Meridia Falls Series 1 Books 1 & 2: The Spark & Sunburst (Meridia Falls Boxsets)

by D. B. Green

  Penny’s apartment is a lot bigger than I first thought. There’s a small kitchen and bathroom down a corridor next to the front door. She says this is the smaller of the two apartments up here. From the outside, the cinema doesn’t look like it’s got room for one apartment, let alone two. This place definitely does seem bigger on the inside.

  Penny sits crossed legged on the sofa with the beige file we took from the crypt open on her lap. She’s got a packet of fries next to her, balanced on a cushion, as she reads a thick stapled report. She’s totally engrossed in it.

  “Thanks for the use of the shower,” I say, giving my hair another quick rub, careful not to splash any more water on the floor.

  She looks up and smiles. I didn’t notice she was wearing a pair of round reading glasses. They look so cute… She looks so cute. Butterflies flutter in my stomach again.

  “Just for reading,” she says, tapping the metal frame. “I can’t wear them for long as they’ve started giving me headaches. She nods at my hair. “Did you find any more leaves?”

  “Yeah, quite a few more.” I comb my fingers through my hair. “A bush full. What the hell did we fall in?”

  Penny grins. “What the hell did you fall in?” She twists her fingers through her silky brown hair. “You protected me from that evil pile of leaves… You saved me.” She looks over my shoulder toward the bathroom. “Still, maybe I should have taken a shower too.” A mischievous glint shines in her eyes, amplified by the lenses. “Maybe I should have joined you.”

  I drop the towel on the back of the sofa and hold up my hands. “I wouldn’t have stopped you.” Thoughts of water running down her naked body spread through my mind like a forest fire.

  A wide grin spreads across her face.

  Crap. My heart pounds fast. “Did you get any of that?”

  “Yeah, I got the gist.” She laughs. “Don’t worry.” Removing her glasses, she rests her hands on her chin and stares at me with her beautiful, dreamy green eyes. “It’s what I’m thinking, too.” She sweeps a McDonald’s bag from the sofa onto the already cluttered floor and pats the cushion next to her.

  “We’re alike in so many ways,” I say, sitting on the cushion. “But this…” I sweep my hand out over the messy floor. “This is definitely not me.” I tap my chest. “I’m Mr. Tidy.”

  Penny smiles and holds her hands up. “I’m not normally like this.” She leans forward and picks up the McDonald’s bag and stands it on the coffee table. “This mess, I just see it as a theft deterrent. Any crooks breaking in would run a mile.” She glances sideways at her bedroom and points at the open door. “Now, that is a different story.” She turns back to me, the mischievous glint returning in her eyes. “In there, I’m always tidy.” She grabs her vanilla milkshake from the table and slides her lips over the straw. Her left eyebrow raises, seductively, with every sip she takes.

  I grab my milkshake and take a long sip. The instant brain freeze helps ward off any carnal thoughts before she senses them. “Did you find anything in the file?” I ask, taking another long sip.

  She leaf’s through the file and pulls out a large blueprint. “This just doesn’t make sense,” she says, struggling to unfold it. “Look at the crypt. It’s the size of a… sports field.” She pinches her finger and thumb together and bangs the center of the blueprint. “The chapel is the size of a tiny house on top. It doesn’t add up.” Shaking her head, she folds up the blueprint and slides it back in the file. “One of my Bizarre News contacts might be able to get hold of the original plans for the chapel. I’ll contact him in the morning.”

  “Maybe Cross knows something,” I say.

  Penny glances across at the computer on the desk. She shakes her head. “I’ve had the chat window open since we got back from the crypt, but he’s not been online since this afternoon.”

  She closes the crypt file and taps at the beige front cover, chasing her finger along the triangular stamp on the front. “This is interesting, too.” She glances at the red filing cabinets next to the window. “It’s the same stamp that’s on all those files that Cross sent me.”

  “It was on the police report about your brother’s kidnapping, too,” I say.

  Penny tilts the file so the triangle catches the light from the chandelier above us. “They were just photocopies. This is like a hologram. There was one on the blueprint too.”

