The Truth about Broken Trees (Light Keeper Series Book 3)

by Kelly Hall

  Mom hesitated. “Lily, why don’t you and Holly sleep in my bed? We’ve had too much excitement for one night. Talon, you can bring Holly’s mattress in my room if you want. I’d ... feel a whole lot better.” She sighed. We all looked at each other, not sure if we should refuse.

  I glanced at the others. “Sure, why not?”

  Talon went to gather Holly’s bed and dragged it to Mom’s room, while Holly and I helped Mom back to bed where the three of us climbed into her roomy king size.

  Talon put his bed on the floor between me and the door and Mom lay nestled in the middle. She turned over on her side, facing me, with her large belly poking me in the back. “We haven’t slept like this in forever,” Mom said with a giggle. “It makes me remember life at the hotel.”

  “Your belly didn’t stick into my back then. And the bed wasn’t nearly as comfy.”

  “You two shared a bed all that time? Dad and I would’ve ended up killing each other,” Talon said, straightening his covers.

  “Sure, why pay for a bigger room?” Mom laughed. “Now you know why Tom and I spent most of our evenings at your place.”

  “Too much information, Cate.” Talon covered his head with his pillow. “Keep it up and I’m going back to my room and face the ghosts.”

  “I never said ghosts,” Mom said. She probably didn’t want us to be scared.

  “You really think you saw something?” I asked.

  The covers shifted behind me. “I know I did,” she said.

  “Then how do you explain it?” I had always wished my mom could stop being so skeptical. Maybe she would tell me she really did believe in the paranormal.

  “I can’t,” she admitted. “Could’ve been my mind playing tricks. I’m not sure. Pregnancy does strange things to a person.”

  “But you admit it could have been a ghost?” I continued.

  Mom sighed. “Maybe. Or, maybe I’m really tired, and my imagination is playing tricks. Just like with your father.”

  Funny she should mention dad. “You really think he was crazy after what you just saw?”

  Mom let out a long yawn. “I just can’t believe that he had a gift, Lily. It’s just so hokey. And I don’t’ know that I saw anything.” I cringed with the word “hokey.”

  “What if he could have proven it?” Talon chimed in.

  “He couldn’t. I asked him to.” Of course not, I thought. Dad didn’t have the Water for control.

  “You wanted him to prove it? I didn’t think you’d even want to know about it at all.”

  Holly chimed in. “So you’re saying if ... say, Talon told you that he had powers and he could prove it, you’d want to know, even if it scared you?” She had to be thinking it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to prove my powers to my mom now that she had seen the Shadows, too.

  “If Talon could prove it to me, convince me, yes, I’d want to know.”

  “And what would you think of him? Would you still love him, no matter what?” Holly continued. I waited in fear and agony to hear her answer. What if my mother didn’t love me or trust me when she found out my abilities? Would she accept me not being the normal daughter she wanted?

  “Well, of course,” Mom said. “I’d love all of my kids no matter what. That includes you too, you know?”

  “Thanks,” Holly said with a giggle.

  Holly was sweet to mention it all for my benefit, but I didn’t think now was the right time. Not yet, if ever.

  Chapter Ten

  The next morning Hunter woke us up knocking on the front door. “What’s with the slumber party?” he asked, as we filed out of Mom’s room and crowded the kitchen.

  “Mom saw a ghost last night.” I flashed him a wink.

  Hunter’s face paled. “You okay, Ms. Cate?” he asked. “Haven’t been nipping the sauce, I hope?” He played along.

  “Just applesauce.” She rubbed her belly and giggled. Then she grabbed a glass of milk and a snack cake and ate it on her way to the shower. She didn’t seem to want to talk about it anymore. Neither did I. Everyone could see these Shadows now, even Mom.

  ***

  Later, Hunter and Holly went into town to catch a movie. Mom met up with her friend to continue her Christmas shopping. I wondered if she’d tell her about the Shadow person.

  In my room, I turned through Alyssa’s diary for lack of better reading, still thinking of how the Shadows made themselves seen.

