Falling Darkness: The second book in the Falling Awake Series

by T. A Richards Neville

  I picked up my coat and after putting on my boots, I ascended the narrow staircase into the night air. I sucked in a breath full of fresh sea air. The soft wind felt good after the sweatiness of the small room I had just woken up in, and it lifted the stickiness from my warm skin. Ressler stepped through the door of a Small cabin where Sully sat steering the boat.

  “We’re here,” he said, coming over to me. I walked up to the railing of the boat and peered right over at the approaching bay in front of me. The whole backdrop to the Harbor was a blunder of tree filled mountains. “How far are we from Shi Shi beach?” I asked Ressler.

  “About a half hour driving.”

  “How long walking?”

  “Five hours.”

  “Five hours?” I shrieked.

  “I don’t know, but it’s only a half hour driving.”

  Driving wasn’t really one of our options right now. “We don’t have a car,” I said.

  ***

  “I would rather walk for five hours,” I said to Ressler, standing next to a beat up green, Sierra pickup truck.

  “You walk then. I’m getting in this thing.”

  “You can’t just steal someone’s truck.” I stepped in between Ressler and the Sierra. “Let’s get a bus or something.”

  “Do you see any buses? You’re in the wild now, girl. Get in or get walking.”

  Ressler pulled the handle on the door and sure enough, the damn thing wasn’t even locked.

  “Too easy,” he said, smiling to himself. He closed the door behind him and dipped his head under the steering wheel, getting started on hotwiring the truck.

  I looked about me nervously. I was as good as in the middle of a crime scene. The place was almost deserted, but the vast and empty gravel road made me feel too exposed. The Truck coughed and sputtered to life and Ressler let his window down.

  “You getting in or what?”

  “Or not,” I said, angry that he was even putting me in this situation.

  “So I’ll just meet you there then? He whipped his arm out in front of him and pushed up his sleeve, checking the time on a watch he wasn’t even wearing. I’ll see you there around… midnight?” He flashed me a full on grin and tapped on the steering wheel, impatiently.

  “I’m laughing on the inside,” I said.

  “Suit yourself. You know the way to Shi?” I just ignored him and stood with my arms firmly on my hips.

  “Okay, see you not so soon.” The car started forward and reversed out into the road. He was just gonna leave me here?

  “Watch out for mountain lion, and bears,” he shouted to me. I didn’t know whether or not that was a joke, but it was enough to get me into the truck.

  The tide was pulled right out once we got to Shi Shi beach and the smell of smoke instantly greeted me.

  Ressler and I followed the bend of a seastack that could have been the exact same one my dad had been standing next to in the picture, and the curve of the shore was on our right. There was an orange and yellow glow, further along the beach. A bonfire.

  Looking out into the stretch of sand, my only other options were either the sea, or the tree lined forest that ran the length of the beach, and neither of them were gonna tell me anything.

  “Let’s go talk to them,” I said to Ressler.

  We wandered past the tide pools, which I suspected were something pretty special during the day. I was wishing it was light out so I could really see how great this place truly was.

  "Pria, is that you?” Someone at the bonfire knew my name. Ressler stopped walking and instinctively flung his arm out to push me further back.

  "I see you back there." A body stood up, a black silhouette against the orange flame of the crackling fire. As he stood up, his long, silky black hair swung loosely around his shoulders.

  Wait... I knew him. I stepped out from behind Ressler and as the boy grew closer, I gasped in pure horror. "It's you."

  He stretched his arms out, palms up. Stepping over the sand cautiously. "I can explain."

  "Don’t come any nearer," I warned. "I mean it. Stay where you are."

  “What the fuck is going on here?” Ressler asked, pulling me back.

  "I know what you must think of me, but just hear me out."

  I couldn’t remember his name but it was hard to forget that glowing, coppery skin. Who knew so much beauty could be so deceiving?

  "You left me there. In the cemetery." I had to bite my teeth together to stop from throwing myself at him and strangling him.

