A Shadow's Light: Book Two of The Shadow Series

by J. M. Pierce

  “Are you sure you don’t want to meet him?” asked Enrique. “He’s a good guy. A little quiet, but seems like a good kid.”

  “Maybe later,” replied Alyssa bashfully. “Chance, huh? That’s an odd name.”

  “That’s exactly what I said to him when we met,” replied Enrique with a chuckle. “Come on. I’ve got work to do. You’ll have to call your Aunt Julie if you want to talk boys all day.”

  Alyssa smacked her uncle on the chest with an open hand. She continued to blush as she turned to open the toolbox in the back of the truck; reaching for her tool belt. As she closed the lid, Chance walked by the other side of the truck and she caught herself holding her breath. She didn’t know what it was about him, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off of him.

  Chapter 2

  The day was coming to an end. Sunset wasn’t for another couple of hours, but in the middle of the forest, the light faded long before the sun was actually below the horizon. The crew had just finished putting away all of their equipment, and were now loading in to the back of the pickups to head back into town. Test, as usual, was the last one in. The truck that he was riding in was being driven by Rob, a fact that actually made him happy just because now he was sure that he wouldn’t have to listen to him whine all the way to town. James took his usual place next to Test. He’d always thought that it was admirable that the foreman rode in the back of the truck with his crew. It showed he was still just one of the guys.

  Rob pulled out onto the winding road and began down the mountain with Enrique’s truck following several lengths behind. Test glanced to the passenger seat of Enrique’s truck, and noticed that Alyssa was in fact in the passenger seat.

  “You know Chance, she’s been eyeing you all day,” said James, nudging Test’s shoulder.

  Test looked at James with a weak smile on his face. “Yeah, right.”

  “I’m serious. Enrique told me that she was asking about you too. I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but like I said earlier today, I’m gonna find a way to get you out of your shell.” James patted Test on the shoulder. “If the promise of a pretty young lady doesn’t do it, then there’s no hope for you.”

  Test looked back to Alyssa. “She’s beautiful, no doubt,” replied Test. “Right now though, I don’t need any complications.”

  “What do you mean complications?” asked James.

  “I don’t know. It seems like every time I get close to someone, something happens before it starts,” replied Test, agitated. “Can we not talk about this anymore?”

  “Easy,” replied James with a hand in the air. “I’m sorry buddy--didn’t mean to get you riled up. Just wanting to help you is all.”

  “I know. I…I just don’t…ah, forget it,” replied Test as he turned away from James.

  The conversation made him think about Nicole. He still had dreams of her. In his dreams, he didn’t have powers and they were together at the trailer house in Lincoln. His mom was there and she looked very pretty, wearing nice clothes and make-up with her hair done up all fancy. Then he would wake up and realize that it was all just a dream. It was getting to the point that he didn’t like to sleep any more just because it felt like he was being tortured. He knew that he and Nicole could never be, but couldn’t help thinking of what might have been. He also knew, or at least did months ago, that his mom was still alive, but he had no idea where she was.

  Test was now facing towards Enrique’s truck, but looking off to the shoulder of the road. Rob was driving quickly, the bumps and ruts in the dirt causing the truck to bounce wildly, and making it difficult for any of the passengers in the back to keep their seats. There was very little light remaining and the head lights on Enrique’s truck were now shining brightly into Test’s eyes. The glare forced him to look a little farther off to the side of the road. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something moving.

  Bounding from the side of the road, a deer came with great speed on a collision course for the front passenger side of Enrique’s truck. Test held up his right hand instinctively. The deer froze in mid air and then was immediately thrown back into the opposite direction. Enrique’s truck came to an abrupt stop, swerving to the left and onto the shoulder of the road. A plume of dust engulfed the truck from behind, making only the headlights visible for a few seconds. Having seen the headlights swerving in his rearview mirror, Rob stopped his truck quickly as well. Every one of the passengers in the bed, rolled, slid, or landed on one another, Test included.

