When Darkness Falls

by Chanda Stafford

  “You mean we shouldn’t tell her about me capsizing the canoe and ending up at the lighthouse?” Hope wars against the anxiety I was feeling. I can’t believe she’d do that for me.

  Phoebe motions for Ezra to join us and gives him a stern look when he pulls up a chair. “Why don’t we tell her I caught two lovebirds sneaking around my camp, where they don’t belong.”

  An embarrassed blush climbs my cheeks. “Thank you,” tumbles breathlessly from my lips.

  “But no more sneaking around, okay?”

  I cross my heart and grin. “Promise.”

  Phoebe’s phone buzzes, and she gives me an apologetic look before pressing it to her ear. “Thank God, Danny. I thought you’d never call me back.”

  Phoebe stands up and walks away but stops after a few steps. “It’s starting again. No, I know.” She pauses. “I remember, I was there, too. Yeah, I understand. I know how much you hate this place, but I need you.” She sighs and closes her eyes before turning away. “I don’t know what to do. It’s getting worse. Ian?” She laughs. “He claims he’s got it under control, but I’m not sure I believe him.”

  She talks for a few more minutes before hanging up and stuffing the phone in her pocket. “Sorry about that.” She collapses in the chair across from mine. “I’ve been playing phone tag with my brother for a couple of days and didn’t want to miss his call.”

  “What’s going on? I heard what you said about Ian. Is there something I should know about?”

  Phoebe pastes a carefree expression on her face. “No, of course not. My brother’s taking a couple weeks’ vacation and coming up for a visit. That’s all.” She slaps her hands on her thighs. “You should probably try your mom before heading home. If you can’t reach her, maybe Ezra”—she glances at him—“can give you a ride home?” The boy in question nods. “Go right home though. No more wandering around. Got it?”

  I chuckle, feeling my embarrassment rise. “Yeah, we got it.”

  Phoebe hands me her phone. I dial the diner, but there’s no answer, so I try Mom’s cell phone. Still no answer. “She’s probably busy. I’ll talk to her when I get home.” I can’t help the relief that comes when she doesn’t answer. I know I’m only delaying the inevitable, but still, I’ll go as long as I can without facing her.

  After saying our good-byes, Ezra walks me out to his car. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks.

  “I’m fine, really.”

  He squeezes my hands. “Good. I think my heart stopped when I saw you fall in the water. It was awful. By the time I got to your canoe, you were gone. How did you get on the other side of the fence?”

  I look down at our clasped hands. It’s hard to believe we only just met. Perhaps my near drowning has brought us closer together, faster. I try to sift through the muddy feelings swirling within me. I’m not one of those girls who depends on a guy to save her life, Ian notwithstanding. My inability to escape an attack by Irish mermaids is not a good barometer for my independence. I free myself and shove my hands in my pockets. “There was a gap in the fence, like a hole. Maybe the current pulled me though.” I certainly can’t tell him about those strange creatures. Away from the lighthouse, away from Ian, what happened feels all the more impossible. These creatures can’t exist in real life.

  “And then you ended up on the other side.” I bristle at his dubious tone, even though I don’t know if I’d believe me were I in his shoes.

  “Yeah. Thank God Ian found me and gave me a ride back here.” I don’t tell him that Ian rescued me. Even though Ian saved my life, I don’t think that would endear him to Ezra. “How do you know Ian?”

  “I don’t. I thought I recognized him from somewhere, but I was wrong.” His gaze shifts away from mine.

  I arch an eyebrow. “Uh huh, sure.”

  Before I can question him further, Ezra takes my hand in his and turns it over, caressing my palm. “I’m glad you’re all right. I was worried about you.”

  I let his hand linger for a couple of seconds before slowly disengaging from his grasp. “Me, too.”

  I get into his car to avoid his questioning gaze. With a sigh, he slips into the driver’s seat. “Just tell me where to drive,” he says. “We can talk more later, if you want.”

  I rest my head back, and through half-closed eyes I watch Ezra drive. “I had to have known you before you left.” I shake my head. “Misery Bay isn’t that big.”