  “Yes, it’s exactly like a hologram,” I say, as she continues to move the file around in the light. The triangle changes through all the colors in the rainbow. “It’s hypnotic.” I blink away the shimmering colors and tap the file. “What about that M-Chromosome that Maz mentioned?”

  Penny slips her glasses back over her nose and reaches for the report she was reading when I came out of the shower. “Now, that is something.” She turns over to the next page. “The M-Chromosome crops up a lot in what I’ve read so far,” she says. “It doesn’t state exactly what it is, but…” She slides another report out of the file. “They use Sunburst, whatever that is, to activate the M-Chromosome.”

  “Do we have this chromosome?” I say, reaching for my neck. “Those medical reports say we were injected with Sunburst when we were younger.”

  “Pure Sunburst,” Penny says, correcting me. “That’s not all…” She struggles to hold two more reports. “There are lists of people in here.” She slides her finger down the first one, reading the page. “Enchanters. Have you ever heard that name before?”

  I shake my head. “No.”

  She flips over the page. “Me, neither. But there’s a watch list of these Enchanters. Corine Barnes from Milan in the United States. Penny…” She pauses and her eyes open wide. “Penny Wood from Rolling Meadows, also in the United States.” She traces her finger further down the page. “Harry and Jack Coleman from Aylesbury in the United Kingdom… The list goes on.” She taps the page. “There’s a lot of paired relatives on here… Siblings?”

  Cassie. “Maybe that’s a list of everyone in those blocks,” I say. “The Desino Lapses.”

  She flips open another report. “I think this is the list of people trapped in them,” she says, showing me the report. “Mr. Randall’s name has been added to the top.”

  I focus on the top of the list, at the names underneath another hologram like triangle.

  MEV 7

  BATTERY STORAGE

  E4

  CELL 1 / GEORGE. RANDALL / BAKEWELL, UNITED KINGDOM / BSE4001-4

  CELL 2 / TERE FREDERICKS / TALLAHASSEE, UNITED STATES / BSE4002-4

  CELL 3 / JEANETTE BURNS / ELMSTONE, UNITED KINGDOM / BSE4003-3

  “There’s fifty-six names on here,” I say, running my finger to the bottom of the second page. “Are they all in those Lapse things in the crypt?” My injured hand aches at the mention of the time-freezing blocks. I wiggle my fingers, stretching them out.

  “Yes, I think so,” Penny says. “All trapped in time….” She pauses, staring at my injured hand. “That’s looking a lot better.” She drops the reports and reaches for my hand, stroking her fingers over my knuckles.

  “I think the hot water did it some good,” I say.

  She twists my hand over and traces her finger across my palm. It tickles. “Don’t forget my awesome nursing skills,” she says, pressing my hand to her cheek. “It wouldn’t bother me if it stayed this way,” she says, as she kisses the back of my hand. “You do know that, don’t you?”

  My phone suddenly chimes. A text message. Penny grabs it from the table and passes it over. “Anne,” she says, reading the front screen.

  Hi, Logan honey. Hope you’re having a good time on your research project. I’m having an early night, so I won’t be up when you get in. Don’t stay out too late.

  Anne x

  Another chime signals another message from Anne.

  I forgot to ask. Did you take remember your keys?

  Penny strokes the back of my neck as I type out a quick reply.

  Don’t worry, Anne. I remembered my keys. The research project is g
oing well. Really well. I’ll not be home too late.

  Logan x

  Maz suddenly jumps into my mind. “Crap. I forgot to send Maz my number.” I type out another message.

  Got back to Penny’s safe and sound. See you at 8:15 in the morning.

  Penny smiles, the mischievous glint shining brightly in her eyes again. “So, your research is going well.” She glances at the crypt file and then leans close. “Let’s leave Sunburst and Enchanters until the morning. How do you fancy getting down to some in-depth research on me instead?” She pauses and glances across at her bedroom. “We can research all night, if you like.”

  Her eyes open wide; they glisten behind her glasses. Memories of her magical orange eyes flash through my mind. My stomach tingles. She smiles and places her warm hands on either side of my face, narrowing her eyes.

  I want you to research me all night long.

  That was her voice! In my head, as clear as day… but her lips didn’t move.

  “Did you get that?” she says, smiling seductively. “Did you get what I was thinking?”