  Stunned, the crews gingerly crawled out of both vehicles, each with a pain or sprain to show for the sudden stop. Test watched each of them nervously, fearful that his power had been seen. With no one paying a bit of attention to him, he breathed a momentary sigh of relief.

  The last one out of either vehicle, Enrique opened the door of his pickup slowly. As he closed it, he scratched his head and walked around to the front of the truck and stood by Alyssa and Eric. Eric Benson was the only crew member riding in the back of Enrique’s truck. He was a bit on the odd side, and stood six foot one with blonde hair and blue eyes. In his early forties, he was in great physical shape from his years of working in construction and logging. At times he could be incredibly quiet and reserved, but within minutes, could transform into an obnoxious and belligerent jerk. Test often thought that if there was a candidate for being bi-polar, Eric was it.

  “I could have sworn that we hit that thing,” said Enrique as he examined the grill on his truck.

  Frantic and upset, Alyssa replied. “Uncle E, that deer changed direction in mid air. I swear it! I don’ know how we couldn’t have hit it?”

  “Oh come on now, Alyssa. I’m sure your eyes were playing with you. Actually I’m pretty sure that your eyes were probably closed, or at least focused on something else!” said Enrique with a smile as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “I’m serious!” she replied, pushing Enrique’s hand off of her. “I saw everything perfectly. That deer was in the air and then it was like someone pressed rewind on the DVD player.”

  Test, James, and Rob, along with Jordan, the final member of the team, walked up to Enrique, Alyssa, and Eric. Jordan Baxter was the brains of the operation. He was quick with numbers and knew something about everything. He didn’t look like he belonged in the forest, let alone working manual labor. He wore glasses with thin gold frames and had well groomed brown hair. His shirts, normally collared, were always ironed to perfection. If his work jeans got a hole in them, he would throw them away that night. Always clean shaven, he looked like he belonged in a classroom.

  “What’s up, boss? You three alright?” yelled Rob, even though he was only a few feet away.

  Wincing at Rob’s volume, Enrique replied. “Damn deer jumped out in front of us.”

  “Did you hit it?” asked Jordan.

  “Apparently not,” replied Enrique, turning back to examine the front of the truck.

  Test had to force himself not to stare at Alyssa. Even so, every couple of seconds his eyes would creep up and meet hers. She actually seemed to be staring at him. Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder.

  “Did you see it?” asked James.

  Test was caught looking at Alyssa instead of listening to the last bit of conversation. Blushing, he looked at James.

  “See what?” asked Test.

  “The deer, knuckle head,” replied James with a slap to the back of Test’s head. “Did you see the deer jump out? They said it changed direction in mid air.”

  “I saw something out of the corner of my eye, but I didn’t get a good look at it,” replied Test.

  Alyssa watched him intently. She noticed the scar on his left cheek and it made her curious. Everything about him made her want to know more. Out of character for herself, she spoke to him without being spoken to first.

  “Well, I got a close look at it, and I thought it was going to end up in my lap,” she said in a shy voice while she kicked at the ground.

  Test, suddenly surprised she was ta
lking to him, replied with a jab at his boss. “I’ll bet. Good thing your uncle never drives in a straight line, otherwise it may have.”

  “Now wait a minute, mister. Are you saying that I’m a bad driver?” asked Enrique.

  Feeling a rush of awkwardness come over him, Test replied. “No sir, I would never say that. I guess I mean that it’s a good thing that deer don’t swerve all over the road too, otherwise you might have been in trouble.”

  The group began to laugh as Enrique reached out and playfully put his hands around Test’s neck. He shook him for a couple of seconds and then replied in jest. “Mr. Johnston, you’re lucky I like you.”

  Alyssa was now staring at Test without regard to the fact that anyone might be watching her. She felt an absolute attraction to him, and every action that he made. Every word spoken solidified that fact.

  “Okay everyone lets get going before it’s pitch black in here,” said Enrique.

