Falling Into Darkness: The Under Series Book 1

by Dakota Lake

  “My grades are fine, we can't all be geniuses.”

  “Okay so what do want to be when you grow up? Isn't that what they're going to start asking you at school soon,”

  “I dunno when I was little I used to imagine myself becoming a princess, I think I would look good in a tiara.”

  “So the fast food joint it is then, I wonder if you get a discount for working there?” “Whatever, you know you can be a real jerk sometimes,”

  “Well you're the one that thought you would grow up to be a princess, I think the phrase in your dreams springs to mind.” he said grunting down a laugh.

  That night I dreamed......

  I was standing in a garden surround by roses and beautiful creatures. Butterflies and birds all different colours. The garden seemed to go on forever and looked to have no boundary. The further I walked the longer the grass grew and the garden became untamed and wild. There was a gentle breeze that blew the long dress I was wearing around my legs.

  I could hear my name being called in the distance, I walked faster in the direction I thought it was coming from, but it seemed to change direction with every gust of wind that seemed to be getting stronger by the minute. The grass seemed to be growing taller all around me as I carried on walking aimlessly. My dress snagged on a thorn bush, I started to untangle it when a large raven distracted me and landed on a near by branch squawking loudly. The wind was getting stronger and the near by trees started to sway and crack. I no longer wanted to be here, it was beginning to frighten me. I traced my steps back and started running looking for a way out of the garden.

  I tripped over a fallen tree branch and fell to the floor, I sat back up to see Cam a short distance away from me, he was dressed from head to toe in black which clashed with his blonde hair. His black eyes sent shivers through me. He held out his hand towards me.

  “It's time to go,”

  “But I'm not ready,” I replied standing up on my wobbly legs.

  “You don't have a choice you belong to me.” he said walking towards me.

  I turned and ran the other way as fast as I could and didn't look back.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I couldn't stop looking at my feet. I had decided to wear my pink high tops and I was convinced it was the first time I had worn them since I had moved to Heaven's Point. So why did Mack say he'd seen them before?

  Mack hadn't spoken to me since he walked out of detention that day and he'd not been seen at school for the rest of the week. I was silly to think he was interested in me, I was just another girl to him and he'd probably had lots of them to keep him amused.

  “What's wrong?” Micah asked flicking me in the arm.

  “Nothing. I was just thinking,”

  “About what?”

  “Nothing it's not important.”

  “Okay, so which one is Aimee again?”

  “Err, the one with brown hair and red streaks.”

  “Hmm the chatty one with no morals,”

  “Yeah that one. What do you think hot chocolate or brown coco?” I asked holding the small colour chart up.

  “I think I have no idea what you're talking about,”

  “Aimee is dying my hair and I've narrowed it down to these two colours.”

  “What's wrong with your hair?”

  “Nothing, it's just time for a change. I've recently started a new school, I've moved in with my brother, I've made new friends, everything has changed so why not my hair as well. So what do you think?”

  “Will there be any boys at this sleepover?” he asked, ignoring my previous question. “No it's just us girls, I already told you like as million times.”

  “What about drugs or under age drinking?”

  “No like I said before it's just us girls and I doubt Caitlin has a stash of drugs in her overnight bag and there wont be any drinking, we already said no alcohol. So will you get off my back already you sound like my brother.”

  “Are you eating dinner there?”

  “No, I thought you could come back and pick me up in half an hour,”

  He looked at me with a face that said there was no way he was driving all the way back to Aimee's again, he was already annoyed that he had to run me back to the cabin after school because I forgot to pack for Aimee's sleepover this morning as I was running late.

  “I was joking. Off course I'm eating dinner there. We're having pizza.”

  He shook his head annoyed with me. “Well why didn't you say that the first time?” I shrugged. “I don't know, cause I like winding you up.”

  “So you wont be needing me for taxi service tonight?”