  "I know and-"

  "You drugged me and you left me."

  "I'm sorry I-" He shook his head, "Wait, I what? I drugged you? I never drugged you."

  “You drugged her?” Ressler was ready to pounce.

  "You were giving me drinks all night and then the next thing I'm hallucinating and passing out. That's drugging someone." I was almost certain the scary, black shadow was anything but a hallucination, but this boy had something to do with it one way or another and he wasn’t getting away with it.

  "I would never do that to you, or anyone else."

  "That means nothing to me. It had to have been you. When a guy gives you drinks and that leads to imagining great big, black figures coming after you- there's drugs involved somewhere. I'm going to call the cops, just so you know. You aren't getting away with this. How many other helpless girls have you done this kind of thing to?" If he thought I was angry now, I was just getting started.

  I was caught off guard by the bitter laughter that exploded from his mouth. "Helpless? You? I don’t think so. And what you saw that night... I saw it too."

  A few heads from the crowd around the bonfire turned to watch us.

  "You saw that?” I couldn’t believe it. Someone else saw that. I had a perfect witness.

  "It was why I ran. That's what I'm sorry for. For leaving you there. I've just- I've never seen anything like that before. It freaked me out. Like really freaked me out."

  "You really didn’t drug me?"

  "I would never do that. I know you don’t think it, but I'm a good guy."

  “You’re the guy from the party? You just left her there alone?” The muscle jumped in Ressler’s jaw and he flexed his hand in and out of a fist by his sides.

  “Ressler, please,” I said. “Can you just let me deal with this?” He didn’t look happy but he kept his lips pressed in a tight line. He would be all over this guy if it came down to it.

  "What are you doing here?" I asked. "How did you find me?"

  He looked like he had no idea what I was talking about. "How did I find you? You're on my turf now."

  “What happened to La Conner? You’re a little far from home aren’t you?” I was sure he told me that was where he was from. That’s why he was partying in Roche Harbor, because of the cancelled football game.

  “I just said that.” He stole a look over his shoulder.

  “What’s going on? One of the other boys shouted, throwing his hands up in the air.

  “One minute,” he said to me and ran back over to his friends. He said something to them and came jogging back over.

  “I’m Matoskah by the way.”

  Ressler made a scoffing noise next to me.

  “Can I maybe talk to you alone?” His eyes flicked between me and Ressler

  “No way,” Ressler answered. “No fucking way.”

  “I wasn’t asking you.” Matoskah looked at me. “I’m asking her. Just over by those tide pools.” I checked them out behind me. If I needed him, Ressler could be there in a matter of seconds.

  “I’ll only be a minute,” I said to Ressler.

  “No you won’t.”

  “I’m right over there. Just a few minutes.”

  “Then we’re out of here,” Ressler said, scowling at Matoskah. “You’ve got five minutes.” I smiled my thanks and walked slowly over to the tide pools with Matoskah. I sat down one of the jutting ledges of a seastack and Matoskah stood in front of me with his back to the sea.

  “W
hy did you lie about where you live?” I asked.

  “A cover.”

  “Why would you need a cover?” I was beginning to think I’d done the wrong thing by coming over here with him. I could still see Ressler standing watching us, and I felt better knowing one move and he would be over here quicker than Matoskah could blink.

  “I came to see you. I saw you that day.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Cape Flattery? The cave? I saw you there. I know who you are.”

  I laughed with disbelief. “You know who I am? I’m nobody, you must be thinking of someone else.” It was time to get out of here, now. Every nerve in my body was ringing with alarm bells. This was going to end one way… badly. I stood up to leave.

  “I know about your mom.”

  “What did you just say?” I braced my hand against the cool, damp rock behind me.

  “I know all about her. Many stories. I know about you, too.”

  “What do you know about her?” I slowly sat back down. My head was buzzing.

  “Her name was Savannah Flores. She looked exactly like you and she was born and lived most of her life in Neah Bay. Am I right?”