  “Yeah, load up you guys,” barked Rob as if he was in some sort of a leadership role.

  James looked to Test and rolled his eyes. “Dang, I guess we’d better get going huh?”

  Test grinned and looked at the ground. James, Jordan, and Test followed Rob back to their truck. He waited for the other three to climb into the bed first and, as he waited, glanced back over his shoulder. He could see Alyssa staring at him through the space between her opened door and the cab of the truck.

  Enrique sat behind the steering wheel, waiting on Alyssa for only a moment before losing his patience. “Come on, Alyssa. Let’s get goin’.”

  Alyssa didn’t move. Enrique followed her eyes forward to see Test quickly turn away from them and climb into the back of the other truck. Suddenly he had a fantastic idea. He opened his door and put one foot to the ground. Placing his head between the door and the cab, he yelled.

  “Hey, Chance! Come here a minute.”

  Test turned and squinted into the darkness. The light had nearly gone, making it difficult to see even several feet away.

  “Chance, come here,” yelled Enrique once more.

  As the words came from his mouth, Alyssa flew into the truck and slammed her door shut.

  “What are you doing?” she asked as she slapped the seat with an open hand.

  Enrique sat silently and waited for the boy to come.

  Test knew that it was Enrique that had called for him, though the reason was unknown. Suddenly he became very nervous and his pulse began to quicken. He looked to his palms, fearful that there would be a glow, but saw nothing. Even so, he rubbed them on his thighs and made an attempt to calm himself. Reluctantly, he stood and jumped over the tailgate of the truck.

  “What’d you do now?” asked Rob, hollering from the cab of the truck. “Let’s see some hustle going there! We don’t have all night.”

  Test didn’t pay any attention to Rob, and walked at his own pace to Enrique’s window.

  “What do you need, boss?” he asked.

  “Hey,” said Enrique as he glanced back to Alyssa. “What do you have planned for supper tonight?”

  Test was thoroughly confused. He looked past Enrique to Alyssa. She sat silently with her eyes focused straight ahead, her left leg bouncing nervously.

  “I guess I didn’t have any plans,” he replied. “Just to go home and get a shower.”

  With an enormous smile on his face, Enrique asked with a twisted pleasure. “How about I’ll drop you off at your place to get cleaned up, and then I’ll come back to pick you up? I’ll take you out to supper--my treat.”

  Test was still confused. He ran his hand through his hair and then rested it on the door. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

  “No, no. I just wanted to talk to you,” replied Enrique.

  “Well…” Test paused for a second. “Okay then. I guess that sounds good.”

  Enrique’s smile grew larger and he began to chuckle. “Good, it’s settled then. Climb into the back,” he motioned with his thumb.

  Test walked to the back of the truck, stepped up on the bumper, and climbed into the bed. As soon as he sat, Enrique started the truck and pulled off past the others. Test looked to James as they drove by. There the foreman stood at attention in the back of Rob’s truck, giving him a salute. Test couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. It felt good. It felt normal.

  Chapter 3

  Eric didn’t say a word to Test the entire way home, and Test didn’t say anything to him. He made Test nervous. If it weren’t for him thinking so much about Enrique asking him to supper, it would have been a long ride home.

  With the motel’s sign shining bright against the now black sky, Enrique pulled into the parking lot. Rolling down his window he yelled to Test, “What number?”

  “Nine!” replied Test.

  Enrique drove across the parking lot and parked in the stall directly in front of the room. Test stood and jumped over the driver’s side wall of the bed and landed tall on the black top. As he walked up to Enrique’s window, he put his right hand on the bed of the truck.

  “Okay, Chance, I’ll be back in an hour or so. Does that give you enough time to get cleaned up?” asked Enrique.

  “Yeah, I think so,” replied Test.

  “Okay then. We’ll see you in an hour.”

  “We?” asked Test quickly.

  “Well yeah. Me, Julie, and Alyssa; is that not alright?” replied Enrique.