  “Knock! Knock!” Owen stood in my doorway, holding a plastic bag. “Granny sent these to Cate. I’ll leave them on the table.” I nodded as he turned to go.

  While he went to the kitchen table I noticed something in the diary that I hadn’t paid much attention to before. The name of the old lady that Alyssa had spent her days with was Mrs. Birdie Chandler. I thought immediately of Ray and wondered how I could miss the connection.

  “Owen!” I called, even though he was already on his way back.

  “I’m coming, give me time,” he called from the door, flashing me a warm smile. He walked in and sat on the end of my bed where I lay reading.

  I pointed to the book. “Check this out.” I placed the book in his lap and pointed to the name.

  He studied the book. “Chandler? Surely it’s just a coincidence?”

  “Think about it. Your dad and this woman just happen to have the same last name and they both live out here. You know yourself that half of the population of this area is related in some form or fashion, especially if they share the same name.”

  He pushed the book away. “Would it make us related again?” he asked, making a face.

  “No.” I looked to the ceiling and sighed. “Alyssa and Mrs. Chandler aren’t related. But Mrs. Chandler and Mr. Hill were, I think.” I shrugged, not quite sure. My eyes narrowed, trying to remember.

  He gave me a wink. “Good.”

  I tried hard not to smile, but I couldn’t help it.

  “You should ask him about her sometime. Tell him you saw her name in an old family journal or something. That’s not a lie and it’s all he needs to know. Besides, remember what I told you about what Michael said. Birdie, or Mrs. Chandler, helped Alyssa with her gifts and I think she was a Keeper too.”

  “That’s a very slim chance. I mean, aren’t you freaks kind of rare?” He chuckled, nudging my arm. I could tell he didn’t take this too seriously; Light Keepers probably were rare and Mr. Hill had been crazy. “I would like to go back to see him, though. I have a favor to ask?” When he smiled, his lips curled in the corners showing me he had something mischievous in mind.

  Before I could ask, Talon opened his door and walked over. “What’s up?” he asked, stretching his arms and letting out a yawn.

  “We just learned that Birdie could possibly be related to Ray,” I replied.

  “You mean, related to Owen,” he corrected, walking over and cutting him a glare.

  “Right.” I lifted a shoulder and Owen changed the subject before I could explain about Birdie, or remind him of what Mr. Hill had said.

  “Yeah, I’m thinking of going out to pay him another visit. I think I might be able to convince him to score us some beer for the weekend,” he said proudly. That was his big plan, I realized with a sigh.

  “You think he would?” Talon rubbed his chin which had gotten scruffier lately. “We could camp this weekend.” A smile spread across his face, much like the one Owen still wore. It always amazed me how they could team up at the oddest of times and yet pretend to hate each other so much.

  “You wanna ride out and see? If he says no we have all week to either convince him or find another way,” said Owen.

  Talon darted back to his nightstand and held up his keys. “I’ll drive.”

  I laughed, shaking my head at their silliness. “He’ll never do it. We should be worried about asking him ...”

  “Doesn’t hurt to ask, and he’s the one who first offered us alcohol,” Owen reminded, cutting me off. I sighed, thinking of how they didn’t like me keeping things from them, yet they didn’t
listen when I tried to tell them things.

  “Yes, but having a couple of beers with your dad is different,” I reminded.

  “Yes, and if we get a case it’s only gonna be a couple of beers with our friends. Maybe he’ll even score you some more wine. You sure seemed to like it,” Owen teased. “It’s not like before, I promise. I don’t want to get drunk, just have a little taste and loosen up. God knows we can use it.”

  “Fine, but I don’t need anything, thanks. And for your information, I only held the bottle, I didn’t even have more than a taste to be polite. What kind of person offers a bunch of kids alcohol anyway?” The two looked at each other and smiled. I waited for them to make fun of me, but they didn’t. “Let’s go, I’ve got a few questions for Ray as well.” If they wouldn’t hear me, maybe he would.

  ***

  A half hour later we’d loaded up and left for Ray’s. When we pulled up, he didn’t come out to greet us like before. His car sat in the drive, so we figured he was home. We got out and the guys walked around to the back porch, but I stood by the car.