  “I wouldn’t know,” I said, flooded with astonishment. “I never knew her. I hardly know anything about her. How do you...” the worlds trailed off into nothing. I was too shocked at what I was hearing.

  “I live there too. Your mom’s a bit of a legend.”

  “I’m just so…I mean, I wasn’t expecting…” I was lost for words.

  “I know what that night must have looked like at the party. But on my life,” he held his hand up over his chest. “That wasn’t me. I’ve never hurt anybody and I’m not about to start now.”

  “And you saw that too?” I asked. “That…”

  “Creature? I saw it.”

  Drugged or not, I had believed all along that what I saw was real. The only part I struggled to make any sense out of was the drugging part itself. What was the point in it? If it wasn’t Matoskah then what was going on?

  “And how did you know Savannah was my mom?” I had to be realistic about this. I couldn’t let him fool me into being tricked.

  “Her spirit is alive where I live. People still carry her in their hearts, so when I saw you early that morning, it was one of two things; either she was back from the dead, or you had to be her daughter.”

  “You came all the way to San Juan Island to confirm that? I don’t believe it.”

  “I came to find out if the stories are true.”

  “What stories?”

  “I think you should come to Neah bay with me.”

  “I don’t think…”

  “Not right now. Saturday?”

  I believed him. It was silly and anyone else would think I was being naïve, but I believed every word he said.

  “It’s too far.” I had promised Gracey I would have dinner with her on Sunday.

  “Well if you change your mind, I’ll meet you at Neah Bay Harbor at ten thirty Saturday morning.” He raised a hand in a still wave to Ressler who flipped him off in reply. It was hard to see his expression in the dark but I knew he was getting impatient. “Don’t bring him.” He smiled easily, one side of his mouth tipping higher than the other. It wasn’t a sleazy smile either, it was honest and relaxed. I had to see him again. If I passed up his offer, I might never find anything out.

  “Maybe see you Saturday then.” I got up to leave. It was going to be a long journey back.

  “I hope I do.”

  I turned to wave at him as I walked back to Ressler.

  “I wish it was Saturday!” he shouted at me and I shook my head with a grin. I was halfway there. I already had my first link, and he was kinda cute, too.

  ***

  It turns out I couldn’t avoid Caleb forever. As I slipped into what I thought would be another dreamless sleep later that night, I stepped through Caleb’s door and closed it quietly behind me.

  “Couldn’t stay away?” I jumped at the sound behind me and turned around to see Caleb sitting on the sofa, shirtless, and wearing only a pair low hanging, black jeans. I looked down at my own sky blue, checked, flannel pajama pants and white tank.

  “You’re dreaming.”

  “You’re in my dreams again?”

  “Actually, no. You’re in my dreams.”

  “How do I get out?” This was the last place I wanted to end up.

  “I like you in my dreams.”

  I turned around, reaching for the doorknob, when Caleb, swiftly as ever, intercepted himself between me and the exit. He was so quick, you would miss it if you blinked.

  “Don’t leave.” His voice was a soft whisper against my neck and I sighed deeply. His head was lowered to my collarbone and his hair brushed against my cheek, causing a shiver to run through me from the faint touch.

  I wasn’t thinking; instead, I reached my hand up and glided my fingers through his hair, his head raising in the process. As soon as his foggy, blue eyes locked with mine, I was sucked in. When I had Caleb like this, he was hard to escape from.

  “I’m glad you came.” Caleb tipped his head forward, his forehead resting against mine.

  “I didn’t mean to.” His hand snaked up around my waist and his fingers spread out over my back. “What was it you wanted to tell me?” I asked him, struggling to get the words into solid sound and not just bursts of air.

  “Another time.”

