My breath seizes in my throat as I grab the bag. It’s wet and the scent of iron fills my nostrils. The fabric sticks to my hand, and when I let it go, it’s smudged dark brown. I bring the bag up to my nose and take a good whiff. Blood. Oh God. Please don’t let it be Ezra’s.
“Austen?” Ian calls as he enters the living room. “What are you doing over there?”
Ian lied to you. What else is he lying about? Maybe Ezra didn’t disappear into the portal after all. Maybe he never left. You’ve got to get out of here, or might be next.
“What did you . . .” He zeroes in on the bag I’m holding. “I can explain.”
“Don’t bother.” Adrenaline courses through every nerve in my body as I race to the front door, wrench it open, and flee into the night.
Chapter 9
Instinct takes over as I fly through the forest. I don’t remember finding the hole in the fence or squeezing through it, but suddenly I’m racing up to my car. I skid to a stop and grab the door handle, but it doesn’t budge. Heart in my throat, I spin around, sure that Ian’s right on my heels, but there’s only darkness. I’m alone.
I peer through the window. My keys glint dully in the pale moonlight. I must have dropped them in my haste to follow Ezra.
A branch cracks behind me, and I run through the woods again until I reach the weathered arches heralding Camp New Horizons. All the buildings are dark, but I sneak through the rec center to Phoebe’s room and bang on her door, breath heaving from my lungs.
Phoebe swings the door open, rubbing her eyes and yawning. “Austen? What’s going on?”
“It’s Ian. He . . . he killed Ezra.”
A confused look crosses her face. “What are you talking about? Ian could never—”
I push past her into her apartment and slam the door. “He did, I swear! I found Ezra’s backpack, and there was blood all over it.”
She holds up her hand. “Just a second. Let me get Danny, okay? He’ll want to hear this.”
I pace impatiently in her room, door locked, while she retrieves him. Every creak and rustle outside the door makes me jump, and when Phoebe knocks, I almost leap out of my skin.
Danny grins at me before sinking into Phoebe’s chair. “Never a dull moment, eh?”
Phoebe rolls her eyes and gestures for me to take the remaining seat before perching on the bed. “Okay. Start from the beginning.”
Even after relaying the story about the monster in the forest, how Ezra sliced through the fence, and why I chose to follow him through it, I hesitate when I get to the portal. They’d never believe me if I told them. I have a hard time still believing it all happened, and I was there. Instead, I jump right to Ian catching me and pick up the truth from there.
“And you’re sure that backpack was Ezra’s?” Danny asks.
I nod, gulping down the bile rising in my throat. “Positive. I saw him carry it through the hole in the fence.”
Danny gives Phoebe a long, considering look. “What if she’s right? Ian’s so protective over his damn land. Maybe he snapped.”
Phoebe jumps to her feet and paces the small room. “Absolutely not. There’s got to be a logical explanation for this.” She glares at Danny. “Ian would never kill someone.”
I fold my hands in my lap to keep them still. “I thought so, too, but then I found Ezra’s bag.”
Phoebe grabs her coat and slips on a pair of shoes. “There’s only one way to get to the bottom of this. Let’s go talk to Ian. I’m sure he found the bag somewhere. I’ve known Ian a long time, and he’d never hurt anyone.”
I plant my fists on my hips and shake my head. “If he found Ezra’s backpack, why didn’t he take it to the police? He had to have something to do with it. I am not going back there.”
“Fine.” Phoebe stretches her glare to include both Danny and myself. “You stay here. We’ll go.”
“Are you crazy? I’m not staying here alone!”
She sighs, exasperation and exhaustion evident on her face. “We’re closer to the lighthouse than we are to your house, so unless you want to call your mom to come pick you up, make a decision.”
Danny unfolds himself from Phoebe’s chair and stretches, cracking his back. “Come on, kid,” he says. “You might as well come, too.”
I brush away the memory of Ian’s gentle touch as he tended to my wounds and replace it with the coppery, metallic scent of blood. “What if he’s armed and dangerous?”
