of the simple things.  All Kasie wanted was to make the most of every day and spend time with her family.

Kasie hadn’t been much different before the diagnosis.  But after Kasie had been diagnosed, she had become a little more clingy with Gloria, which was expected in light of what was going on.

Gloria loved her baby girl so much and would hold her any time.  She enjoyed having cuddle time with Kasie and she knew Kasie felt the same way.

Kasie took a deep breath in an effort to calm down.  She was about to explain to Gloria what was going on with Aurora, but a knock at the door postponed her explanation.

“Come in!”  Gloria called to whoever was on the other side.

The door opened a minute later to reveal Dr. Susan Larkin standing on the other side. SHE didn’t look happy, which was unusual for her.

Susan was generally a very happy person.  She and Kasie got a long very well.

“Susan, what’s wrong?”  Gloria asked, sensing something wasn’t right.

Susan sighed. She sat down across from Gloria and Kasie and put a hand through her long brown hair.  This wasn’t easy to say, but she knew it had to be said.

“Um, we…we got the results back from the final bone marrow donor.”  She began, knowing this was going to be harder than anything else she had ever told a patient before.  She and Kasie had grown close over the last two years and Susan viewed Kasie as a niece.

“What is it?”  Gloria asked, tightening her grip on Kasie out of protection and love.  “What’s going on?”

Susan sighed before continuing.  But before Susan could speak another word, Kasie beat her to it.

“It didn’t match, did it?”  Kasie asked, her tone full of disappointment, but Gloria could sense resolution in it as well.

Susan shook her head.

“No.  I’m sorry, sweetie.  I really am.”

“It’s okay, Miss Susan. You didn’t do anything wrong.”  Kasie gave Susan a small smile.

A few minutes of silence fell over the room at the conclusion of Kasie’s comment..

Kasie broke it with a question neither of the adults were expecting.

“How much time do I have to live?”  Kasie asked, shocking both Gloria and Susan.

Susan pulled herself together and gave Kasie a sympathetic look.

“Kasie!”  Gloria exclaimed, obviously shocked by her daughter’s question.

“Aunt Gloria, It’s okay.  I want to know.”

“Why?”  Gloria asked, not sure what her daughter was going to say next.

“Because there’s something important I have to do.  But I need your help.  Will you help me?”  Please, Aunt Gloria?”

“Of course I will.”  Gloria replied, kissing Kasie’s cheek.

Kasie nodded before turning her attention back to Susan, who was still looking at the young girl with the same look of sympathy on her face.

“Miss Susan?”  Kasie asked, braking Susan out of her thoughts.  “How much time do I have to live.”

“A month.”  Susan said, her voice full of sadness.  “Four weeks at the least, a month at the most.”

“Isn’t there anything you can do for Kasie?”  Gloria asked, her tone full of desperation.  She wasn’t ready to lose her little angel just yet.

Susan shook her head.

“Aunt Gloria, it’s okay.”  Kasie comforted, turning her blue gaze onto her aunt.  “I’m ready to go home to Heaven.  But there’s one thing I need to do first.”

          “Okay.  What do you want to do, sweetheart?”  Gloria asked, not sure what her daughter’s answer was going to be.

Kasie grinned. She got a determined look on her face and looked straight into Gloria’s eyes. She then gazed over at the TV where Aurora’s story was playing once again.

“I want to rescue Aurora.”  Kasie replied, her voice full of determination as her gaze travelled back to Gloria.

“What?”  Gloria asked, not sure she had heard her daughter correctly.  “You want to do what?”

“I want to rescue Aurora and bring her home.”  Kasie repeated, an expression of determination on her face.  “I want to free Aurora and bring her home.”