  He shrugs, his fingers drumming the steering wheel as he turns the corner onto my road. “I was eight when we moved. We only lived here for a few months anyway, before we left.”

  In the fading light, the shadows on his face deepen, making him look older. His eyes turn black, like the deep water where I’d almost drowned. I decide not to ask him any more questions. At least not tonight.

  I direct him to the long driveway leading up to my small brick house. “You can drop me off here if you want.”

  “Okay. I’ll wait until you make it inside.”

  “Why? It’s not like there’s anything dangerous waiting for me in my driveway.” The shadows fleeting across his expression send a chill down my spine.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

  Chapter 5

  Five minutes before the diner closes the next day, Phoebe rushes in. The door clangs shut behind her, but that doesn’t bother our only customer, Bill, our resident writer, who taps away at his keyboard in the corner booth. Trailing Phoebe, Andrew, one of our suppliers, lugs in a crate of milk.

  Phoebe’s eyes search the diner until she spots my mom. “Thank God you’re still here.”

  My mom wipes the sweat off her forehead. “Of course we’re still here. You know we don’t get out until close to midnight in the summer.” She pours Phoebe the last sludgy cup of coffee from the pot behind the counter and hands it to her.

  Phoebe takes a sip, ignoring what must be an awful taste. “We got our first batch of campers in today, and already one’s run away. Her name is Esme Phillips. She’s fourteen and a short little blonde thing, just a wisp of a girl. Have you seen her?”

  I lean against the counter and rake my memory of the day’s customers. “No. I don’t remember anyone like that.” Mom shakes her head, too.

  Phoebe shrugs. “I knew it was a long shot, but I’m going nuts. She disappeared right after lunch, and we can’t find her anywhere. Danny got here late last night, and he’s out there looking for her, along with some of the cabin leaders.” Her fingers tighten around the cup. “I figure she must have gotten out of the camp by now and that she might have stopped here or at the gas station for directions.”

  I scan the nearly empty diner. “Mind if I go help?” Mom hesitates, so I press on. “Come on, it’ll help me get my mind off . . . things.”

  Her shoulders slump. “Fine. See if Ezra wants to go, too.” She shakes her finger at me. “But remember, you’re still grounded. No funny business like snagging a canoe for a romantic rendezvous, understand?”

  “Mom!”

  “I’m serious.” Her fierce gaze reminds me of the argument we’d had after I got home last night.

  “You could have died!” She grabs my shoulders and shakes me once for emphasis. “I could have lost you.”

  I wrench away. “I’m fine, honest. I just fell overboard.”

  “And ended up at the lighthouse?” Her voice is accusing, angry. “Don’t think for one second I believe that was an accident. What’s gotten into you lately?”

  “Nothing.” I cross my arms in front of me and glare at her. “It was just a stupid mistake, that’s all.”

  “Were you trying to impress that boy? God, if he told you to do this, I’ll fire him. I swear I will.”

  “It wasn’t Ezra, I swear.” Indecision wars within me. I never found Dad’s keys, so I don’t know if I can tell her about those, nor would she believe me if I told her about anything else that happened. “It was just me being stupid. I’m sorry.”

  Just like that, her shoulders slump, and she pulls me int
o her arms. “Please don’t do anything like that ever again, okay? I can’t lose you, too.”

  In the kitchen, Ezra bends down to pick up a rack of fresh bread. The muscles flex across his back, and I find myself staring at the shifting shadows. I gulp, and he turns around, a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.

  “Something I can help you with?” he asks.

  Heat rushes to my cheeks. “Nothing, um. I was just . . .” In a rush, I tell him about the missing camper and Mom’s offer of us to help look for her.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” He tosses his apron in the dirty bin. “These woods can be pretty dangerous.”

  My thoughts echo back to a car, devoid of life, its hazard lights pulsing in the darkness. “Which is why we should help Phoebe.”

  “I’m in.” He grabs his jacket and shrugs it on. “Now that I know what a magnet for trouble you are, maybe I can help keep you out of it.”

