Angel in the Shadows, Book 1 by Lisa Grace (Angel Series) (6 page)

“Yep, that’s me, afraid of the dark,” I quip.
They think I’m kidding. As Bri and Kayla wait for me, I leave a
light on in the cabin. We always return from the campfire in the
dark with our flashlights. I know it’s silly, but it does make me
feel safer having a beacon of light to come home to. I don’t want
to be alone in the dark with that thing. I’m still too freaked out
by what happened at the lake.

Zadok is with a group of young boys on the dock
fishing. I excuse myself from Kayla and Bri, and run over to
him.

“Did ya catch anything?” I ask as I walk out on
the dock.

“We’ve caught three bluegill and a sunfish!” One
of the boys says excitedly. He opens a bucket to show me his
catch.

I look at him and smile, “Wow, you’re doing
great.” I turn to Mr. Z. and ask, “Can I speak to you alone for a
few minutes?”

Mr. Z. says, “Sure, let me get one of the junior
staff here to help the kids.”

I see Jada, one of the junior staff like me,
down on the beach. I’m about to call out when Mr. Z. says, as if
reading my thoughts (which I know he can’t do), “Someone who’s not
afraid to bait a hook or take a fish off the line.”

“Oh,” That narrows the list of prospects down. I
see Toby coming down to the beach from the boy’s cabin area. I wait
until he’s within shouting distance and call him over. Zadok hands
his pole over to Toby. We walk over to stand in front of the
boathouse. Knowing we could be interrupted at anytime I blurt out,
“I know what the question I need to ask is, but now I’m seeing a
dark presence. It’s mainly staying in the woods. It did grab at me
in the lake and I think it knows I can see it. What can I do about
it.? I’m scared.”

Zadok nods, pursing his lips, “Okay, first
things first. Of course you can see ‘it’. You know you can see
spiritual forces. But what you’re forgetting is that they’ve always
been there, even when you couldn’t see them. Remember the devil,
his angels, and demons walk about the Earth looking for those who
are spiritually weak. They want to steal their beginning faith from
them. A camp like this is one of the best places for them to stay.
Many of the kids here are perfect targets. It’s a perfect hunting
ground for them. Unclaimed souls. It’s trying to scare you to keep
you from your purpose. For those that can’t see them, they can use
fear and doubt. Because you can, those tools may not be working so
well. Some physical manifestations maybe another tool they’re
using.”

“Yeah, but this is freaking me out,” I say.

“Well, you are capable of learning to live with
it,” Zadok says matter-of-factly. “So what’s the question?” Zadok
asks.

“And you expect me to get used to them touching
me, just like that?”

“You don’t have a choice.”

I’m angry and frustrated. It’s so unfair. I wipe
a tear away from the corner of my eye. Zadok just waits. His eyes
warm with concern.

I take a deep breath and calm down.

“You said you knew the question?” He asks
gently.

I nod and take another breath, I think I can
talk now without crying, “How can I use my ‘gift’–wait I can say
this better, what does God want me to do with my special
talent?”

“Congratulations, Megan you asked the right
question.” Zadok answers and smiles.

I wait. “So what’s the answer? What does he want
me to do? What can I do except freak myself out?”

He smiles, “You must find the answer to what can
you do with your gift.”

“You’re kidding, right? Find the answer? By
myself? Isn’t that why you’re here? To tell me the answers?”

He stops and looks me in the eyes. His concern
is evident, “Everybody gets to make their own choice in this world.
Some get more than one chance. Use your time and your gift
wisely.”

He walks back to the campfire signaling my time
today with him is done.

Deal with it and find the answer myself? I
thought angels were supposed to help! I groan. This is too hard.
Why can’t Zadok just tell me? I didn’t even get to ask if he’s here
to protect me like a guardian angel kind of thing; but if he is,
wouldn’t I have more than a few days to ask him questions? At this
rate, I’m not going to learn the things I need to know before I
leave camp.

What’s going to happen when I’m in a more
populated place? Am I going to see these evil things everywhere? I
remember from science class that germs are everywhere, but we can’t
see them. I’m grateful I can’t see them. Can I just pretend they’re
like germs? I don’t know. But what happens when one speaks to me? I
know God’s totally in charge, but I’m still just trying to deal
with my new scary reality.

