Guardian: Darkness Rising

by Melanie Houtman

  “Where’d you find this?” he said; he tried to conceal the surprise and fear in his voice, but didn’t manage to do so all too well. “Luke, I need you to put this back where you found it. Now.”

  Luke wanted to get the book back from his father, but he pulled it close to his chest. “Promise you’ll put it back, Luke. Just do it.”

  “Why, Dad?” Luke said, slightly flailing his arms. “I mean – it’s just a book. What’s the matter with it?”

  “I’d love to explain everything about it to you, Lucas,” James said, while looking at the book with worried eyes. “But I’m afraid I can’t. I swore an oath that I’d keep this book a secret twenty-five years ago, and I’m not planning on breaking it.”

  “Dad,” Luke said, “you’re talking nonsense. As usual.”

  James looked at his son, his navy-blue eyes spouting fire. “I might be unreasonable sometimes,” he said, “but at least I’m doing everything I can to protect you. I can’t tell you anything, Lucas. If I could’ve, I would’ve done so already.”

  Luke leaned against the wall, grinning mockingly at his father. “Oh, really?” he said. He knew he was on the verge of pissing off his father – he was being an ungrateful little brat, and he knew it, but sometimes his father just needed to be put on the spot. Luke never understood what the fuss was all about regarding the attic.

  When he was little, his father used to tell Luke and his brothers Theodore and Ian ghost stories to keep them away from the attic. As innocent and gullible as they were, the three boys truly believed it was haunted for the first twelve years of their lives.

  Their father was a very convincing storyteller; no wonder he wrote children’s books for a living. His father had a great love for books, which had started somewhere in his childhood.

  His study, where he’d often spend the entire day working on a new book if inspiration struck him, was filled with bookcases. And all bookcases were nearly full. So this book, being left abandoned on the attic wrapped inside an old vest, surprised Luke greatly. Why wasn’t it somewhere on the shelves in his father’s study? What was so bad about it, that it had to be hidden?

  James’s eyes continued to spout fire. “Yes,” he said. “Really.”

  He looked at the book again. While his head was down, his eyes shifted towards Luke. “You know what?” James said. “I might just keep this in my study, to make sure you won’t go back upstairs to get it.”

  Luke let out a loud, irritated sigh. “Really, Dad? The Lock-away punishment?” His father nodded.

  “Exactly. The Lock-away punishment.”

  The Lock-away punishment was a particular punishment Luke’s parents had created for the times when Luke or his siblings would develop a new ‘obsession’. This would involve games that would be played until they’d start affecting grades, bedtimes or behaviour and pretty much anything that would do the same.

  James would put the object necessary for the ‘obsession’ to ‘persist and evolve’ (in James’s words – whether it was the TV remote or a video game disk) in a locked drawer in his study and allow limited access, until the problem that’d been caused by the particular subject had been solved.

  It was an effective method, but sometimes seemed to come off to the children as exaggerated. But it did stop the kids from developing a certain attitude toward their parents – well, at least until they’d reached a certain age. Luke had developed a slightly rebellious and smart-ass-ish attitude, especially toward his father. What Lucas didn’t know and James didn’t want to admit, was that that James saw a touch of his own attitude from when he was twenty in his son.

  But, James had matured, which meant that there was still hope for Luke to do so, too. Lucas was an intelligent boy, and it’d be a waste of potential if he proceeded to be a little brat through adulthood.

  For now, it didn’t look like Luke would change his ways any time soon, however.

  “Come on, Dad! This isn’t necessary!” Luke yelled, flailing his arms into the air. “I’m pretty sure there’s nothing about that dumb old book that’s too much for me to handle.”

  “That’s not up to you to decide, Lucas,” James decided, and walked off with the book, leaving Luke behind with Mari’s vest in his hands.

  “Ugh,” Luke grunted. “Dad’s always got to be the one to spoil the fun, now doesn’t he?”

  “Yes, he does,” someone across the hall said. “If he doesn’t do it, then who else would?”

