Falling Darkness: The second book in the Falling Awake Series

by T. A Richards Neville

  “This will do,” Drake said, eyeing up the building and we headed inside. At the desk, an older Native American woman, observed us walking in like we were here to plan our next heist. A T.V. played behind the desk, the volume turned low.

  Drake stepped up to the counter and asked her, “How much for a room?”

  She peered around him at me, and after staring at me for a good ten seconds, she looked back at Drake and then got up, rifling around in a drawer and then returned with a silver key attached with a wooden tag.

  “Room nineteen. It’s upstairs on the left.” She pushed the key across the counter towards Drake and settled back in her chair. Drake pulled a wad of dollar bills from his back pocket and set it on the counter. The woman ignored the money and flashed me another look. “No charge,” she said.

  “I insist,” Drake said, pushing the money even further towards her. The old lady eyed the bills and then picked them up, locking them away in the cash register.

  “Call reception on zero if you need anything. Kai will be here all night.”

  Drake nodded his thanks. He turned to me and Ressler, “Come on.”

  Room nineteen was nice. It was clean and modern with a king-size pine bed, fitted with crisp, white sheets. There was a double pine, mirrored wardrobe in the corner by the window and two pine chairs with floral cushions attached.

  “Threesome?” Ressler asked, looking at the only bed in the room.

  “If you weren’t in it,” Drake said, dropping into the chair and kicking his feet up onto the other opposite. That was his bed, then. I locked myself away in the bathroom and changed into a pair of boy shorts and a white, strappy tank. I gathered my hair into a ponytail and brushed my teeth. I unlocked the door and stepped back into the room. There was only Drake, lying across the two chairs. “Where’s Ressler?” I asked.

  “Gone to look around.”

  “What for?”

  “Didn’t say. Probably just wants to check the area out.”

  I pulled the sheets back and climbed into the cool bed. “How come you’re not with Mellissa this weekend?” I’d barely seen her myself, but Drake was with her most of the time lately. Him being here now seemed a little odd.

  “She said she was busy. You know anything about that?”

  “She never mentioned any plans to me, but we don’t actually tell each other everything, surprisingly.” I didn’t tell her everything more like. I met Drake’s eyes and wondered if she was with Jason.

  “She’s avoiding me,” he said deadpan.

  I really didn’t know if that was true or not. I needed to invest more time in my relationship with my best friend. “What reason would she have to avoid you?”

  Drake tipped his bead back and released a beaten sigh.

  “Drake?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”

  “I hope not,” he said, but as soon as I got back to Friday Harbor, I knew I needed to speak to Mellissa. Something was going on and I knew Drake would never tell me anything about it, he was too respectful for that.

  The next morning we were on our way out before ten and I handed the room key back to reception. I thanked the lady from the night before, and memorized her name tag. Flora. She snaked her fingers around the keys and looked me up and down.

  “Thanks,” I said, starting to feel uneasy under her hawk eye. She stood up, crossed her knit cardigan over her chest and gave me a somber nod. Not knowing what else to say, even though the whole meeting was anything but casual, or normal, I smiled and left.

  I couldn’t remember the way to Matwau’s house or where exactly it was but as soon as we got closer to the marina, I zeroed in on everyone I could see who looked like they were doing any kind of work. It wasn’t long before the silkiest hair and the most unflawed copper skin I had ever seen took over my view.

  I ran over to Matoskah. He was carrying a crate in his hands and he turned in my direction, setting it down onto the floor and jogging over to meet me. “Hey,” he said, picking me up off the floor with his big arms.

  “Hey,” I said, laughing. “You can put me down now.”

  “Right,” he said, dropping me to the floor. “Happy to see you, that’s all.” I looked behind me at Drake and Ressler.

  “You brought bodyguards?” Matoskah asked, looking part entertained, part unsure.

  “You’d be surprised how close you are,” I said. “Listen, are you working all day?”

  “Not if you don’t want me to.”