Seth and Robby are walking down to the campfire
with a bunch of kids. I’m not going to worry about it anymore
tonight. I’m just going to enjoy being with Seth. I’ll have more
time to think about everything on the canoe trip tomorrow.

Seth says as he approaches, “You look upset.
What’s wrong?”

I shake my head. “Nothing I’m fine.” I can’t
talk to him about what’s happening to me. I lie, “I’m just fighting
a headache. I’ll be fine. It’s almost gone.” I plaster a smile on
my face and reach out for his hand. Seth and I manage to have a
nice evening with the kids at the campfire. He picks me up and even
gives me a piggyback ride.

We take any chance to touch that can’t be deemed
“off-limits” because it’s too romantic.

As the adults call for everyone to turn in for
the night, Seth says, “Let me walk you back.” He motions for Robby
to take his kids and I hear kissy sounds and cat-calling aimed our
way.

The girls romp ahead up the trail. The light
from the flashlights bouncing off the path and the trees as they
draw closer to the cabin and further away from us. I hear the girls
giggling and talking all the way.

We fall back and Seth takes my hand. He stops
me, reaches out, and pulls me in for a kiss. His lips meet mine.
Gentle, soft, and warm. My heart races wanting more. He pulls back
and says, “I’ve wanted to do that all night.”

“Me too,”, I reach up and kiss him back. We wait
for a minute lost in the perfectness of the moment, not wanting it
to end. We part, then walk slowly up the trail knowing we can’t
linger long without attracting the adults’ notice.

I don’t see the dark presence; I’m not sure if
that’s because it’s too dark out or because it’s gone for now. We
say our goodbyes at the cabin door, excited about the canoe trip
tomorrow.

After lights out it’s hard for me to
sleep. My emotions for Seth are enough to keep me awake, but then
the dread I feel over what is out there, watching me, causes
anxiety too. Every time I open my eyes, I expect to see something
awful hovering over me. I keep waking with each little noise. I
pray for protection as I sleep. Each noise makes my mind race. The
last time I look at my watch by the light of the moon, it’s after
three o’clock. I finally fall into a disturbing sleep filled with
dreams of large snakes chasing me. In my dream, I feel a hand
resting on my stomach. I wake up and realize the feeling is still
there. I look and can see nothing but a shadow.
It’s one of them.
I roll away and the hand moves
to my side. Now I’m terrified. I try to scream and nothing comes
out. I feel the hand move up my side towards my head. The hand
pushes my face firmly into my pillow, suffocating me. I find the
courage and strength to scream, “Help me!”

Suddenly, the presence is gone. At the same
time, my girls wake up. “Hey, what’s going on? Is everyone
okay?”

I reach for my flashlight and turn it on. I say,
“It’s okay, someone had a bad dream.” I’m too embarrassed to tell
them I’m the one who screamed.

I look at the clock, it’s just before four. I
lay back down gripping my flashlight. I don’t know how I can
possibly sleep tonight or any night for the rest of my life. I wish
I didn’t know those things are out there or in here. I close my
eyes and pray. It’s the only thing I can do.

***
At the morning wake up call, my head is pounding. I take some
ibuprofen before heading over to the mess hall for some coffee. In
the kitchen I hunt down an old dusty thermos to take on the trip so
I can have a steady infusion of caffeine. I look for the dark
presence everywhere and jump at the slightest unexpected noises.
Mrs. Timmons asks me to help finish packing sandwiches, chips, and
sodas in the coolers. Mr. Timmons and Jackson carry them down to
the canoes. I have sunscreen, mosquito spray, ibuprofen, and the
thermos full of coffee in my duffle. I’ll tie it to one of the
rails in the canoe so I don’t lose it when, not if, the canoe tips
over. I’m wearing my visor and sunglasses, along with my swimsuit
which I have on under my oversized T-shirt and shorts. Nothing
fancy ‘cause I know I’m getting wet.

On the beach about fifty kids and ten counselors
are busy breaking into groups of three to load up the canoes. Seth
has volunteered us to take the coolers, which means no third person
in our canoe. Robby and Carrie are traveling along with Paige in
another. Well, that should be interesting.