  Test looked to Alyssa. She was looking at him nervously, but with a brightly shining smile on her face, anxiously awaiting his response. Her hair was now out of the ponytail and hanging long and straight over her shoulders and down her chest.

  My God, she is beautiful, he thought.

  “Yeah, that sounds great,” Test replied, his voice echoing the anxiety of the moment. “I guess I’ll see you in a little bit then.”

  “See you then,” replied Alyssa bashfully.

  Test looked into her beautiful brown eyes and nodded his head. He slapped his hand on Enrique’s door, unable to prevent the smile on his face. With a wink from Enrique, he walked away filled with excitement. His pulse was racing, and his mind flipped through the mental pictures of Alyssa that he had collected over the course of the day. As if on auto-pilot, he inserted his card key into the door and entered his room.

  Everything was as he’d left it. He tried to keep his space clean and organized, which wasn’t difficult since he didn’t own much of anything. The cleaning service took care of taking out the trash and making the bed everyday, so he really didn’t have to worry about much in the way of housekeeping. It was a pretty typical hotel room, nothing fancy. It had one queen sized bed with a nightstand on each side, and there was a television placed on top of a dresser that was across from the foot of the bed. The wallpaper was a tan floral pattern with a dark green border going around the top of the walls. It had a wash room with a small refrigerator that was directly off of the bathroom. With the exception of the bathroom, which was done in sterile white tile lined with mildewed caulk, the room was floored in short gray carpeting that was stained in spots. Test tried not to think about what the stains could be, or where they came from. There were dark brown curtains covering the windows, and an air conditioner/heater combo directly underneath them.

  Test sat on the edge of his bed with a smile on his face. He had feelings that he hadn’t felt for some time; feelings that he didn’t think that he’d ever be able to have again. Leaving Nicole was the hardest thing that he’d ever had to do. She dominated his thoughts day and night, until today that is. The moment that he had seen Alyssa, it was as if someone had wiped the slate clean. He found himself feeling like a person again as opposed to a freak. He stood up, walked to the washroom, and leaned onto the counter while staring at himself in the mirror.

  “Well, Test….” He paused and began to laugh. “Well, Chance….” He paused once again, only this time he dropped his head. With his hair hanging over his face he looked back into the mirror. “Who are you kidding? You can’t even tell her your real
name.” His face began to distort with frustration. He clinched his teeth and closed his eyes. He raised his right hand and let his furnace burn. Slowly his hand began to glow. He opened his eyes and looked at his reflection once more. “How can you possibly expect anyone to understand this?” he said with one glowing hand raised. “You are out of your mind if you think that beautiful girl would be with you! Especially after….”

  In a moment of rage he threw his open palm to the mirror and watched it shatter in front of him. Now breathing heavily, he pulled his hair out of his face and turned back to the living area to look at the clock on his nightstand.

  It’s too late to back out now, he thought to himself.

  He walked to his dresser and pulled out his only good pair of jeans. In the washroom was a closet without doors that held his shirts. Hanging inside was a limited selection of t-shirts with stains and holes, a few decent long sleeve shirts, and a couple of dress shirts. While he still wore t-shirts to work, he had found himself always wanting to wear the collared button up shirts with the pearl snaps, like the one Nicole had given him on their last day together. It was a way for him to stay connected to her. For this night he had chosen the black one with vertical silver stripes.

  Within minutes, he was finished with his shower and was dressed. He was now trying to give himself a quick shave, which was no easy task now that his mirror was shattered. With the last stroke of the razor came a knock at the door. Test put down the razor and grabbed at his towel to wipe his face. The knock came again, only louder this time.

  “I’m coming!” yelled Test as he rushed to the door.

  With a deep breath to center himself, he opened the door and found Alyssa standing on the other side. The sight of her sucked the air from his lungs. The words wouldn’t come to his lips, so the two of them shared a brief moment of admiration.

  “Hey,” said Alyssa. “You look great. Are you ready to go?”