Falling Into Darkness: The Under Series Book 1

by Dakota Lake

  “Yes a gift, I thought it would help keep you occupied. Don't want you getting cabin fever while you're here,” he smirked. “You could say thank you,”

  “Err, thank you. This seems a bit much though, you already bought me all those books.” “So you saying you don't want it?”

  “No I didn't say that,”

  “Well good, cause I lost the receipt anyhow. I'll be back tomorrow to pick you up for school make sure you're ready to go when I arrive.”

  “Thanks Micah,”

  He nodded at me and closed the door behind him. This was too much I couldn't accept this, could I? Maybe he wasn't as horrible as I first made him out to be. Maybe he had reasons for the way he was. I was sure going to have to be civil with him now he'd gone and bought me a laptop, who does that?

  He obviously had too much money if he could spare buying things for me, expensive things. I hardly knew him. I ran my hand along the top of the red shiny laptop. I was bubbling inside, my evenings would now consist of chatting to Carly more chatting to Carly and a bit of homework squeezed in the middle.

  The evening passed by in a blur, one minute it was 5pm and I was deciding what to eat, the next it was 10pm and I was watching some random thriller. I had been chatting to Carly most of the night on and off I had finished all of my homework tasks and even soaked in the bath for over an hour. Seth wasn't home and I didn't like going to bed not knowing when he would be back. I made myself a hot chocolate and Gunner tried to stick his snout in it a number of times. I painted my toenails and put my feet up on the coffee table to dry, laying back against the couch. My eyelids began to feel heavy, I closed them for a moment.

  I heard boots moving across the floor before I opened my eyes. I sat up, the TV had gone on to standby mode and switched off, the room was dark. I looked over the back of the couch. Micah was just closing the front door, Seth laid in a heap on the floor, his back to me. I looked at Micah waiting for him to notice me. He did a double take when he spotted me. Seth started moaning. “Micah,” Seth mumbled. “you sure she's in bed?” Micah shot a look in my direction then walked over to Seth.

  “Yeah she's in bed I already checked. Come on lets get you upstairs, you need to rest.” “Stay there,” Micah mouthed at me.

  He helped Seth off the floor and I shrunk back into the couch so Seth wouldn't see me. I quietly tip toed to the kitchen and waited for Micah to come back down stairs.

  “I thought you were in bed. What are you doing down here in the dark?”

  “I fell asleep on the couch. What's going on, what's wrong with Seth,why did he need your help to get him upstairs?”

  “Shhh! Ruby calm down,”

  “No I won't calm down, not until you tell me what's going on, was he beaten up again like last time?”

  “Last time,” Micah said surprised.

  “I saw Seth the night I arrived here, he was cut and bruised his face was all swollen. You didn't seem the least bit bothered at the time,” Micah studied me. “Well say something, anything. Fine I'll just go ask Seth cause I'm sick of been kept in the dark.”

  I tried to push past him but he blocked me.

  “Micah you either tell me or I'm going to ask Seth either tonight or in the morning. I don't care if he doesn't want to tell me yet I need to know what's going on, ever since I arrived in this town it's been one thing after the other. What is it you're not telling me?”

  He ignored me, I tried to shove him out the way, but he wasn't budging. “Move,” I shoved him as hard as I could but it was like hitting a brick wall.

  “Ruby, stop it. Seth's asleep he doesn't need this right now he needs to rest.” he said grabbing me by the shoulders pushing me back. I stared at him, looking straight into his eyes what was he hiding? The next thing happened so fast, in a blink of an eye the room changed around me, I wasn't standing in the kitchen with Micah anymore.

  I was standing in some sort of small crowded stadium, there were rows of seats round the edge, I could see a balcony running along the top. I looked down to the center where there was some sort of ring with a cage built round it, there was lots of extra caging and bars stacked at the back. The place was packed mostly with guys but I spotted one girl all were cheering and shouting, the atmosphere was clouded with smoke. Two guys near me were having a bust up over who spilled who's beer. As I looked around I realised everyone looked young no one looked older than thirty it looked like the place was packed with college students.