  “Taxi service is that what you're calling it. I thought this was you baby sitting me while Seth wasn't around. I still don't get why Seth wont let me drive his truck, I mean it's not like he'd notice if I had a bump in it or scratched it as it has dozens already.”

  “Ruby we talked about this he doesn't want you driving, remember,”

  “Why not?” I asked, as he pulled up outside Aimee's.

  “I'm a great driver and I'm responsible he knows that, there's something else you're not telling me.” “Go before the annoying one comes out and talks to me.” he said sticking his thumb in the direction of the house.

  Micah pulled off just as Aimee stepped out her front door.

  “Oh, I wanted to say hi,” she said pouting.

  “He's in a hurry,” I said.

  “Pity, I wanted to ask him what he was doing on Saturday night? I was going to invite him to Robbie's party.”

  “What! No, you can't. What I mean is he's probably busy with work and his girlfriend.” So the girlfriend part was a lie but the last thing I wanted was Micah showing up, I'd told him I was sleeping over at Caitlin's house because I knew there was no way he would let me stay over at Robbie's. Robbie had said us three girls were welcome to the guest house and everyone else that wanted to stay would have to find a couch or a spot on the floor to sleep on.

  “He has a girlfriend?” she asked.

  “Yeah, met her the other day. Tall, skinny, blonde.”

  “Well I'm sure she won't last long, it takes a certain kind of gal to keep those kind of guys happy,” She winked at me. “Come on, I've got everything ready for you. I'm so excited.” She grabbed my bag from me and I followed her in.

  The next few hours I became the centre of attention but the world guinea pig sprang to mind, I just hoped she knew what she was doing or I would be hiding my hair in hat for next week. “Caitlin you need to check the pizza,” I said wondering how long it had been in the oven for. “What?” she shouted over the noisy hair dryer that Aimee was waving around my head. “I said you need to check the pizza,”

  “Oh the pizza, crap!” Caitlin jumped off the stool trying not to smudge her nail varnish. She looked at the oven mitt then back at her wet nails.

  “Aimee I think you've finished, her hair looks perfect. Can someone else please open the oven door for me,”

  “I can.” I said trying to get down from the stool.

  “No stay put, I've nearly finished.” Aimee said brushing a piece of hair away from my face. “Perfect my work here is done, your natural waves give it such a nice finishing touch.”

  “Aimee oven, pizza, dinner,” Caitlin winged.

  “All right, all right don't get your granny sized panties in a twist.”

  I hoped down and went to the mirror. She had somehow managed to leave the ends blonde with a graduated effect so they blended into the dark brown hair. I looked at the top of my head I hadn't been this colour for years.

  “Good job Aimee, I am pleasantly surprised but most of all I actually really like it. It may take some time getting used to looking in the mirror and realising it's my face and not a strangers looking back at me.”

  “You look really different, the brown matches your eyes and looks really pretty, I think Aimee did a good job.” Caitlin said nibbling her slice of pizza. “Ow that's hot!” she said fanning her mouth with her hand.

  �
��That's because I just took it out of the oven a few seconds ago, seriously can you not wait a few minutes?” Aimee said still holding the pizza cutter in her hand.

  “I was hungry,”

  “Well maybe if you ate more than a few lettuce leaves you wouldn't be so hungry, like try eating a nice juicy steak. No wait you can't because you don't eat animals.”

  “Yes because I love animals, I could never eat one.”

  “No you just eat everything else, you've already eaten your way through most of our snacks that were meant to last us until at least midnight.”

  Aimee said carrying the pizza through to the sitting room, the TV was already on showing music videos. Caitlin walked over to the window and I decided which couch to sit on as the were three to choose from.

  “Gosh could it be any bigger?” Caitlin said. We both turned round to look at her, she was looking out the patio glass door.

  “Why did the neighbours erect such a large fence?” Caitlin asked.

  Aimee burst out laughing.

  “What? What's so funny” Caitlin asked.