  “Theo!” Luke grinned; his brothers were coming out of their bedroom, and they’d probably heard every bit of the conversation Luke had had with James. “I guess you’re right.”

  Luke’s brothers looked fairly similar to him, although Theo’s hair and skin were the darkest, and only Ian wore glasses; all three boys shared their father’s navy-blue eyes and freckles.

  “What’s the problem, anyway?” Ian, the ‘youngest’ of the three, said, as he ruffled his dark red, curly hair. “I heard something about the Lock-away punishment.”

  Luke chuckled. “I found an old book on the attic, and Dad won’t allow me to read it,” he said. “He thinks it’s dangerous or something – he said he swore an oath not to tell anyone about it.”

  Theodore snorted. “What!? You’re being serious right now?”

  Luke nodded, while wearing a smug grin on his face. “It’s a true story,” he said. “Dad’s scared of a dusty old book.”

  “So, he locked it up, huh?” Theodore said, rubbing his chin. “It’s a good thing Dad doesn’t know we’ve found ways to get around the Lock-away punishment over the years.”

  Luke and Ian burst out in laughter. “What? We’ve never broken the punishment! I swear; we’re innocent!” Ian laughed; he was shaking his head so heavily, that his circular glasses nearly slid off his nose.

  “We should get it tonight,” Luke whispered. His face looked like he was up for a little bit of mischief making. “We’ll pick the lock to both his study and the drawer, just like we’ve always done – and then we can read it during our sleepover. When we’re done, we’ll return it before Dad wakes up. He’ll never know that book ever left the drawer.”

  “The sleepover’s tonight? Ian said. Oh, yeah – right.”

  Every first of the month, Luke, his brothers, and their friends held a sleepover. Mari and Daisy (a girl who was part of their group of friends) had been the ones to come up with the idea of the monthly sleepover, and as the teens got older, they continued the tradition in Mari's honour, as if she was still there with them. Sometimes, it came off as silly, as they were nearly adults by now, but no one seemed to want to stop the sleepovers, either.

  And tonight would be no different. It was Luke's and his brothers' turn to host the sleepover this time, which gave them an extra advantage when it came to snatching the book.

  The triplets' parents usually went to bed around ten. The teenagers were allowed to stay up until twelve when they were hosting a sleepover, which meant they could easily pick the lock of James’s study without getting caught. Emma probably wouldn’t betray her brothers if she caught them – right?

  “Seems like a good plan,” Ian said. “Don’t let Dad find out.

  *

  Later that afternoon, the triplets and their friends decided to meet up in the park. It was cold for the time of year, but the sun was shining, which made the cold temperatures slightly more durable.

  Without Mari, the main friend group consisted of seven teenagers; Luke and his brothers, their cousin Felicity and her brother Anthony (Tony for short, Marco, and Desireé (Daisy for short).

  Daisy was actually the triplets’ (and thus also Felicity and Tony’s) second cousin, but the six teenagers never truly treated each other differently from their friends who weren’t related to them.

  You probably couldn’t imagine yourself spending time with your cousins for at least five days a week, but that was regular business for the Riverdales, the Collins and the Bennetts. They were almost just as close as their parents were, and did pretty much e
verything together.

  That didn’t mean they didn’t have any other friends – after all, Marco wasn’t related to them -, but the teens simply preferred the company of family. It meant that they’d always have someone to rely on; it gave them a sense of safety no one else could provide. Other friends were just as good, but never as close. After all, Marco kind of felt like family, anyway.

  There was a certain spot in the park where the teenagers preferred to hang out; underneath the big oak tree in the middle of the park, on the grass field. Whenever they met up in the park, the teenagers just simply spent their days sitting in the tree’s shadow, exchanging news and telling jokes and stories.

  And Luke had a particularly exciting story to tell.

  “So guys, for tonight, I’ve got a special show planned,” the redhead said mischievously. ”But it’s going to be a true endeavour to get to it. An... adventure, I’d say.”