  My stomach judders with wonderful butterflies and heat shoots through my body like an erupting volcano. “Oh, yes!” I say, my heart racing. “I got it all.”

  Penny leans back against the sofa, letting out a long breath. “That’s what’s been happening to me all night,” she says, tapping the side of her head. “I keep getting your thoughts… your feelings.” She glances at my lap and grins. “Your naughty thoughts.” She wafts herself with the file. “It’s getting hot in here.” She reaches for her milkshake and takes another sip. A little ice-cream dribbles from the straw onto her neck. “Oops.” She grins and slides her hand behind my neck and pulls herself on top of my lap, spreading her legs on either side of mine.

  Unable to resist, I lean forward and kiss her neck, slowly making my way down to the dribbled milkshake. She arches her back, squeezing my legs together with her thighs as I lick the ice-cream from her skin. Then, she presses her chest to mine. My heart races just as fast as hers… She’s not wearing a…

  “I took it off when you were in the shower,” Penny says. She presses her soft lips to my ear. “I think we would be more comfortable doing our research in the bedroom.”

  She eases herself off my lap and holds out her hand. I stand, trying to hide the growing desire in my pants. She stares and grins. Her hand drops, like she’s going to reach for it, but she grabs my hand instead and leads me past the sofa to her bedroom.

  TUESDAY

  4th October

  2005

  06:24 GMT-4

  LOGAN COLLINS

  THE MERIDIAN CINEMA | MERIDIA FALLS

  Penny slides out from under the purple bedsheets and she sits on the edge of the bed, stretching out her arms. I lean over and run my fingers slowly down her bare skin. She arches her back as I reach her waist. Shivering, she plucks my blue checked shirt from the pile of our clothes on the carpet and slides her arms inside. Then, she springs to her feet and walks across to the white dresser against the wall, my shirt resting just above her peach-like, behind. I lean back into the pillow, trying to process the events of last night - and this morning. I’m now connected to Penny in body as well as mind.

  “Last night was wonderful,” Penny says, turning back from the dresser. The flickering light from the vanilla candle on the bedside table dances over her soft skin, giving me a brief glimpse of her chest through my open shirt. She’s hypnotic. The scent from the candle heightens my senses, sending my body into spasms of pure joy.

  “This morning was just as wonderful, too,” I say, not taking my eyes off her beautiful body.

  The familiar hint of mischief flashes in her eyes. “Just now was pretty wonderful too.” She smiles. “I never imagined making love would feel—”

  “—earth-shatteringly wonderful,” I say, finishing her sentence.

  She closes her eyes and smiles. “Exactly.” She turns and rummages in a drawer, spinning around with a look of triumph on her face. Clutched tight to her chest is an old Polaroid camera. She glides over to the bed and slips back under the sheets.

  Even after all the weird stuff that happened yesterday, this moment feels so right. I’m going to spend the rest of my life with her. The wedding vision from the chapel plays in my mind again. I can hear the music and see her beautiful, happy smile. I will marry her.

  “Yes,” Penny says.

  “Marry me.” The words trail away as I realize she’s already answered the question.

  Penny’s smiles and nods. “Yes.”

  My heart races away. Vanilla scent fills the room, surrounding this perfect moment. I reach across to the bedside table and pull a piece of the vanilla-infused twine from the bottom of the burning candle. I tie it in not and slide it over her finger. “I know this seems ridiculous, but it feels so right at the same time.” Her beautiful green eyes open wide as I hold her hand. “Penny Summers. Will you marry me?”

  Her lips curl into the cutest of smiles. She drops the Polaroid camera and climbs on top of me, kissing me on the lips. I’m engulfed in her euphoric answer as our minds connect.

  She pulls away and examines the twine ring on her finger, her radiant smile warming my heart and my soul. “Yes. I want nothing more than to marry you.” She slides over my waist and slowly lowers herself down, gripping me tight between her legs. Flinging off the shirt, she leans forward and presses against my chest. She kisses my neck, then my lips, and we connect again in the wondrous euphoria. We rock back and forth in waves of joy as we connect in body and soul. It’s like we’re floating above an earthquake, riding the shockwaves. Time is irrelevant. Time doesn’t matter. Time does not exist. It feels like this moment will last forever.

