Angel in the Shadows, Book 1 by Lisa Grace (Angel Series) (4 page)

I can’t think. All my other questions have
evaporated along with the morning chill. The sun is shining as
Zadok loads up my arms with preservers. We carry them down to the
beach. They smell slightly moldy. There is nothing like the smell
of mold to bring you back down to earth.

“Don’t worry, be happy,” Zadok chuckles at his
joke and I do too.

“You still haven’t asked me the most important
question, but that will come later.”

“The most important thing?” I can tell I have
some serious thinking to do, besides my relationship with Seth.

The chapel bell begins to ring. “Are you going?”
I ask.

“Of course. Even though it’s only a shadow of
Heaven, it’s where I feel most at home when I’m here on Earth.
Remember, I live to worship,” We walk in silence to the chapel.

I ‘m still trying to absorb my new reality and
what it means. I do feel I am living in a shadow, that the meaning
is obscured. I’m missing something.

As we enter, Zadok repeats, “Don’t worry, be
happy.”

I let the joy rise in my heart as the worship
service starts.

After chapel, Seth and I along with Mr. Z. and
Jackson, one of the older teens I don’t know that well, head down
to the beach. Jackson gather’s everyone around and explains the
rules for a swim and run race. Mr. Z. climbs up the lifeguard
tower. Seth is assigned to watch the boys and I–the girls. This
should be a piece of cake.

The water is chilly and takes my breath away; so
I do what I’ve always done, take a deep breath and go under all the
way. There is a swim platform only about twenty-five feet out in
the lake; the kids start to swim toward it.

Seth, a fast swimmer, is already up on the
platform with most of the boys and one or two of the girls. I stay
in the shallows watching and constantly counting bobbing heads.
Jackson is further up on the beach tying flags on a string for the
relay teams to rip off as they come up on shore and race across the
sand.

I hear a scream, “Let go!” one of the
girls who is more than halfway to the platform goes under. All I
see is bubbles. Zadok and Seth yell simultaneously. Seth dives in,
while I grab a preserver and start swimming to the last location of
the bubbles. Time slows down. The drag from the preserver is worse
than in practice. Seth has reached the bubbles and goes under
looking for the little girl. I’m almost at the bubbles, just two or
three feet away.
Oh God, please let us find
her. Let her be okay
.

Seth surfaces, “I can’t find her!” he
screams.

I hear panic in his voice. He takes three quick
breaths and goes under again. I do the same. Jackson has reached
us. I can vaguely hear his muffled voice as I go under. Opening my
eyes, I swim for the bottom. The lake water is murky and long
tendrils of seaweed caress and tug at my legs and arms. I look to
my left and see a flash of pink. I also see a horrible black image
tangling her in the seaweed. Her struggles entangle her arms,
keeping her down. While I swim towards her I see she’s screaming
underwater. Her mouth and eyes wide open in sheer fright. She
swallows the lake water, fighting frantically, trying to rip
herself free. The girl is drowning before my eyes. My heart races
as I kick hard trying to reach her in time. Suddenly, Seth swims
past me. We rip at the seaweed and push the girl toward the
surface. With powerful strokes, Seth grabs her and pulls the little
girl up through the water. I follow them to the surface. I look
down below us and see a dark shadowy hand reaching toward us. I
start to panic hoping the preserver is nearby. Seeing the shadow so
close as I’m running out of air is frightening. When my face breaks
through the water, I see my preserver floating a few feet away. I
grab it and pass it to Jackson who pulls it over the little girl’s
head. Seth and Jackson start for the platform. It’s closer than the
shore. The girl isn’t conscious. I feel a tug on my leg and I go
under. I frantically kick at the presence, praying for help from
above. It lets go and I break through the surface and swim for the
platform. I’ve never swum faster in my life.

I look over my shoulder to the beach and see
Zadok on the shore, and then he’s gone. I look back to the platform
and there he is. He helps pull the girl out and Seth and Jackson
pull themselves up. I struggle up onto the platform by myself.
Watching for any sign of the watery shadow. I’m shaking from my
encounter, no one notices as all eyes are on the little girl who
almost drown. I scan the lake one more time to make sure no one
else is going under. Everyone is up on the beach, the platform, or
in the shallows no deeper than their knees.