Danny lifts up the corner of his T-shirt, revealing a dull-black handgun tucked in the waistband of his jeans. “He’s not the only one. I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you, okay?”
Biting my lip, I consider my options. If I stay here, Ian might show up and, I don’t know, do whatever it was he did to Ezra. If I go with them, at least Danny’s armed, and that gives me a little protection. That and you might finally get some answers.
I force a smile to my lips. “Okay, let’s go.”
Before we leave, Phoebe calls Ari and puts it on speakerphone. “Could you come by the camp?”
Her sister sighs dramatically. “You’re damn lucky I’m still in town,” Ari says. “Not every sibling would be as awesome as I am and save your rear at the drop of a hat. Well, except for our pain-in-the-ass brother, that is.”
“I heard that,” Danny grumbles.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Ari hangs up.
As soon as her headlights brighten the big windows in front of the rec center, Danny leads us out to Phoebe’s Jeep. “Wait here,” he tells me. “We need to let Ari know what’s going on, and then we’ll be right back.”
“Sure, no problem.” I watch their heated exchange with my arms crossed in front of my chest. I don’t know exactly what they’re saying, but none of them looks happy about anything. I don’t blame them. I’m not too pleased, either.
After they finish talking, Phoebe and Danny join me in front of the Jeep. “Give me your keys.” He holds out his hand to Phoebe. With a sigh, she hands them over. “We all know that I’m the safer driver by far,” he says with a smirk. “But just because we have to take your piece of crap, doesn’t mean I have to risk my life any more than necessary.”
Phoebe flips him off.
Danny takes the highway for a few minutes before turning down a dirt road almost hidden by dense foliage. There’s no mailbox, no road sign, nothing to signify a driveway except for a momentary indentation in the undergrowth so small you’d miss it if you blinked.
About a quarter mile in, Danny reaches a huge chain-link gate with barbed wire on top, like the fence Ezra shorted out. Phoebe taps a button on the dashboard, and the gate swings open. “Only a couple people have vehicles that are allowed access. Phoebe has one of them.”
Danny pulls into the grassy clearing in front of the lighthouse. My stomach drops. What will Ian say when he sees us at his door?
“Are you coming with us?” Phoebe turns her head to look at me.
“Um, yeah. I’m not going to stay out here in the car alone. Don’t you watch any horror movies? It’s a surefire way to get killed.”
Danny chuckles as we get out of the Jeep and approach the lighthouse.
“Fine. Just don’t get in the way.”
I roll my eyes when he turns around.
He raps on the front door three times and steps back. We wait, but there’s no answer.
“He was here,” I mutter, glancing toward the forest.
Phoebe murmurs something to her brother under her breath. He shrugs and knocks again.
When there’s still no answer, Phoebe digs around in her pocket and pulls out a big key ring. She selects a silver key and slides it into the lock. The handle turns with a click, and Phoebe pushes the door open.
All the twinkling Christmas lights are off. The glass statues, once glowing and inviting, now look dangerous and foreboding, touched only by the barest of moonlight through the windows. I give the eagle a wide berth and skirt the old man. He seems sadder in the darkness, his wings drooping more and
the sorrow carving deeper rivets in his face. The kettle still sits on the stove, its water grown cold, and a pair of teacups waits to be washed in the sink. My bag of wet clothes rests by the front door, and I pick it up. “These are mine.”
Phoebe turns to Danny. “Where do you think he is?”
He gives her a disgusted snort. “You know where he went. We’re wasting our time here.”
She sighs, and her gaze travels to the rocky mound by the shore. “I was afraid of that.”
I grab her arm. “Wait, you think he went into the cave? Why?”
Her spine stiffens, and she takes a deep breath. “I really think you ought to wait in the car, it’d be much safer for you.”
“Fat chance of that happening.” I jerk my head at her brother. “I’m sticking with the guy with the gun.”
Danny chuckles. “You might as well tell her, Feebs. She’ll figure it out on her own eventually.”
I jerk my thumb at him. “Exactly. Tell me what’s going on, please.”