  “There’s a light on inside.” Owen started knocking on the back door but no one came.

  “I’ll go around front,” Talon said. He walked past me back to the front and Owen soon followed. They started yelling Ray’s name. That’s when I heard a sound in the shed. It sounded like a low voice and a loud clank, like metal hitting metal. He must be inside there working on something.

  I walked over and peeked inside. The first thing I saw startled me, but I kept walking in, around the mess of tools and lawn implements. Just as I opened my mouth to call for the guys, the light went out and the door slammed shut. I froze, but managed to scream as something grabbed me from behind.

  One hand went quickly over my mouth to silence me; the other groped my chest and held me tight, only hindering one arm. I fought with the other but the person was strong and I could only think about the old woman from my nightmare. He’s coming.

  Ray’s trademark scent smelled like a mixture of aftershave, alcohol, and pine tar when it hit my nose. I recognized it from before, but never expected to have such an up close and personal whiff. It smelled especially strong, and since I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face I wondered how he knew where he went as he started to drag me away. My feet scrambled for balance as I cried and fought, hoping that Talon or Owen had heard the scream and would come to my rescue. Surely they’d notice me gone, but how long would it take? What would Ray do with me by then, and then what would he do to them? I saw a familiar inky Shadow, hovering just out in front of me. It appeared like always, dark in the darkness, black on black, a shadow in the shadows, and no clear outline.

  I did the only thing I could. I called the Light. It formed in my hand, illuminating the darkened shed and only giving me a faint glow since I hadn’t had much Water lately to really shine.

  Ray released me and I fell to the dirt floor as Owen slung the door open.

  “What the hell!” he screamed. Talon rushed past him to my side as he found the light switch.

  “Lily!” Talon picked me up to my feet and dragged me away from Ray. I sent the Light away.

  Ray threw his hands up taking some steps back. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna hurt her,” he snapped. “I had to make her show me her power. It’s stronger than I thought.” He cut his eyes to a very confused and angry Owen, who lunged for him.

  “I’ll kill you,” he said, grabbing for Ray’s throat as if he’d heard nothing he had said.

  “Wait,” Talon tried to help, but Ray threw Owen off with ease; almost too easy, as if he’d dosed, which brought me back to my initial shock. Was this the man that the old woman had warned me about?

  I turned to the white truck parked in the shed; the ladder still in the back. As I pointed to the truck that we’d seen on the road, Talon’s eyes lit up in realization.

  “What were you doing out on Bragg?” Talon asked. “We saw you in that truck the other day when you nearly ran us down and I’ve seen it more than once.”

  Ray seemed very calm considering we were all out of breath, and in shock. “Just checking on things; it’s my job.” The three of us stood dumbstruck. What the heck did he mean by that?

  A few minutes later, Ray had convinced us to come inside. We sat at his small, chrome kitchen table which reminded me of something from a fifties-themed diner. It probably was from the fifties, I gathered. Cool to the touch, I rested my elbows on it.

  Ray sat down right across from me with a sly smirk plastered on his face.

  “You’d better start explaining things.” Owen leaned in over the table and appeared more threatening.

  I raked my fingers through my hair still shaky from the attack. “How did you know about me?” I asked.

  “I knew it as soon as I saw you. You and Owen showing up here was quite a shock; you with those strange, too-green eyes, and him with mine.” He chuckled. “I was sure you’d ask me why I never come around. I’m still surprised you haven’t.” He looked at Owen curiously.

  “It didn’t matter. Granny’s been the best. The best thing you could have done was exactly what you did.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that. It’s one of the reasons I did stay away. I know Mrs. Riley is a good person. Just like her son. William was my best friend.” He nodded.

  “So you slept with his girl and abandoned your children with him?” Owen sounded disgusted.

  “Well, actually, she was my girl first. And I stayed away to protect you,” he replied, his lips curling into a sly smile. “But I guess you can’t trick fate.”

  “What do you mean by fate?” I asked.