  Intrigued sounds came from the others. ”Why, really?” Marco said; his eyes were a calming grey colour, and his dark, curly hair was always messy. Marco was popular with the girls at school; his olive skin was soft, his hands big, and his jawline strong.

  “It’s a book,” Theodore said, his navy blue eyes twinkling, ”but a very special book. According to our dad, at least.”

  “Really?” Felicity said. ”What’s so special about it, then?”

  “We don’t know,” Luke chuckled. ”He started freaking out and took it from me before I got the chance to read it.”

  “He locked it up?” Marco said thoughtfully, sounding moderately surprised as he leant back on the grass. “I don’t know dude. A book just doesn’t seem worth all the effort to me.”

  “Oh, but it will be,” Ian reassured him. ”Why else would Dad take it away from us, just because he doesn’t want us to read it?”

  “I don’t know,” Luke said, and shrugged. His mouth pulled into a quick pout as he did so. ”Adults just think we’re a bunch of dumb teenagers, that’s why.” Everyone laughed; they were indeed dumb teenagers, but in a certain way, they were more mature than their parents believed them to be.

  “Alright, we’ll help you,” Felicity said. She was nineteen years old, and therefore the oldest of her friends. Her dark blonde hair framed her face, just brushing her shoulders; her bangs nearly covered her blue eyes. Her face had a round shape – she was slightly chubby, like her mother had always been, but she wasn’t fat, either. ”What do you require us to do?”

  “You guys just need to stay as quiet as possible,” Luke said smugly. “My brothers and I can handle this problem by ourselves.”

  “What about Emma?” Tony said, his blue eyes reflecting worry. His hair was short and brown, combed up in a cow-lick. He was just as tall as Ian, which could be considered tall for his age, as he was only fourteen. “I mean – she’s going to want to take part in this. There’s no way your little sister is going to miss out on a chance to bust your ass to your parents.”

  Ian, Theodore and Luke looked at each other. Tony had a point – their sister usually threatened to tell on her brothers to get them to do her bidding. She was, as quoted by Ian, ‘small, yet terrifying.’

  “We’ll take care of her,” Luke said decisively. “And of Mia, too.”

  Luke was referring to Marco’s younger sister, Mia. She was ten years old, and almost just as sneaky as Emma. Marco often blamed his sister’s snarky attitude on Emma’s company.

  “That’s right... there’s going to be two of them to keep watch of,” Theodore sighed. “Why do they have to have their sleepover on the same days as we do?”

  “Probably because our parents don’t want screaming children in their house for two nights a month,” Marco suggested, “which frankly, I can understand.”

  The others couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “I mean – come on,” Luke suddenly said. “We’re not going to let those two little tell-tales stand in our way, now are we?” He flashed a mischievous grin “I mean – their average age is eleven, and ours is-” he took a moment to count the numbers in his head – “at least fifteen. So what’s stopping us?”

  His friends couldn’t help but agree with him. Luke had a point.

  “We’re not letting those two brats get to us this time,” Luke said decisively, crossing his arms and leaning back against the trunk of the tree he was sitting in front of. ”If necessary, we’ll find a way to keep them quiet. Perhaps they won’t be much trouble after all.”

  The others agreed with him.

  “You’re right, Luke,” Daisy said. “There’s a certain chance the girls won’t even find out what we’re planning to do.

  “If we manage to hide it from them and your parents and don’t run into more trouble, we should be able to handle this fairly easily.”

  The teenagers then proceeded to make their plan of action for that night, and decided that after ten o’clock, they would wait for an hour before breaking in to James’s study and get the book. Luke would pick the lock and go in to get the book, while his brothers stood watch. One of them outside the study, one of them in the upstairs corridor, to watch both Emma’s and James’s bedroom. The plan seemed perfect: if everyone played their part properly and did everything they ought to, nothing could go wrong. The teenagers would simply have a peek inside the book and have it returned to James’s study before they went to sleep.