  “Actually, I was wondering if you would drop me off at Matwau’s house. I need to see him.”

  “Yeah, no problem. My trucks just over there. Are they coming?”

  “Um, no,” I told him. “I’ll meet you at your truck in five okay. I just need to tell them.”

  “Cool.”

  Matoskah walked off to his truck and I took a breath for courage. “Guy’s,” I said, when I got closer to Drake and Ressler. “I’m going to see Matwau and I’m going alone.”

  “Like hell,” Ressler responded.

  “Okay, I thought you might say that…”

  “I wouldn’t mind going surfing,” Drake put in completely out of nowhere.

  “What?” was the word out of mine and Ressler’s mouth at the exact same time.

  “There’s some good beaches around here.”

  “Okay,” I said, shaking off the weirdness of that. “You do that, and I’m going with Matoskah.”

  “No you’re not.” Ressler stepped forward and wrapped his fingers around my elbow.

  “Ressler.” Drake stepped forward and tugged him backwards. “She’ll be okay.”

  “We don’t know that,” he protested, shrugging Drake off, roughly.

  “She’ll be fine,” Drake said again. “We’re not far if she needs us.”

  Ressler glowered at Drake “She better be,” he warned.

  “I will be,” I said. “You’re overreacting.”

  “You need to chill out.” Drake shoved Ressler in the back towards the marina. “Let’s go surfing.”

  I watched them leave. Wow that was easy. The sound of a strained engine roared up beside me and I turned and pulled open the passenger side of Matoskah’s truck.

  He flashed me his smile of pure, white perfection and I sat back, feeling oddly like I had just achieved something really big. This small bit of freedom from Drake and Ressler was massive to me and I planned on making the most of it.

  Matoskah had to go back to work so after he dropped me at Matwau’s, he said he would come pick me up after work.

  “I didn’t expect to see you so soon,” Matwau announced, handing me a cup of chamomile tea.

  “Is it too weird if I say, I couldn’t stay away?”

  “Maybe to some, but I’m glad you’re here.”

  “The reason I’m here,” I began, “Is because I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  He took a careful sip of his tea. “I’m listening.”

  “That movie you showed me of my mom. That thing she done with the wave.”

  “Savannah’s gifts,” he confirmed.

  “Right,” I said. “See, the thing is…” I didn’t know how to say it. I wasn’t sure I should even be saying it. It was supposed to be a secret and I was a few seconds away from spilling everything.

  “I have the same problem.”

  “Gift,” Matwau corrected.

  Hmph, Easy for you to say. “Gift,” I said.

  “Do you want to show me?” he offered. He set aside his cup and looked at me, keenly.

  I blushed with embarrassment. “I’m not very good.”

  “What can you do?”

  I looked around the room. I was yet to learn everything I could do, so I might as well test the waters now. Caleb told me I could do anything. Anything I wanted.

  I set my cup in-between my knees. “I’m not sure if this will work and it’s nothing major.”

  “Go on,” Matwau urged.

  When I felt completely ready, I cradled the fine china of the cup in both my han
ds and closed my eyes. When the cold from the cup started to nip at the palms of my hands, I inadvertently smiled and opened my eyes.

  “It worked,” I whispered, peering down into the cup at the liquid tea that looked exactly the same as before except now, it was freezing cold.

  “I don’t see anything.” Matwau had a look of confusion about his face. I stood up and handed him my cup. “In there,” I said.

  “This is cold.” The corners of his mouth crumpled into a grin of disbelief. “You turned this cold?”

  “Uh huh. It’s small and silly, but I’m only just getting to grips with it all.”

  He stood up and patted me on the arm. “Definitely Savannah’s child.”

  We stood outside in Matwau’s back yard. He had no neighbors, so there was just the two of us.

  “Once more,” he said, and I raised my hand, palm down above a small fish pond and watched the droplets of water raise with my hand. Just before all the water completely drained away and the fish were left gasping for air, I lowered my palm and let the water fall back in. Matoskah rubbed his hand over his mouth and grinned. “Unbelievable.”