  I tried to turn around but I couldn't, it was as if my arms and legs wouldn't cooperate with what my mind was telling them to do. Then I got a quick look at my arms and hands, this wasn't my body. I was trapped inside someone.

  The person moved further down the steps up to a group of rowdy looking guys, most of them were smoking, some drinking and half of them were covered in tattoos. What was this place? “There he is, been looking for you,” said a tall dark haired guy with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. “You sorted my bet out for me?”

  “Yeah it's all done. I'm finished for the night so all bets through Nick now,” said a very familiar voice, I knew that voice it was Micah's. I was stuck inside Micah, what was going on? “Seriously I hate that guy, he doesn't know what he's doing half the time.” the guy said to Micah. “Well I have to take off, things to do,” Micah said.

  “Really, like what? We hardly see you anymore what is it that's keeping you so busy nowadays?” “Just stuff I don't have to explain myself to you,”

  “Okay, chill I was just asking,” he said, downing an energy drink. He crushed the can with his hand and dropped it on the floor then he popped open a beer and started drinking that instead. “Who'd you put your money on tonight?” a guy with a green mohican asked the dark haired guy. “My moneys on the Neph in the third match, he's been killer the last few matches,” “Nah should of put your money on Trip he's in tonight, absolute monster that guy,” “Well we'll see, my moneys still on the Neph.”

  “What's the name of that Neph?” asked a very attractive girl with long wavy blonde hair with black streaks.

  “Seth I think, is that right Micah? Neph in third round,”

  “Yeah that's Seth.” Micah answered.

  Seth did they mean my brother Seth? Third match as in a fighting match. Micah had turned and was squeezing past people down the steps, he walked round the corner and went under the stands and came out near a booth.

  “I'm off Nick. Think you can manage on your own?”

  “I should be all right, if things get out of hand I've got Sean and Beck on the door,” “All right well I'll see you later,” Micah said tapping a car key against the booth window. Micah then walked over to a door where a guy dressed in black with a ponytail opened it for him, as he stepped through to outside everything started to slide sideways.

  I blinked and opened my eyes to darkness.

  I was back in my bed, I sat up and checked myself to make sure it was my body. I switched the bedside light on. I felt dizzy and my head was spinning, I had just been inside Micah's head for the second time.

  Catching a glimpse of a memory one that felt very real like I was really there, just stuck inside Micah's body. My mind reading ability was going to a whole new level.

  I tried to piece it together. I was inside a fight club that much I was pretty sure of. They all talked about taking bets and it looked like Micah was a part of it. No wonder he wouldn't tell me where he worked. Taking bets in an illegal underground fight club. So that's where he got all his money and Seth was part of it.

  It would explain seeing him all beaten up, but it didn't explain how he magically healed over night. And they called Seth a Neph, what was a Neph, maybe it was his ring name? I would see Micah soon, he did say he was taking me to school in the morning. I would just have to wait and see what he has to say about all this.

  I laid back down and suddenly wondered how I had even got into my bed, when I had last been standing in the kitchen. I closed my eyes and tried not to think too much as my head was thudding. I
was too tired to get changed into my pyjamas, so I just pulled the throw over me and closed my eyes.

  The next morning I felt better and was out of bed early before my alarm had even gone off. I got washed and dressed and found myself hovering around outside Seth's bedroom door. I had already stopped myself from knocking on it twice. Why couldn't he just tell me, I wasn't a little girl anymore I could handle the truth, no matter how scary the truth actually was.

  I had just about mustered up enough courage to knock for real this time, when a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the door.

  It was Micah and he had a frown on his face, the same one I was used to seeing every time I did or said something wrong. Just now it didn't frighten me as much.

  “Outside now,” he said, turning his back on me.