  I shook my head pretending I didn't know why she was laughing.

  “Well look at it, it's huge,”

  Aimee stood up and joined her at the door.

  “They put it up to stop me from climbing over I don't think they wanted anymore late night pool visits and they now padlock their gate at night.” Aimee said laughing.

  “I still don't get it, what's so funny?”

  “Caitlin you crack me up, I love it when you pretend you don't know what's going on.” “But I don't,” Caitlin said looking confused.

  I helped finish the pizza then I joined Caitlin on the floor to see what she was doing, she had her school bag with her and school books spread out.

  “More research,” I asked noticing her notebook and a book with a picture of an angel falling from the sky on the front.

  “Yep. Mr Stewart let me borrow one of his own books.” she said pushing the book towards me. “Ruby stop! Don't touch that, it might be catching,” Aimee called over to me.

  “What might be catching?”

  “Studying! I told you already Caitlin you're ruining the vibe. I thought we made a compromise you said no alcohol and I said no school stuff,”

  “Well I got bored while you were doing Ruby's hair and there was nothing on TV.” “Nothing on TV, you have over a hundred different channels to choose from.”

  “Well I find studying more interesting.”

  “Yes that's because you're a full on nerd. Come on Ruby I need to get you away from this, before a book appears in your hand and you start reading it.”

  “Where are we going?” I asked looking for my hoodie.

  “Supplies. I forgot to pick up marshmallows for our hot chocolates later and now we need more snacks seeing how Caitlin has munched her way through all of it.”

  Caitlin walked us to the front door, where we both slipped our shoes on.

  “Where are my sunglasses?” Aimee asked Caitlin.

  “How should I know anyway it's getting dark what do you want them for?”

  “Caitlin it was joke. Ruby's shoes, look how pink they are,”

  They both looked at my feet.

  “Have you guys ever seen me in theses before?” I asked.

  “Nope I think I would remember those,”Aimee said.

  “Okay point taken, their not that bad at least I can walk in my shoes.”

  We both looked at Aimee's ankle boots which had a heel like a pencil.

  “Hey, I'll have you know I've only fallen over once or twice in these and that was in the house.” Caitlin crossed her arms looking at her. “Okay maybe more than a few times. Like ten max, okay one time at school in the parking lot into a puddle of mud, yeah that was embarrassing lets not go there. Coming Ruby?” Aimee stepped out the front door. “Caitlin, if I so much as see a book when we get back it's going straight in the neighbours pool.”

  Caitlin stuck her tongue out and closed the door. We turned around to see the neighbour getting out of her car, I think she had overheard her pool being mentioned and didn't look to happy. “Oh hi Mrs. Taylor, I wasn't talking about your pool. Someone else's pool that lives way over there,” Aimee said grabbing my arm. “Quick in the car before the crazy old bat comes over.” Aimee drove the car through town and into a part I had never been before. She pulled up into a small parking lot and parked close to the convenience store, there was a hairdressers on one side and a rental shop on the other, further down there looked to be a betting shop and a take away with a group of boys standing outside.

  “Now I know why Caitlin likes to drive her own car,” I joked.

  “What! My driving wasn't that bad I even braked for the stop signs because I remembered you were in the car.”

  “I was talking about your speed,”

  She shrugged. “Yeah the speedometers broken, so I kind of guess.”

  “Where are we?” I asked getting out.

  “Erm, not the best part of town.” she replied.

  “Which means what exactly?”

  “The rougher side. Don't tell Caitlin she flips out when she knows I come down here but I love the jelly sweets from the store I can't find them anywhere else.”

  “So you thought this would be a good place to come at night just us girls,”

  “What can I say I really want those jelly sweets.”

  We went into the convenience store and picked out the things we wanted I offered to pay but Aimee refused, saying her mom had just won big on bingo and given her money for tonight. We dropped the shopping back in the car and went inside the rental shop.