  “I’ve never done any of these things before,” I said.

  “You’re a natural, just like your mother.”

  “I wish I could have met her.”

  “She would have loved you.” Matwau put his hand on my shoulder and lead me back inside. “How many people know what you can do?” he asked me, closing the French doors behind us. A light rain had started and the sky was turning a shade of distressed grey.

  “That’s the thing,” I said. “The only reason I found out was because someone tried to kidnap me. They knew what I could do, well they thought they did. People know and I have no idea how.” I figured I’d divulged just enough information without having to drop any mention of fallen angels into the mix.

  “I firmly believe that someone killed Savannah.”

  I blinked. “What?” he thought it, too.

  “Someone wanted her dead. I don’t believe she jumped. She had no reason to do something so selfish and that was one thing Savannah was not- selfish. Her life was in jeopardy and I know that she was pushed. Pushed to her death.”

  I blinked again.

  “Your abilities are powerful. You must keep them safe. You must get to know them and enhance them, but you must always keep them away from people.”

  “My mom didn’t…” She had her powers out there for everyone to see. Hers we’re anything but a secret.

  “And she is dead.” Matwau rushed off into the living room and took something from a draw under the small end table. He opened up my hand and dropped something cold into my palm. “I want you to have this.”

  It was a golden pendant and it glowed against my skin. “What’s this and why is it lighting up like that?”

  “It was your mother’s talisman. The night she-” Matwau’s voice became gruff and I knew he was talking about the night she died. He cleared his throat and started again. “She never had it with her. For the life of me, I will never understand why.”

  “I never saw her wearing this in any pictures.” I looked again at the pendant. The glow had ceased and it looked only ordinary now.

  “It’s not a necklace. She always kept it hidden. It was her protection. She drew her strength from it and it kept her safe. Always.”

  “You want me to have this?”

  “You will need it. Not everyone believes in magic or its power and not everyone believes in good and evil, but I do. We all have a connection to the spirits, no matter how weak or strong and you must draw the power from this pendant and use it to keep you alive. It was once your mothers and now it is your’s. Her soul is alive in this and she will help you. She will keep you safe.”

  I was choked up. “Thank you.”

  “Protect it and it will protect you.”

  “I’ll keep it safe,” I assured him.

  “And you must show no one. This is the only real protection I can offer you, promise me you will keep it with you?”

  “I promise.” I wouldn’t let this thing out my sight.

  “The fact that it has already glowed for you is a good sign.”

  “Who do you think killed my mom?” I asked. I clamped my hand tight around the pendant. The golden metal was cool against my skin and I already felt better having it.

  “I really wish I knew the answer to that.”

  The sound of a hard knock at the front door jarred any thoughts I was just about to voice. Matwau strode over and let whoever was there, in.

  “You ready?” Matoskah stood there looking a little unsure of himself.

  “Yeah.” I went and grabbed my bag from the living room and so not ready to let this be another goodbye just yet, I said. “I came here by boat and I’m not leaving until tomorrow-” I didn’t even get a chance to finish.

  “Then you’ll stay with me,” Matwau said, taking my bag from me. “

  “Are you sure?”

  “You are always welcome.”

  “I just need to go do something and then I’ll be back.”

  “Nice to see you again, Matoskah,” Matwau said as I trailed Matoskah to his truck.

  “You too, sir. You too.”

  I gave Matoskah a questioning look. “What was all that about?” I asked, as we drove the stretch to the marina.

  “Matwau keeps to himself mostly. He shows his face but he hardly ever speaks to anyone anymore. As each year went on, he faded more from the community. The only thing anyone knew about him, was the stories of his incredible wife. He’s got his old friends, but they barely get a ‘hello’ out of him anymore. It’s no secret that he never got over what happened to Savannah, and word is-” Matoskah gave me a brief look of what looked like sympathy. “He think’s someone killed her. Hunted her down, even.”