“No. I’m going to look around in case Ian tripped and fell.” She stomps toward the cave, flicking on a small flashlight she’d pulled from her pocket. Danny and I trail behind her.
“For what it’s worth,” he says when Phoebe’s out of earshot. “I think you should know the truth.”
“Danny?” Phoebe calls when she reaches the cave. “Are you coming?”
He cups his hands around his mouth. “Yes, dear!”
She disappears into the darkness. “Phoebe, don’t!” I yell, but it’s too late. The cave has swallowed her whole.
When Danny and I reach the cave’s entrance, he flicks on the flashlight app on his phone. “Ready?” he asks, pointing the beam inside.
In my mind, I hear the pirate captain’s gravelly voice telling me to drink the wine, menace dancing in his eyes. At least Danny’s got a gun. That’ll stop even the most persistent pirate. “I guess so,” I say and follow him inside.
It’s empty, well, except for Phoebe scanning the ground with her flashlight.
“Kind of a letdown, really,” Danny says. “I thought we’d find something.”
“Like what?” Phoebe snaps. “Ian dead?”
“It would simplify things.”
Danny’s light falls on the glowing portal in the corner.
Instead of the swirling darkness, it looks frozen, like a mirror rather than a black hole. Lining the edge of the portal are several glowing opaque stones.
“Those are new,” I say.
“You were here?” Danny’s flashlight blinds me.
I shade my eyes. “Um, yeah. I guess I didn’t mention that.” A sinking feeling fills my stomach. You’re an idiot, Austen. You should have kept your mouth shut.
“What else did you forget to mention?” Phoebe asks.
I give them a self-conscious laugh. “That there were pirates?”
Danny swears under his breath. “Short version. Now.”
After relaying the entire horrible story, Danny points at the glowing rocks. “And you’re sure those weren’t there before?”
I shake my head. “Positive.”
He reaches out to touch one, but Phoebe slaps his hand away.
“Ian must have wanted to stabilize the gateway,” she says. “Which is why you shouldn’t touch it.”
“Do you think Ian went after Ezra?” I ask.
“I doubt it.” Danny inspects the rest of the portal. “I honestly don’t think he’d care if that boy lived or died.” His words sprout something cold and terrible within me, but I don’t know how to respond. I remember their argument after Ian helped me rescue Esme. There’s no love lost between the two, that’s for sure.
Danny turns to Phoebe. “What do you want to do now?”
She stares at the crevice, indecision making her shoulders slump. “I don’t know.”
After we leave the cave, Phoebe’s phone rings. “It’s your mom. Answer it. I’m sure she’s worried sick.”
I reluctantly take the device from her hand. “Do I have to?”
She fixes me with a stern look. “Yes.”
“Fine,” I say, gritting my teeth.
“Phoebe?”
Upon hearing the panic in Mom’s voice, guilt swamps me.
“No, it’s me, Mom.”
“Austen? Thank God you’re safe. What are you doing out at the camp?”
“I . . .” I glance at Phoebe, who shrugs and turns away. “I went out to look for Ezra and locked my keys in the car.”
She swears under her breath. “What in the hell were you thinking? You need to stay home and stop sneaking around. You’re going to get yourself lost, or . . .”
She doesn’t say it, but then again she doesn’t have to.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur. “I wasn’t thinking.”
Silence stretches between us. “Give me ten minutes to wake up your brother and sister and then I’ll be right there.”
Phoebe holds out her hand, and I gratefully pass her the phone. She listens to my mom for a while and then says, “Don’t wake the kids. Danny and I are already up; we’ll drop her off. No, it’s no problem. We’ll see you soon.”
Phoebe hangs up the phone and stuffs it in her pocket. “Ready?” she asks no one in particular. Danny grunts in response and passes us, striding quickly toward the Jeep.
“Have your mom give us a call when she needs to go to the diner, and we’ll pick her up to unlock the car,” Phoebe says as we pull into my driveway.
After agreeing and thanking them for the ride, I drag my feet up the front walk. The porch light flickers on, and I can see my mom’s shadow in the dim light behind the curtains. She’s going to kill me. If I hadn’t been stupid and locked the keys in the car, she never would have realized I was gone.