  “Fate is your destiny. You should know a thing or two about that, Sunshine.”

  “As a matter of fact, I do.” I wished he would drop the stupid nickname. “But what do you know about mine?” I narrowed my eyes and waited.

  Stone-faced he answered, “More than you think. You see, I’ve been around here for years now. You want to know what brings me to Bragg?” He glared until I nodded.

  He got up and reached under his bar and pulled out what looked like an old Army canteen and tossed it to me. I caught it, and felt the cool Water inside of it immediately. I looked at Owen, who glared at the container.

  Owen took the jug from my hand and his eyes widened. “The Water? How do you know about the Water?” he asked with a growl.

  “I could ask you the same thing, but I already know the answer.” Ray didn’t seem moved by Owen’s sudden anger.

  “Get to sharing,” Talon said, releasing a long breath. “What do you mean with all this talk about fate?”

  Ray turned away from Talon. “No matter how I tried to keep you from it, here you are. He regarded Owen and me. “Doing what you’re meant to do.” His eyes fell on his son with pride.

  Owen crinkled his nose. “Born to do? What... drink the Water?”

  “No. To guard the well, among other great things.”

  “Guard the well?” I narrowed my eyes. I understood why it might need protecting, but from who or what exactly?

  Ray’s smirk made me uncomfortable. “Yeah, so you can have your strength to do what you’re destined to do, Light Keeper.”

  “Light Keeper. That’s the name we heard on the recordings. It’s what I am, but how do you know?” How could he know so much? I could feel the tension in the guys as they stared at Ray too.

  “I know everything.” He clapped his hands together and then pointed at me and Owen. “Very impressive you’ve managed to figure out so much. Your instincts have served you well. You gravitated to the Water quickly, didn’t you?” He was focused on Owen, who stared as wide-eyed as Talon and me. “You’ve already stepped into your roles without any knowledge of what your purpose is.”

  “What else do you know?” Talon scooted his chair my way and put his arm across the back of mine.

  Ray gave Talon a look that Owen had on many occasions. His chin lowered and he raised his brows as if to say, “You’re still here?
” Then he disregarded him and looked at Owen. “My great-grandmother was in the last full circle. That’s how many generations it’s been.”

  “Owen calls us a circle,” I pointed out.

  Ray nodded. Maybe he really did have an instinct?

  Owen threw up his hands. “I just say that because it sounds funny, not because of some strange instincts.”

  “The last Light Keeper I knew of was too far gone by the time I found him. His name was Joe Jordan.”

  My gaze locked with his. This can’t be real. “My dad! You knew him?”

  Ray nodded again.

  “What do you mean, he was too far gone?” I pinched my eyes shut thinking about what my mom had said. He was crazy, Lily. I focused on Ray again.

  Ray averted his eyes as he continued. “I mean he’d gone insane. How long had you seen the Light before Owen gave you the Water?” he asked.

  I shrugged, trying hard to remember. “Owen didn’t give me the Water.” Then I remembered, it was Owen’s bottle I’d found under his seat in his car, the very first time I’d ever drunk the Water and called the Light. “Owen had the bottle but... it hadn’t been long. I’d only called the Light on my own a few times.” I thought how Owen and I had snuck out for the Water. A million thoughts flooded my brain but none of them could float.

  “On your own?” Ray asked.

  “Yes, after Alyssa gave me her Light too, I ...”

  His eyes narrowed and his smirk disappeared. “Wait, Alyssa? She gave you her Light?”

  “Yes, it’s a long story, but ...”

  He suddenly seemed angry. “I know of Alyssa, silly girl. She gave you her Light to mix with your own?”

  “Yes,” I shrugged. Sure Alyssa had showed me that I had my own Light, but I’d always assumed that her passing me her Light had been kind of natural for whatever we are.

  “Alyssa,” he whispered. His eyes focused on nothing. He concentrated and then he scowled.

  Talon spoke up in my defense. “I saw her give Lily the Light. We all did. It made hers brighter.” Owen nodded to agree but Ray stared blankly ignoring us.