  We follow Phoebe to the camp in silence. Darkness settles over the landscape, turning the trees and shrubs a muted shade of their former vibrant green. The shadows reach out toward us, ready to snag Ezra’s car and drag us into the undergrowth. Is my father out here? God, I hope not. Maybe he found someone’s hunting cabin and is hiding until all this blows over.

  I force my mind away from that train of thought when we turn down the long, winding drive to Camp New Horizons.

  When we pull up to the rec center, we see Phoebe’s brother standing on the front porch. We park in a lot nearly overflowing with cars, and I swear I can feel Danny’s sharp, flinty gaze following us.

  “No luck yet?” Phoebe asks her brother.

  Danny shakes his head. “No. I called the cabin leaders to help keep the kids calm. Volunteer search and rescue is still out there, though, combing the woods and the highway.”

  “What do you want us to do?” I ask Phoebe.

  Danny folds his arms across his chest. “You brought kids to help?”

  Phoebe glares at him. “We can use all the help we can get. Austen used to work here, and Ezra lived in town a few years ago, right?” Ezra nods. “See?”

  “Still, we don’t need kids running around the woods at night.”

  “Fine.” She turns to us. “Why don’t you guys check around the perimeter of the camp? There’s a chance that Esme is still on the property and keeps moving around so she doesn’t get caught.”

  Danny nods. “Feebs is right, she might be anywhere by now.”

  Ezra nods at Phoebe, ignoring Danny. “We’ll do anything we can to help.”

  Danny’s phone rings, and he stalks away to answer it.

  “I apologize for my brother.” Phoebe leads us deep into the rec center. “He can be an idiot at times.” She stops at the janitor’s closet and grabs a couple of flashlights. Under her prompting, we check to make sure they work. “Do you have your cell phones?”

  Ezra nods, and they exchange phone numbers.

  “Mine went swimming, remember?” I say.

  “Oh yeah, I forgot.” Phoebe disappears into her office and rummages around for a few minutes before returning with a pair of two-way radios. She turns the dial. The light flickers so she smacks it against her thigh a few times, as if trying to get the thing to work right.

  “Sorry, kid, but this will have to do for now. It doesn’t have quite the range as a cell phone, but in a pinch, it should suffice.” She hands me one and clips the other to her belt. “It never hurts to have two ways to communicate.”

  I follow her lead. “Thanks.”

  Phoebe grabs a map of the grounds off the coffee table. “Why don’t you start by searching the main buildings. Check the doors, windows, stuff like that. Esme doesn’t have a history of substance abuse, so I don’t think she’s looking for drugs or anything, but you never know with some of these kids.”

  In my head, I imagine a young girl homesick for her family and friends. “Maybe she wanted to go home.”

  Phoebe’s all-too-knowing gaze meets mine. “That’s why the majority of the search is focused on the highway. We think she might be hitchhiking her way out. Now, if you run into any trouble, or anything out of the ordinary, call us.” She waves the walkie-talkie. “I’m on channel three. Okay?”

  After we both nod, she sends us out, promising to keep us posted if they find Esme.

  “We’ll be fine,” Ezra says, giving my hand a squeeze.

  “Yup. Hopefully they’ll find her so we can get back to the diner.” Or maybe sneak a few minutes alone so we can spend some time together. My cheeks heat up at the thought. I turn away before Ezra notices.

  After checking all the unlocked rooms inside the rec center, we try all the doors and reachable windows from the outside of the building. As I walk around the back, a pair of headlights cast bright-yellow beams into the darkness.

  “A delivery truck in the middle of the night?” Ezra gives me a dubious look.

  I shrug. “Truckers work all hours. It probably disrupts the campers less, too. That way they can focus more on getting better.”

  “If you say so.” Ezra shines his light on the side of the truck. Across the parking lot from the loading dock, something rustles in the brush. He flicks his light there, but it’s too far away.

  Senses on alert, I start toward the noise until Ezra puts his hand on my arm. “Wait here,” he says. “I’ll be right back.”

  “But . . .”