She opens the door. “Get in here,” she says, her voice weary and defeated. Once inside, Mom gestures to the couch. “Sit down.”
I sink into the worn cushions, wishing I could disappear. My hair drifts over my face, so she can’t see the burning shame coloring my cheeks. “I just wanted to look for him, Mom. The cops weren’t doing anything. They said there wasn’t even a hole in the fence, but I knew exactly where it was.” I peek through my hair to see her purse her lips.
“That was a stupid risk. I can’t bear to lose you, too, especially with your dad being gone.” Her voice cracks.
“I know, it was stupid of me.”
She pulls me into her arms and tucks my head under her chin. “Please don’t ever do that again, okay?”
In her arms, I feel the same warmth and safety I’d felt when I was younger, as if nothing could hurt me.
“I won’t,” I say, but somewhere deep inside my heart I know it’s a lie. If it’d help me find Dad, or Ezra, I’d sneak out again in a heartbeat.
Chapter 10
“Big Jim’s, really?” I point at the huge wooden moose standing proudly in the middle of the parking lot for Big Jim’s Eat-In. “It’s a bar. Even the sign is wrong. We don’t have any moose here.”
“Eh, it’s part of the up north vibe.” Mom pulls into the nearest parking spot. “And I’m glad we don’t have moose to deal with, deer are bad enough.”
So are terrifying growling monsters that set traps and kill truck drivers. I force the thought from my mind. “At least the food’s pretty good.” I tug the sleeves on my shirt down to cover the bandages on my wrists. Even though it’s bound to be sweltering hot today, I’m wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt to hide my wounds. I can’t let Mom find out what happened. She has enough to deal with right now.
“It definitely beats your cooking.” She grins to take the bite out of her words.
“Hey, you taught me everything I know.”
“Then God knows you’re in trouble.” Mom chuckles. We step out into the sweltering summer heat. “I’m so glad Grandma and Grandpa offered to watch Brett and Molly.” She throws her arm around my shoulders. “We really needed some one-on-one time.”
I try not to laugh while we walk to the front do
or. “Sure, Mom, whatever.”
Cracked red booths line two walls, while the back is taken up by a huge wooden bar, which is surrounded by stools and flat screen TVs suspended from the ceiling. All are playing some variation of sports or sports recap shows. Exactly what I want to watch in the morning. A smattering of square tables with glass tops covering the table clothes sit vacant in the center of the room. There are only two other occupants, both elderly patrons reading newspapers and sipping coffee.
Mom sighs. “It was either this or burned toast. I wasn’t in the mood to cook this morning. It’s a good thing Mark came in.” She leads me to the cleanest looking table, which is located next to the bathroom door. I cringe. It’s probably not too bad in the morning, but sitting outside the bathroom is never a prime spot.
The cook, a round, balding man in his early fifties named Big Jim yells for us to come up to the bar. He hands Mom a pair of sticky menus reeking of beer and cooking grease.
“Lovely.” I handle the menu with the tips of my fingers and try to find something that isn’t bar food. There, under the miniscule breakfast label, eggs benedict. Mom picks the same thing and returns to the bar to place our order.
When she returns, I fix her with my most serious stare. “We need to talk.”
Her face blanches. “Oh God. You’re not pregnant, are you?”
“What?” I shriek. “No! I don’t even have a boyfriend.”
She swipes the back of her hand over her forehead in relief. “Phew. Thank God. I know you and Ezra were pretty close, but I hope you’d exercise more caution than that.”
I scowl at her. “Seriously, Mom. Gross. I want a new phone.”
I can tell she’s going to say no before she even says a word. “You know I can’t afford one right now. Maybe if you work at the diner more, you’ll be able to buy one yourself in a couple months.”
“A couple months? That’s torture. It’s inhumane.”
Mom’s knuckles turn white on the handle of her coffee cup. “You’re the one who went swimming with it. That’s not my problem.”
I fold my arms in front of my chest. “But what if I need to call you, like last night, and I can’t?”
When Darkness Falls Page 13