Zadok rolls the girl on her side, then quickly
on her tummy to get as much water out as possible. “Get the boat,”
he says to Jackson. Jackson dives back in the water and with long
strokes he makes good time to the shore. Zadok rolls her onto her
back. He checks her mouth for obstructions. We start CPR. He
breathes into her mouth while I do chest compressions. Almost
immediately, she starts to cough up water and breathe.

She starts to cry, gagging and coughing up the
last of the fluid in her lungs.

“It’s okay, sweetie, you’re okay, we’re getting
the boat,” I say.

I look at her legs. They are covered with
scratch marks. I’ve never seen seaweed cause marks like that on
anyone before. Whatever was down there was real. I shudder.

The other kids start talking. Seth takes charge
of them. Jackson pulls up in the boat as I talk to her and try to
calm her down.

Zadok picks up the girl and steps into the boat
to take her to shore. I hear her say, “The seaweed kept pulling me
under. Like it was trying to kill me. Don‘t make me get in the
water!”

As they pull away, all the talk on the platform
is about the near drowning. No one mentions seeing a dark presence
in the water. I keep scanning the surface, but the angle of the sun
makes it almost impossible to look more than a foot down. In the
commotion, I guess I’m the only one to notice Mr. Z.’s sudden
appearance on the platform and the fact that except for where Mr.
Z. touched the girl, his clothes are dry. Most of the kids swim to
shore. I’m too afraid to get in the water. The kids assume I’m too
tired after the rescue. I keep looking at the lake. I think I see a
dark shadow hanging out near the far shore. I wait for someone to
bring the boat to get me. When I get back to shore, I’m spooked. An
unseen danger is watching and hunting. How far will it go to hurt
me and is there anything besides prayer that I can do to stop
it?

***

Later that evening, after dinner, I’m excused
from KP duty because of what happened during swim. I go to the
bathroom and head for a stall. As I’m locking the door, I hear
someone else run in and go to a stall down from mine. I hear a gag
followed by the sound of puking. I ask, “Are you okay?” Whoever it
is, doesn’t answer and then I hear footsteps leaving. Strange.

I find Seth at his cabin and we walk to “our
place”. He holds out his hand for me to step down onto the dock and
we sit. Seth puts his arm around my shoulder and I rest my head on
his.

“I’m so glad that girl’s okay,” he says.

“You saved her life,” I hug him.

“Wow, you think, ‘what would I do if something
like that happens’ but you never really think it’s going to happen,
ya know?”

“Yeah, you’re a hero and you’re my hero,” I
say.

“I’m going to write my parents and tell them
what happened. I’ve never written them a letter from camp before.
They’ll probably pass out from shock,” Seth laughs.

I wonder if I should tell him about the dark
presence pulling the girl under and then grabbing at me. If I do,
will he believe me? I decide not to risk it. I change the
subject.

“Are you going to tell them about us?”

“I don’t have to Meg, they read all my texts;
they know we like each other. My dad did talk to me about treating
you right and I will. You’re my girl now,” Seth raises his eyebrows
in a villainous way.

Pebbles start hitting us in the head, landing on
the dock and in the water. We look up and there’s Robby, “Had to
stop it before you two start getting too romantic. Oh Seth, Oh
Megan.” Robby adds some kissing noises for extra effect.

I laugh and find some stray pebbles on the dock
to start pelting him. Seth jumps up and goes to tackle Robby. “Look
man, we’ve only got six more days and then it’s back to long
distance. Let me have some time with my girl.”

“Hey, don’t get mad at me, Mr. Z. sent me down
to get you guys for the campfire. He told me where to find
you.”

“Have you guys noticed anything different about
Mr. Z?” I ask as we start to walk back to the camp. Seth takes my
hand.

“No. Except that he’s onto you two,” Robby
says.

Seth says, “No, why?”

“Nothing. You’re right. He’s just keeping a
closer eye on us,” I can’t tell Robby or Seth what I know.

I was hoping they had seen Zadok today
disappearing from the beach, then reappearing on the swim platform
in his dry clothes. Or the dark presence in the water, or the
mysterious scratch marks on the girl’s legs. But nobody noticed,
except me.