  He’s gone, already disappearing into the darkness toward the sound. Great.

  Some traitorous part of me feels slightly relieved, but I squash that down and decide the least I can do is keep looking in case all Ezra finds is a deer or a raccoon.

  With one ear listening intently behind me, I approach the delivery truck. The heavy liftgate is cracked open about a foot. That’s strange. If the driver was still delivering stuff, he’d leave it open all the way. If he was finished, he’d close it. Huh. I measure the opening with my hands. It’s about two feet high. If I wanted to leave without hitchhiking on the highway, this is where I’d hide.

  I cast my flashlight around the outside of the truck, but I don’t see anyone, so I return to the back of the truck and shine the light inside. There aren’t many boxes inside, but, unfortunately, there’re enough to make seeing all the way to the back impossible.

  “Esme?”

  No answer. Damn it. I’ll have to climb in. After taking a deep breath, I set the flashlight in the truck and squeeze under the gate. The inside of the trailer is a lot narrower than it appeared from outside, and the boxes create excellent hiding places.

  “Esme?” I whisper the girl’s name again. “Are you in here? My name is Austen, and I’m a friend of Phoebe’s.” I creep around one of the box towers and shine the light behind it. Nothing. I tiptoe farther into the belly of the trailer. “Is anyone here?” A scraping sound comes from the back of the truck, and I nearly leap out of my skin. Ignoring the voice inside my head that tells me what a bad idea this is, I sneak toward the sound. My flashlight beam reveals a young girl, knees tucked up to her chest, and a waterfall of blonde hair obscuring her face.

  “Thank God you’re all right.” I crouch down next to her. “People have been looking everywhere for you.”

  She sniffles and wipes her nose on her sleeve before shaking her head. “I’m not going back. I wanna go home.”

  I set the flashlight down and sit next to her. “I know.” An aching loneliness fills me, and I wonder for about the millionth time where my father is. “And you will, just not like this.”

  She dabs at her eyes angrily. “Why not? I’ll ride out of the camp. I’ll get out when the truck stops and call my mom. She’ll come pick me up, you’ll see. She’ll tell Dad, too, and then he’ll come and they’ll be together.”

  I sigh and rest my head against the wall of the delivery truck’s trailer. If only I could rely on logic like that, then Dad would come home with a good reason for disappearing and having a strange woman in his car. One that didn’t end in an affair and a murder. “I don’t th
ink it works like that. Sure, she might pick you up, but it won’t solve your problems. It’ll only make them—”

  The liftgate slams, trapping us in utter darkness except for the lone flashlight beam.

  “Hey!” I jump to my feet and bang on the side of the compartment, but it’s no use. A few seconds later, the rumbling engine roars to life.

  My heart hammers in my chest as the truck pulls away from the loading bay. Knocked off balance, I stagger into one of the stacks of boxes and drop the flashlight, which rolls across the floor and clatters against the closed gate.

  “Are you okay?” I blunder around in the darkness for Esme and squeeze her arm when I find her.

  “I—I’m fine.” She hiccups. “I just want to get out of here.”

  “I know.” I fumble for my radio and push some of the buttons but hear nothing except static. Esme huffs in frustration while I fiddle with the radio for a few more seconds.

  “Why isn’t it working?” she asks.

  “Maybe it’s because we’re in a big metal box.” I try to make light of the situation, even as worry eats away at my courage. “Either way, we’re probably stuck until the driver has to stop.” Bracing myself, I settle down next to her again. Half of me is tempted to try to retrieve the flashlight, but the other half reminds me that I’m not particularly graceful, even when the ground isn’t moving underneath me. With my luck, I’d fall and get a concussion.

  After a few minutes of a bumpy rollercoaster ride down the camp’s driveway, we turn onto the road. “See? It’s not so bad now, is it?”

  She doesn’t dignify that with an answer. I almost remind her that it’s her fault we’re trapped here, but I doubt that would help the situation. If I’m going to be stuck in here with a runaway teenager for the next few hours, I don’t want her to hate me.

  The truck shudders, hitting something in the road.