  I slammed the truck door and glared at him, he glared back. A few moments passed this was getting us nowhere and I didn't like the thought of eye to eye contact with him for too long. Goodness knows where in his memory I would end up and I had school today I didn't want to sleep through a whole day in the truck.

  “Answers now, I want them proper ones. I'm not moving from this seat until you give me some,” “That's fine, when I swing past school don't be to alarmed when I shove you out then,”he said, reversing the truck.

  “Micah I know about the fight club. Is that how you pay for everything with illegal underground betting?”

  “So you're saying you don't want the laptop, cause I bought it with shady money,” “What no,”

  “Then what's the problem? It's just one of those things that goes on behind closed doors, it's no big deal. Anyway you shouldn't of been snooping in my head.”

  “It was an accident, I didn't mean to. It just sort of happened when I looked into your eyes. I remember thinking I wanted to know what you were hiding from me and the next thing I knew I was inside your head.”

  “Well try to control yourself, I know you have a hard job keeping your eyes off me,” he smirked. “Yeah right. Is everything a joke to you?”

  “No I take my job very seriously,”

  “What taking bets at some dirty fight club,”

  “No my other job,”

  “And what's that stealing candy from small children?”

  “Keeping you out of harms way,”

  “Well you haven't done a very good job so far, my face is still not impressed with your batting skills.”

  “If I remember correctly I did tell you to stay in the cupboard. Maybe when I tell you to do something in the future you should actually listen. So you obviously saw the inside of the club last night when you invaded my head.”

  “I didn't invade anything, I didn't even want to go in, I don't even know how I did it. This is all new territory to me, I've only ever been able to hear thoughts or read minds but now with you I can for some reason get into yours.”

  “Yes and I'd prefer it if you stopped doing it, it's a huge invasion of privacy and you might see things you shouldn't, so stop it. Now is there anything else from last night I should know about?” “No, I just saw the club nothing else. But the fight club does explain why Seth came home all beaten up though, but not how he went to bed all roughed up and woke up without a scratch on him. Do you have anything to say about that?”

  Micah just shrugged.

  “No you don't get to brush me off anymore. You know I'm halfway to finding out the truth, you might as well just fill in the gaps,”

  “Err no, Seth would be less then pleased with me if I did that.”

  “Fine I'll just figure it out on my own then. So Seth fights at this club, he then goes to bed all black and blue and wakes up looking normal again. So either he's taking some illegal healing drug or his body is physically healing itself. Both sound completely unrealistic, but if I can read minds that's not exactly normal either. So I'm going to go with the ability to heal himself. If he's my brother and we share the same genes how come I can't do that? It would of come in handy,” I said touching my face where the bruising was.

  “Your face looks fine,” he said pulling my hand away from it. “the bruising is already disappearing, would you stop moaning about it already, you're like a broken record.”

  “No I will continue to moan and be a complete nuisance until you start giving me answers,” “Well good job for me you're at school for most of the day,” he said, parking the truck. “Go on, you don't want to be late. I'll be back to pick you up. You've got my number if you need me for anything,”

  “Unlikely.” I said, slamming the door.

  The day passed slowly and by late morning it was raining again. The cafeteria was packed due to the rain outside and we couldn't find anywhere to sit, so Caitlin and I ended up sitting on the steps inside school while Robbie and Josh skidded up and down the wet corridor floor. The next class was English Literature, I couldn't work out if I was pleased about this or not. Sitting next to Mack for a whole hour. A whole hour of not being able to hear his thoughts, a whole hour of wondering what he was thinking.

  Micah still wasn't telling me anything, I still had no idea what made him different why I couldn't read his mind like every other normal human being. Maybe that was it he wasn't normal and neither was I, but if we weren't normal then what were we? The bell sounded pulling me out of my random thoughts.

  “Hey, are you all right? You've been really quiet today,” Caitlin asked, as we walked to class. “No I'm fine, I'm just tired, a lot going on at home with family stuff that's all,”

  “Well if you ever want to talk I'm good listener.” I smiled and nodded, then found my seat. Mrs. Barnes rushed in looking flustered. She was the art teacher that also filled in for any other teacher on leave and doubled as the school secretary, her hair was in a bun again held up by a pencil.

