Echoes of Him
1172 Words
The night after Kai’s death, Mystic Falls was quieter than it had ever been. The rain had stopped, but the air still smelled like storm wet leaves, cold metal, and something faintly electric. Candice hadn’t slept in two days. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it his face in that final moment, the way the light had left his eyes, the way her scream had echoed through the forest.
She sat on her bed now, knees pulled to her chest, staring at the spot near her window where she swore she could still feel him. The silence pressed heavy around her, yet sometimes… she could almost hear him breathe.
Then came the flicker. The lamp by her bedside blinked once, then twice. The curtains moved though the window was shut. Her heart pounded.
“Kai?” she whispered, voice breaking.
No answer. Only the rustle of the trees outside. But she knew what she felt it wasn’t grief making her imagine things. It was him. His presence. His essence. His spirit.
Candice stumbled out of bed and grabbed the old ring that hung on her necklace. It had once belonged to him—a daylight ring he no longer needed when he died saving her. She clutched it in her palm, tears stinging her eyes.
“If you’re here… please, give me a sign.”
A sudden chill swept through the room. The curtains flew wide, and the ring in her hand turned hot. She gasped and dropped it. When it hit the floor, she heard his voice soft, broken, but real.
“Candice…”
Her knees went weak. She turned around, but there was nothing. Just that heavy air again, pulsing with loss.
Morning came gray and hollow. Candice hadn’t moved from the floor when the knock came at her door.
She opened it to find a woman she’d never seen before. Tall, dark hair, calm brown eyes that seemed to know more than they should. She smiled gently.
“Candice Forbes?”
Candice nodded slowly. “Who are you?”
“My name’s Elena,” the woman said. “Elena Gilbert.”
Candice froze. That name. She’d heard it before in whispers, in old town legends. The girl who’d lived, loved, and lost vampires long before Candice was even born.
Elena glanced past her shoulder. “May I come in?”
Candice hesitated, then stepped aside.
The living room still smelled faintly of blood and ash. Elena walked around slowly, eyes tracing every small detail the ring on the table, the photos on the wall, the faint scorch mark on the wooden floor.
“I know what happened,” Elena said finally. “I felt it.”
Candice’s throat tightened. “Felt it?”
Elena turned to her. “When someone dies the way Kai did by love, by curse it doesn’t just… disappear. The energy stays behind. I’ve seen it before.”
Candice blinked. “You… you knew Kai?”
Elena nodded sadly. “Once. A long time ago. He was dangerous, reckless but he was never beyond redemption. You must’ve seen that too.”
Candice swallowed hard. “He killed my parents. And then he died saving me. I don’t even know what to feel anymore.”
Elena walked closer, her tone soft. “Grief and love are the same language in Mystic Falls. They both haunt you.”
Candice’s tears spilled over. “I feel him, Elena. Every night. I hear him call my name. The lights flicker when I think about him. Am I losing my mind?”
Elena’s eyes softened. “No, Candice. You’re not. He’s still here just not the way you want him to be.”
She sat down beside her and took her hand. “Kai was bound to you by blood. That curse didn’t end when he died it only changed form. His spirit is tethered to you. You’re the anchor now.”
Candice’s eyes widened. “Anchor?”
“Yes,” Elena said. “And that’s why you can feel him. Because part of him lives inside you. But it’s more than that…”
She hesitated, searching Candice’s eyes. “You’re the only one who can bring him back.”
Candice froze. “What?”
Elena nodded. “There’s an old spell Bonnie used it once for Damon. It’s risky, dangerous, and sometimes, it comes with a price. But it can be done. And if Kai’s spirit is calling to you, it means he’s trying to return.”
Candice shook her head, trembling. “But how? I’m not a witch. I don’t even know how to begin.”
Elena smiled faintly. “Love has always been the strongest kind of magic in Mystic Falls. Maybe that’s enough.”
That night, Candice stood by the same oak tree where Kai had died. The moon was high, silver light bleeding through the branches. She could feel him again stronger this time, almost tangible.
She laid her palm on the rough bark, closed her eyes, and whispered his name.
“Kai Parker.”
The air trembled. A faint hum filled the woods. Her heart raced.
“Where are you?”
Then, a whisper brushed against her ear. “Right here.”
She gasped, turning and saw him. Faint, translucent, but undeniably him. The same soft eyes, the same crooked smile.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.
“I can’t move on,” he said. “Not while you’re still hurting.”
Tears streamed down her face. “Then what do I do?”
He looked down, pained. “Let me go.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
His spirit flickered, the light around him dimming. “Then you’ll be trapped too.”
Elena’s voice echoed behind her. “Candice, listen to him! If you bind your soul to his again, you’ll never be free.”
But Candice couldn’t hear her anymore. All she saw was him Kai, broken and beautiful even in death.
He reached out, his hand passing through hers, and yet she felt it warmth, connection, memory.
“I love you,” he whispered.
She smiled through her tears. “Then don’t go.”
The wind roared, branches cracking overhead. The ground shuddered. Elena screamed her name.
But Candice didn’t move. She stepped closer, eyes locked on his fading figure. “If I’m the anchor… then let me be your way home.”
A blinding light erupted between them.
When it faded, Elena was on her knees, the forest silent again. The oak tree stood untouched, but Candice was gone. Only the daylight ring lay on the ground now split clean in two.
Elena picked it up, her face pale.
She whispered, “Just like Bonnie and Damon… love always breaks the rules.”
As she turned to leave, the wind carried a faint sound through the night. A heartbeat slow, steady, shared.
And in the moonlight, a shadow flickered behind the oak tree. Two silhouettes one human, one not standing hand in hand.
- Writer