  “And I think he’s right,” I said in a no non-sense tone.

  Matoskah took a wide turn, and swung the truck into a space between two quaint and unostentatious buildings; the diner that looked like a fish tackle store and the general store.

  “I just need to let Ressler and Drake know I’m not coming with them tonight.”

  “I know,” Matoskah said, stopping the engine and settling back in his seat. “What’s with you and those guys? They follow you everywhere.”

  “I’m in trouble, Matoskah. And those three are the only ones who can help me. Although,” I said with a self-assertive grin, “I’m hoping I’ll be the one to save myself.”

  “How much trouble are you in?”

  “Does life or death sound too dramatic?”

  “Not dramatic enough if you ask me.”

  I shoved him playfully in the arm. “Easy for you to say. There aren’t people out there who want you dead.”

  My phone vibrated in my pocket and a text message from Ressler lit up the screen. “Shoot,” I said, reading it. “They aren’t here. They said they’re at Hobuck?” I looked to Matoskah. “You know where that is?”

  Matoskah revved the truck to life. “We’ll come back to the people who want you dead, but for now…” A fiendish smile warped his features. “I think it’s about time we had some fun.”

  Turns out that Hobuck is a very vast and isolated beach with some quite impressive waves. The spread of sea was a never-ending promise of unforgiving grey, and the low hanging mist that seemed to permanently cling to the air, met the wave crests with nearly just as much bleakness.

  “Tell me why I agreed to this again?” I asked Drake, pulling up the zipper on my wetsuit.

  “Because standing and watching is no fun.”

  I reached up and fastened my hair into a bun, scraping as much hair into it as possible. “I must be crazy,” I muttered, seriously wondering how I was going to pull off something as complicated as surfing. I had never surfed in my life. I had never even held a surfboard.

  “Here.” he handed me a white board that felt too big to carry and picked his own blue and green one up off the floor. We walked over the sand to m
eet the waves rolling onto the shore. They lapped up over my feet and I grimaced at the kiss of cold that if it wasn’t for my impenetrable wetsuit, would have sent a rolling shiver through my insides. Ressler strode through the water, board in hand with his wet suit unzipped and hanging around his waist. There wasn’t a goosebump on his glistening skin and the water dripped off him in rivulets. I looked down at myself, then back at him. We were like a completely different species. Between him and Drake, I felt like I was intruding on a photo shoot.

  Footsteps padded over the sand behind me and Matoskah came up next to me. He held his surfboard under his arm and gave me an un-diluted smile. It was hard not to smile back at him, but it slipped onto my face with a groan in the back of my throat. “This is your fault,” I accused.

  Matoskah grabbed my hand and pulled me into the water. “Come on, you’ll love it.” He kept pace with me through the water, and once I was in it I realized it was more blue than grey, and when we were waist deep, Matoskah lay stomach down onto his board, and I did the same.

  “We’re just gonna paddle,” he instructed me. “Copy me.”

  That was what I intended to do. My board, just like Matoskah’s began to glide through the water and I mimicked the crawl stroke he done with his arms through the water.

  “You’re doin’ good,” he said to me. “If the water gets a little rough, just ease your weight on the board a little and that should keep you steady.”

  “Right,” I said, keeping my concentration on my arms. When we were a little further out Matoskah said, “Okay, we’re gonna turn around now so we’re facing the shore.”

  I could see a small swell surfacing in the distance, and I didn’t want to be anywhere near it, and I definitely didn’t want to put my back to it. Who knew when that thing was going to creep up on me or how big it was going to get?

  “We’re gonna catch a broken wave, got it?”

  “Sure if I knew what that was.” My arms cut through the water and we were now facing the sandy beach. Ressler was sat watching us with visible dislike on his face.

  “It’s just the white water left over from the wave. Make sure you’re not too far back on your board.” He checked me out and I tried to tilt my head to see behind me but it was no good and I didn’t dare shift my weight in case I fell off. “Looks good,” he said. “You ready?”