  Penny pulls her lips from mine after what feels like a glorious eternity. She smiles and runs her hands through her hair. “Make that four,” she says, her eyes opening wide. “Oh my god, we’re floating again.”

  We suddenly drop back onto the bed. The realization that we’re three feet in the air breaks whatever magic was keeping us there.

  “Wow.” Penny slips her arms back in my shirt and reaches for the Polaroid camera. “I want to preserve this moment forever.”

  I pull the bed sheets back over us and slip my arm around her shoulders. She struggles to aim the bulky camera. I reach up and take it from her, then stare into her beautiful eyes. “Smile,” I whisper. The flash goes off and the developing picture ejects from the front slot and drops onto my chest. We hold the pose and I take another shot so we’ll have one each. She reaches for the photos, teasing my skin with her fingers.

  “They take ages to develop,” she says, glancing at the clock on the bedside table. “I can’t wait to see them.”

  “What time is it?” I ask.

  “Seven fifteen.”

  Crap. “Seven fifteen!” I say. “How long were we… I’d better get moving.”

  Penny pulls her arm out of my shirt. “I guess you’ll be needing this back.”

  “No, you keep it.” I say, unable to take my eyes off her. I hold up my hand. “The shirt looks better on you… Way better.”

  Penny’s eyes open wide. She grabs my hand and gently rubs her fingers across my knuckles. “It’s getting better… healing,” she says, kissing my palm as I climb out bed. She leans across the bed and rests her chin on her hands, watching as I slide my T-shirt over my head. The mischievous glint dances around in her eyes. “It’s my turn to watch.”

  07:34 GMT-4

  THE HARRISON ESTATE | MERIDIA FALLS

  I unlock the front door, tentatively twisting the key like I’m about to get an electric shock any second. My movement is so slow that the security light above the door turns off, making me jump - which then sets it off again, almost blinding me. I blink away the glare and turn the door handle. If the past few days are anything to go by, then Anne will already be baking apple pies in the kitchen. The door glides open, smoothly and without making a sound. I brace myself for the sickly-sweet smell. Noth
ing. Maybe she took the hint about my dislike for apple pie and quit her early morning baking ritual.

  I untie my boots and pull them off. Can’t have my feet thumping across the floor; that’s a sure way for Anne to find out I didn’t get home last night. Picking up my boots, I tiptoe across the hallway to the main staircase, my socks gliding over the polished wooden floor like ice skates on a frozen lake.

  I press my foot on the first step; it sinks into the soft carpet runner. I continue up the stairs in a weird reversal of my usual mad dash down them. Every step sends tingling ripples across my skin as memories of Penny engulf me like a sensual massage. My heart races. I can almost smell her vanilla perfume, feel her soft touch, her soft lips…

  Crap. I nudge a small table at the top of the stairs. Diving to the right, I manage to catch a large teardrop shaped vase before it crashes onto the wooden floor. If that had smashed, the game would be up. Izzy comes bounding out of the shadows, alerted to my presence. I ruffle her fur, halting any sign of a welcoming meow. “Keep quiet, Izzy,” I whisper as she rubs against my leg, purring.

  I stand the vase back on the table, rolling it around until it sits at the center. Why do I care what Anne thinks? I’m seventeen. Because, numbnuts, Anne is your legal guardian now - and she’s someone who cares about you. Don’t blow it.

  Crap. That’s the first internal argument I’ve had since arriving at Meridia Falls. My heart races again, not because of Penny, but because of blind panic. Internal arguments are always a precursor to my panic attacks. Roaxatol. I rub over my signet ring. My empty signet ring.

  I push open my bedroom door and walks inside. Izzy dives through the gap before I close the door, and jumps onto the windowsill.

  My school rucksack is on the dresser where I left it last night. I grab it and pour the contents out over the bed. My heart thumps against my ribs as I shake the bag. The Roaxatol bottle spins around in a circle as it falls. I reach for it and pop off the lid, dropping a pill into my palm. An old man’s palm. The skin is a little smoother. I wiggle my fingers. My knuckles don’t burn anymore - they’re just tight and sore. Penny was right. It is healing.