  “So what exactly are we looking for, I thought I saw a load of DVDs in your bedroom earlier,” I asked picking up a random DVD and looking at the back of it.

  “You did see my DVD collection, it doesn't have much in it that Caitlin would approve of.” said Aimee smirking.

  “So what do you think she would approve of?”

  “Well this is Caitlin we are talking about so nothing with sexual references, violence or bad language.”

  “Which leaves what exactly?”

  “Not much I'm guessing she'd like something from the kiddies section, I don't even know where that is.” she said joking.

  “How about a comedy?” I asked.

  “But I've been wanting to see this for ages.” she said holding up a DVD with red blood splashed across the front.

  “No. Caitlin would have nightmares for the rest of the year, something else perhaps.” We finally decided on a comedy romance and Aimee bought some popcorn for our movie night. Outside was dark and there was only two street lights that were actually working near the parking lot. Aimee opened her bag and stuck her hand in looking for her keys.

  “Whoa slow down, is that Mack?” Aimee asked looking across the parking lot. I looked over at the person she was staring at, he was standing next to a black mustang. It was definitely Mack even in the dark and dressed differently than he normally did, I knew it was him from the way he walked and his build.

  “Wow, he looks hot, like really hot dressed in black I hardly recognised him, that is him right?” “Yeah that's him,”

  “Even his hair is done differently, he looks like an older version of what we see at school, Mack doesn't have a sexy older brother does he?”

  “I don't think so. Actually I don't know whether he has a brother or not I don't know much about him, but I do know that's definitely Mack.”

  “He's on the move,” she said ducking in front of the nearest car and pulling me down with her. “Come on,” She edged her way to the end of the car and quickly ran across the parking lot and hid behind a different car.

  “What are you doing?” I asked squatting down next to her.

  “It's just a bit of fun.”

  “What is?”

  “Following Mack, don't you just love a little night time stalking.”

  “What! We can't follow Mack have you lost your mind?”

  “Come
on Ruby admit it, you're dying to know what he gets up to out of school hours as much as I am,”

  She might have been spot on but still I wasn't going to follow Mack around at night down back alleyways. I was about to tell her what a bad idea this was when she ran over to a tree, I ran quickly to catch up with her.

  Then she ran over to the edge of a block of flats, Mack was further ahead talking on his cell. I had no choice but to follow her.

  “He's a fast mover, isn't he,”

  “This is a bad idea, you said it yourself this is a bad part of town.”

  “Stop stressing we'll be fine, I have my whistle in my pocket and don't you carry bear spray?” “Well not on me, I am wearing skinny jeans I can't exactly fit it in my pocket, Aimee slow down he'll hear your shoes. He already dislikes me what's he going to think of me when he catches us following him. I don't think I'll be able to look him in that face again.”

  “He wont even know it's you, you like a different person with your new hair do, which may I add looks amazing. Just put your hood up and I have this,” She pulled out a purple knitted hat with a large knitted flower on the side.

  “Yeah Caitlin's not the only one that has to wear her Grandma Dorrie's knitting. I have the gloves and scarf to match.” she said pulling the hat on. We walked along the edge of the buildings in the shadows, keeping our distance from Mack. Aimee tried her best to tip toe in her shoes. “A pair of roughly dressed boys started walking our way, we quickly hid behind a dumpster while they past.

  “This is stupid. Yes I want to know where he's going but not enough that it puts us in danger. I mean what if he's going to collect drugs or something,” I said in a hushed voice.

  “I thought you didn't believe those rumours?”

  “I don't, but what else would he be doing down these back streets.”

  “Maybe he lives round here?”

  “You have got to be kidding, round here,”

  “Well I don't know, come on he just went round that corner. Hurry,” she said tip toeing away in the same direction, I jogged slowly and caught up with her in seconds.

  “Maybe next time, you know just encase you want to stalk someone else you could bring a set of pumps. You look like you're in pain.”