  “I thought it was important.” I bit down on my lip when Caleb’s head lowered further and nipped gently, but effectively at my neck. I pushed my hands against his shoulders, to steady my footing instead of trying to free myself, and when his other hand wrapped around my thigh, I lifted my leg to get it around his waist quicker. With both legs secured around his body, he reached up and kissed the tip of my nose. I smiled blissfully and kissed him on the lips. His skin felt better than good against mine, and in this very moment, I never wanted to be apart from him.

  He carried me through into his bedroom, easing the door open with his back and lay me down on the bed. His gaze never left mine once. He could have carried me with that stare if he wanted to. The bedside light was on and the glow fell over his golden skin. He was the definition of a masterpiece. His hands went to either side of my waist at the hem of my tank and steadily pushed it up over my stomach. I hitched in a breath, wondering if he could hear the pounding in my chest, as much as he could see it.

  The surprising coolness of his hands was a relief on my hot, sensitive skin. Just as his fingers were about to skim over my bra, I grabbed them in mine and moved them away, pulling my tank back down to cover me.

  I propped myself up on my elbows. Caleb looked hurt and offended, both at the same time, blended with just enough confusion.

  “My dad’s right in the other room.” I looked anywhere but at Caleb. That wasn’t why I wanted to stop this before it went any further. Deep down, I didn’t want him when he had someone else.

  “This is just a dream.” He lowered himself back over me and I ducked out of the way, standing up.

  “Just a dream. Right.” I smiled ironically. He had no idea how true that statement actually was.

  Caleb rubbed his palms over his eyes then scrubbed his fingers through his hair.

  “If I go next door, will I see him?”

  Caleb shrugged. “Probably.”

  He stretched out on the bed and folded his arms behind his head, closing his eyes. He was done with me then. That was how easy it was for him to switch it off and go back to being the jerk he was through the day. I don’t know why I expected anything different.

  “I thought you said you could be yourself, like this… with me.” I stood with my hand on the half open door, ready to leave.

  “I am being myself,” he said, not even bothering to open his eyes.

  “Then I think you need to work on your personality,” I retorted, closing the door so hard behind me, it shook on the frame.

  I padded down the hal
l, barefoot, and slipped into the room where my dad slept. “Dad?” I approached the bed slowly. The room was dark. Light filtered in through the crack in the door but it only just fell over my dad’s frame. I scrunched up my eyes.

  He looked different.

  Long, black hair flowed from his head and down over his shoulders, black as ink against the white sheets. I took another cautious step closer. His skin was different. His bare arms were polished and coppery, and more defined. This wasn’t my dad, it was someone else.

  I took a final step, peering over at the man lying on the bed, when snaking coils of charcoal colored smoke, slithered out from under the bed and looped around the stranger’s body. I fell backwards, terrified, and whoever was on the bed jolted upright, before the living, black smoke plunged into his eyeless sockets, ramming itself down his throat.

  I woke up to the sound of my own screams.

  Secrets into ashes

  School wasn’t any easier without Caleb there; it was exactly the same. I still had to see Tamara and she milked it every time. I was just on my way to my locker when Mr. Kelly poked his head out from his classroom. “Pria. Can I see you for a second?”

  “Sure.” I went into the class, one of only a handful of students left in the hallway. I was late out of English thanks to Jason cornering me and trying to get a date for Nathan now that Caleb was evidently off the scene.

  I stood in front of Mr. Kelly’s desk and he sunk into his chair, crossing one leg over the other. He picked up his glasses off the desk and clipped them into the neck of his shirt.

  “How are things at home, Pria?”

  “Okay, I guess.”

  “That’s good to hear. And how is your father?”

  I nodded. “The same, but in time…”

  “Of course. Of course,” he said, smiling.

  “Is this about my grades, sir? Because I know I’ve been slipping a little, but everything…”

  Mr. Kelly held up his hand, silencing me. “Your grades are as perfect as ever. I actually wanted to ask a favor of you.”

  Oh god. Please not another school trip. I’d had my fill of those to last me a lifetime. I wasn’t doing it. I would just have to say no and he would have to deal with it.