I was looking forward to having more time
alone with Seth tonight, but I don’t think Zadok is going to let
that happen. I’ m not sure if that’s the human role he’s playing or
if it’s from a spiritual order. I should be trying to figure out
the question I’m supposed to ask, and figuring out how to deal with
the evil forces, but all I really want right now is more time with
Seth. I feel safe around him. Is that so wrong? I know it’s not.
It’s normal. I can’t be expected to be more than what I am. I don’t
want to deal with other realm things. I just want to be in the here
and now. I’m a teenager, what can I possibly do to help God and his
angels? Why don’t they just do what needs to be done? I wrack my
brain for an answer. What can I possibly do to help… Now I feel
like an idiot.
That must be the
question.
Okay, Zadok, now I know what I need to ask.
Then maybe you can leave Seth and me alone with what little time we
have left and maybe you can work on getting rid of the evil without
having me involved.

***

I was right. Seth and I are not left alone for
one minute at the campfire or after. Everyone wants to hear the
story of how Casey (I found out her name) almost drowned. I head
back to the cabin with my girls ready for a restless night of
wondering if the thing will leave me alone. I jump at every little
noise and spend too much time scanning the woods from my window.
The moon hides behind clouds for most of the night leaving me to
wonder in pitch black darkness. I ask for protection every time I
jolt awake. The night seems to drag on forever.

***

The bugle wakes us up again. I have my question
ready for Zadok when I can get him alone again. It’s day three so
only five more are left to spend with Seth. I gather my stuff and
head for the showers, yawning along the way. Back at the
counselors’ lounge, I run into Carrie again and we wait for the
guys. Robby and Seth show up a few minutes later. Robby joins us
for breakfast.

I notice Carrie seems to have taken more care
with her appearance. I even see a hint of lip-gloss. She tosses her
pigtails and asks, “Hey, Robby do you know where I can go to get
more arrows for archery? The kids lost quite a few in the trees,
and I’m not tall enough to reach them.”

“I’ll help you get them down,” Robby says taking
the bait, “I can show you where Mr. Timmons keeps the extra
supplies too.”

“Would, you? Thanks,” Carrie says practically
batting her eyelashes.

I just about fall off the bench in amazement.
Carrie does so like Robby. I remember her climbing trees last year
showing off her skill to everyone. Nobody could climb higher than
she could. Seth and I give each other a look, while Carrie and
Robby discuss some of the finer points of archery. Robby’s always
so busy looking for the next joke that he doesn’t always notice the
obvious.

“Hi Robby.” It’s Paige the pretty girl Robby
talked to at breakfast yesterday.

“Oh, hi Paige,” Robby says, he looks back to
Carrie and says, “Ah, Carrie, have you met Paige?”

“No. Hi. Would you like to sit with us?” Carries
voice doesn’t sound that friendly.

“Sure,” Paige sits right next to Robby. Carrie
and Robby keep talking trying to include Paige in the conversation,
but they soon forget about her.

Seth and I talk about our cabin kids. We’re just
enjoying each other’s company while we can. “Let’s sit in chapel
together, my kids on one side and yours on the other. They can’t
stop us from worshiping together,” Seth says. I agree.

All the coffee I drank goes through me so I head
over to the rest room before chapel starts.

While in the stall, I hear someone run
into the stall next to mine. I see pink sneakers, then I hear a gag
and retching. “Are you okay?” I ask. I don’t get an answer and the
next thing I know, pink sneaks is running out of the bathroom.
D
é
j
à
-vu.

I don’t think “pink sneaks” is sick. It’s
happened twice now, after meals. I’m thinking someone’s bulimic. I
remember watching a show on girls with eating disorders. One girl
would go and throw up after a meal so she wouldn’t gain any weight.
I think “pink sneaks” has the same problem, but first I have to
find out who she is. Another problem that I don’t need. Don’t I
have enough to deal with? I guess not. For a minute I think I’ll
just ignore it. It’s none of my business. Then my conscience
asks,
If you don’t try to help the girl,
who will?
Maybe no one else knows. I sigh. I have to
at least try to find out who it is and help her. It’s time to play
detective.