  And, knowing Luke really wanted to know the contents of the book, he wouldn’t let Emma, Mia or anyone else get in his way.

  Release the Magic

  It was eleven o’clock, and that meant that it was time for the teenagers to execute their plan. The teenagers had successfully hidden their plans from everyone outside their friend circle, and thus they could proceed with their plans according to planning.

  As soon as everyone was in position and Luke got the message that the coast was clear, Luke pulled out the bobby pin he’d always specifically used to pick the lock to his father’s study. It took him a few turns, but eventually, the lock clicked and the door swung open when Luke pushed the handle.

  eir plans from everyone outside their friend circle, and thus they could proceed with their plans according to planning.

  As soon as everyone was in position and Luke got the message that the coast was clear, Luke pulled out the bobby pin he’d always specifically used to pick the lock to his father’s study. It took him a few turns, but eventually, the lock clicked and the door swung open when Luke pushed the handle.

  Luke went inside to snatch the book from the drawer; he’d need another pin to pick the drawer’s lock. If everything went according to plan, he’d be upstairs reading the book with his friends within just a few minutes.

  Luke had little trouble picking the drawer’s lock; he was surprised how easy it actually was for him to best his father. Luke was convinced that his father should’ve known about his sons’ tactics by now, but apparently, James still didn’t.

  Or perhaps James was still relying on his boys to be the better person and not break the rules at any given opportunity. If that was the case, then James was failing miserably.

  Luke and Theo, who had been waiting for his brother outside the study, walked upstairs, and entered their bedroom together with Ian as they met up with him halfway through the hallway.

  But as soon as Luke entered the bedroom, he froze.

  In the middle of the room (originally two rooms, but James had broken away the wall that separated the rooms so the three brothers could share one room) stood Emma and Mia. Luke’s friends quietly sat on the bed.

  “You were scheming again,” the taller girl with chestnut brown hair and piercing blue eyes said to Luke, “and you decided not to invite us?

  “You disappoint me, brother.”

  Luke sighed and rolled his eyes. “I’m not playing this game again, Emmy,” he said. He exchanged a look with each of his brothers. “We promised we’d take care of them...”

  “...And that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Theodore said, as he walked forwa
rd and flung his sister over his shoulder. “You’re coming with me.”

  “And you’re coming with me,” Ian said to Mia. The girl was quite a bit smaller and lighter than Emma was, but Ian still had some trouble getting her off the ground – mainly because her nails were sharp, and she wasn’t afraid to use them.

  “We’re here to negotiate!” Mia protested, her dark brown eyes spouting fire and her short curls dancing around her head aggressively. “You have to give us a chance!”

  “Be quiet!” Luke hissed at her. “If you wake up our parents, we’ll end up in trouble. We don’t negotiate with children.” He then straightened his back and said to his brothers, “take them away, boys. And keep them quiet. Try to lock them inside their room or something – this sleepover is ages thirteen and up only.”

  Ian and Theo then proceeded to escort the two girls out of the bedroom. “This isn’t fair, Luke!” Emma said. “You’ll regret this!”

  “Sure thing kiddo,” Luke said, disinterestedly stretching his arms. ”Alright, then,” he said and sat down beside his friends. ”Let’s do this then, shall we?”

  He waited for the encouraging nods that came from his friends until opening the book; something which could have been considered to be the biggest mistake of his life.

  Nothing happened while the teenagers read the first few pages – but Luke got distracted due to impatience. It would take them hours to read the entire book – and Luke wanted to show his friends the weird last page and return the book to his father’s study before he’d wake up.

  So, obviously, Luke skipped to the final page straight after finishing the first chapter.

  “Why’d you stop reading?” Tony said, while taking a closer look at the page. ”What’s that?” he said.

  “Believe,” Felicity said, reading the word aloud. Both she and Tony had reached forward, and had one of their hands touching the page briefly.

  Daisy did the same thing, as she said, “I think it’s some kind of message. But what does it mean?”