Mr. Timmons sits everyone down to listen to the
rules. “Float vests on all the kids. Camp counselors have float
cushions. Tie anything to the inside of the canoe you don’t want to
lose. Put toilet paper in a waterproof Ziploc bag. Potty breaks are
in the woods. Use leaves if your canoe doesn’t have any dry TP.
Make sure the leaf you use isn’t poison ivy. If you’re not sure,
ask someone.” Lots of snickering follows these comments.

“There is a first aid kit in every canoe. Lunch
is when we get to the dam. Put on your sunscreen now. Bring a hat
and sunglasses if you have them. If you get lost, stay with your
canoe. We will find you. If a stranger offers to help, ask them to
contact the camp and give us your location. Mr. Davis and Toby are
in the lead canoe along with Angela (one of our new campers).
Jackson and I will bring up the rear. We leave in five minutes.
Have fun.”

Seth and I get in our canoe and push off the
shoreline. We wait about fifty-feet off the shore. The kids who
haven’t canoed before do quite a bit of zigzagging. We wait until
some of the campers pass us and take our place in the middle of the
pack.

After a while, we have enough distance that we
can speak privately without being overheard.

“Did you get a chance to confirm who ‘Miss
Bulimia’ is?” Seth asks.

“Yeah. She doesn’t think she has a problem. I’m
going to ask her to get help one more time, if she won’t, I guess
I’ll have to ask Mrs. Timmons for advice.”

“Who is it?” Seth asks. I know he won’t tell
anyone, but I’m uncomfortable telling him. If I don’t tell him, he
might get mad at me.

“Come on you can trust me,” Seth says.

“I know,” My paddle catches on some weeds making
it heavier to lift out of the water, “It’s Paige.” I pull in the
paddle and clear it of the weeds, dumping them back in the
lake.

“Wow, really? She’s pretty. Why would she do
something like that?”

“I don’t know. She doesn’t want to talk about
it,” At least not to me. “Please don’t act any differently around
her, okay?” I’m feeling guilty now that I told Seth.

“I don’t talk to her or anything. I’ve kind of
been distracted by this other hot chick,” he says grinning at me.
“If I can only get her alone without two coolers separating
us.”

“Everywhere we go at camp I feel like we’re
being watched,” I say thinking of Zadok.

“Well we are,” Seth says, “everyone knows about
us so they’re never going to let us be alone. At least not for a
few years until we’re old enough to be engaged.”

“Do you think we’ll last that long?” I ask.

“Why not? I have an aunt and uncle that met in
high school and they’re still married. Age doesn’t have anything to
do with how I feel about you Megs. I love you.”

I turn around in the canoe. I can’t see anyone
ahead or behind us. I climb over one of the coolers as Seth leans
over to meet me. I give him a kiss, and say, “I love you too.” As I
pull back and stand up the canoe wobbles. I lose my balance and
fall in the water. I hear Seth laughing as my head breaks through
the water.

He leans over and helps pull me back in. I’m
tempted to pull him in, but I don’t. “You look beautiful even when
you’re half-drowned.”

“I should of known I’d fall in. I’ve never made
it one trip dry.”

We keep paddling and talking as the sun dries me
off. When we get to the dam, Seth and I go for a swim. Mr. Davis
and Toby eat with the kids on the shore. Seth and I swim across to
the other side where there are some big boulders that we can sit on
in plain view of everyone else. For now, we stay in the water where
we can hold hands under the surface or I can rest my legs on his
without being seen.

“I wish we lived closer to each other,” I
say.

“Well my parents said they’d take us (meaning
Seth and his little brother Sammy) to Busch Gardens this summer.
They said we could swing by and pick you up, if you pay your way.”
He winks.

“That would be great! Of course I’ll come.”

“We can always go to college together and maybe
next summer when we’re sixteen, we can volunteer at one of those
summer work programs then we’d have a whole month together.”

Carrie and Robby swim over to join us. “Hey
guys,” Carrie says, “having fun?”

Robby comes up and pushes Seth’s head
underwater. They start to play wrestle in the water so Carrie and I
climb up onto the boulders to get out of the way.

“How’s it going with you, Robby, and Paige?” I
ask.

“I like Robby and I think Robby likes me,”
Carrie says, “but Paige wants Robby pretty bad. The only reason
she’s not over here now is she’s afraid to swim over. Robby’s being
nice to her, but I think he’s made it clear he would like to spend
time alone with me. She’s not taking the hint and I’m not sure what
to do.”