  “Right everybody if you could all settle down,”

  But no one seemed to have heard her or be taking any notice. “Mr. Gibson is off ill today, he said there was a video he wanted you to watch for discussion in tomorrows class,” she said, checking the desk and cupboards.

  “Does anyone know where it would be?” she asked.

  But everyone carried on chatting to one another, no one was paying attention. Another teacher popped her head around the door.

  “Edith there's a phone call at the desk, to do with school trip fees.”

  “Oh okay, can everyone find something useful to do maybe catch up on reading or finish homework while I'm gone.”

  I looked around highly doubting anyone would suddenly get their homework out as no one was even listening to her. I slumped down onto my desk and laid my head on my arms looking out the window, the stool next to me was still empty. I wondered where Mack was, was he off sick or was he just playing truant? More to the point why did I even care I didn't even know him, but it didn't stop my mind from wondering. The stool next to me scraped back, I peeked over my arm, it was just Caitlin.

  “Poor Mrs. Barnes she's the schools lackey no wonder she looks on the edge of a mental break down. I had her fill in for my history teacher, half way through the class she broke down in tears and it was only the first day back. Kids are so mean.”

  Caitlin pulled out her cell and started giggling.

  “Josh just asked me if I was going to The Jump on Saturday night, what do I say?” “I don't know are we definitely planning on going?” I asked, sitting back up.

  “Well we have to go now seeing as Josh is going to be there.”

  Her voice had gone high pitched clearly she was excited about this.

  “Anyway don't you have a date with the janitor?” she said, a little louder than necessary that the girl in front turned and gave me a dirty look.

  “Shhh!”

  “What I thought you liked him?” she said in a hushed tone.

  “I do, I don't know, maybe? I haven't given it much thought. I don't know anything about him, I don't even know how old he is?”

  “Hmm, I'd say just by looking at him maybe twenty, twenty one which only makes him three ye
ars older and he obviously likes you hence why he can't stop staring at you,”

  “What are you talking about?” I looked at her and followed her gaze out the classroom door which had been left wide open. In the corridor there was a ladder set up and Cam was at the top dressed in his overalls and a cap. He was doing something to the light fitting, he was looking over in my direction with a grin on his face. I laid my head back on my arms.

  “He just looked over here again,”

  “Stop it you're making it worse just ignore him. Weren't you in the middle of messaging Josh?” “Oh yeah,”

  I wasn't sure whether I liked the attention or not I didn't think it was a good idea to encourage it though. So closing my eyes and hiding my face was the best way to avoid looking at him.

  There was a little girl sitting on her bed drawing. She had drawn a picture of a garden full of the strangest most colourful flowers. There were butterfly’s with wings much bigger than normal in various colours, they blended in amongst the flowers. In the sky she had drawn a sun and a large black bird with wings spread out soaring across sky. When she had finished she put all her crayons back in the box, as she was doing this a tall hooded figure appeared in the room wearing all black the hood covering the face of the stranger. She looked up and had the biggest smile on her face. She stood up on her bed and started bouncing excitedly.

  “You're here, you're here,” she said jumping around.

  “Shhh! You'll wake everyone,” he said.

  She giggled and jumped back onto the bed into a sitting position.

  “I made you a picture,” she said handing it to him.

  He moved over to the bed and sat at the edge next to her.

  “Do you like it?”

  “I love it, it looks very colourful.”

  “Can you take me there now, please Cammy please,”

  He shook his head.

  “Not tonight, but soon princess, I promise.”

  She pulled a sad face.

  “I can't stay I have to get back,” he said standing taking the picture with him.

  “But you haven’t read me a story,”

  “All right but make it a short one tonight.” she hopped off the bed and went over to the bookcase, quickly choosing a book she hurried back to her bed. He read her a a few pages, then closed the book placing it on the bedside table.