The Legend of the Light Keeper (The Light Keeper Series Book 1) (16 page)

“I promised Granny we’d get right in and out as soon as we could and that we wouldn’t touch anything but our shovels, assuming we find them,” said Hunter. He’d convinced her they were just going in to scope out the mysterious shovel thief, and she didn’t ask too many questions.

“Don’t forget to take pictures with your phones,” I said as they approached the house.

A few seconds later they were inside. Mr. Hill didn’t have his door locked, so they’d just walked in. I sat staring at the house. It was killing me not knowing what was going on inside. I couldn’t help it any longer. I stood up and made a mad dash for the house. Halfway there I heard Talon’s voice on the two-way.

“Turn around, Lily! Go back!” He could see me out the window, but before he could get to the door, I was inside the house. He shook his head and turned around to continue his search. He was disappointed but I’d work it out with him later.

I couldn’t believe how filthy the place was. The floor had about three inches of dirt. It was like walking on the beach. The cabinets were open and the counters full of half-empty bottles, glasses and dirty plates. The walls and ceiling were covered with hundreds of ashy black streaks from years and years of the Light paying its visits. The walls around the window over his table were lined with old pictures, newspaper clippings and other writings. There were no lights on, and when I leaned in closer to take a better look, something sharp gashed my leg.

“Oh!” I grabbed my leg and hurried out the door into the sunlight to see what happened. Talon followed.

“Damn it, Lily! I told you not to come in.” He ran over to the trailer and knocked. “Come on guys, time’s up!”

“What did you do, Lily?” Owen asked. He didn’t look happy with me as he exited the trailer, but before I could answer, Hunter barreled out, excited.

“Come on, I’ve found something!” he said, crossing the yard.

“Hunter, what did you take?” Talon yelled to him. “He might notice it missing!” He helped me in the house where Granny directed him to take me to the kitchen table.

Granny clutched her chest when she saw the blood, and wasted no time getting the first aid kit. She took out the peroxide, cotton, and a neon green bandage. “Hey, your bandage matches your eyes,” Owen said, predictably. I shook my head.

“I wondered who would be the first to say it,” I said, giggling.

“What got you?” Granny asked. She leaned in close and eyed the mark, squinting through her glasses. “It’s just a nasty scratch, nothing bad at all.”

“A piece of metal from a chair, I think. I was trying to see some pictures he had taped to the wall around the window but it was so dim in there.”

Talon knelt down in front of me and held my foot to his chest so Granny could get to my leg better. When she turned to wet a washcloth, he leaned in and kissed it right next to the bleeding cut. The feel of his lips on my leg sent chills through me, but then Owen kicked his leg, causing him to wobble, nearly dropping my foot and falling to the floor. Talon steadied himself and did it again, smiling at Owen.

“What did you find, Hunter?” I asked, as Granny returned to patch me up. The hot rag stung cleaning my cut.

Hunter had the water running in the sink and he was scrubbing at something that looked like a flat stone. He didn’t say a word till he rubbed all the dirt away. “Eureka!” He held up what appeared to be a gold coin.

“Do you think it’s real?” Talon asked. He and Owen got a closer look and Hunter held it lower for me to see.

Granny glanced at it. “It’s real all right.”

“How can you be so sure? You barely saw it,” Owen said. “It could be a fake.”

“He’s got a whole box of these.” Hunter held it up. “If it’s real, could you imagine how much it would be worth?”

“Jackpot!” Owen grinned at his brother as they bumped fists.

Granny smiled and shook her head. “You know I’m making you take that back.”

“What? It’s gold. He’s got a whole box, he’ll never know.” Hunter’s excitement faded.

“Yes, he might never know it, but I’ll know and so will you. Take it back. I suggest you dirty it up a little before you do.” She put the bandage on my leg.

“You didn’t mind me breaking in, but you have a problem with me taking one sorry little coin of at least a hundred?”

“Yes, I’ve a problem with it. I didn’t raise a thief. Take it back. I won’t tell you again.” She stared him in the eyes. It would have normally been comical to see her tiny frame up against Hunter’s, but she was serious. She went to her room and shut the door. I couldn’t help but think there was something more upsetting her, but I left her to her solitude.

“You think he’s digging for gold?” Talon asked Hunter, who shrugged and stared at the coin.

“We didn’t learn anything.” I hung my head.

“Uh, yes we did. We learned that son of a gun has a box of gold,” Hunter said, with a crazy laugh.

“No, I mean about Alyssa,” I said. I frowned, still thinking Hunter was mistaken.

“It was probably just a box of old tokens, or coins—even washers for all you know,” Owen said.

“I know what I saw. Don’t believe me, but I’m keeping my eye on the old man for sure now. I want to know where he’s getting it. No wonder he’s been digging so much. I bet he stole our shovels to keep us from finding anything.” Hunter smiled from ear to ear. Nothing was going to change his mind.

“Well, that doesn’t help me much. So he’s a murderer with a box of gold, that’s just great. Who did he have to kill for that?” I said. “I still need to figure out what Alyssa is trying to tell me.”

“Oh, by the way,” Owen looked at me as if he hated to deliver bad news, “I found some papers with Mr. Hill’s name on them. I don’t think he’s this Mitchell guy, Lily. Did you even get a good look at the pictures before you cut yourself?”

“No, it all happened so fast. I need to go and see them again.” I waited for Talon’s reaction.

“Absolutely not,” he said calmly. “I’ll study the faces in the pictures for when I go back in. I’ll even get pictures of them for you, but you are not ever going back in there.”

I was just about to protest, to tell him I was a big girl and didn’t need his permission, when Hunter cut me off.

“Hello? Does anyone else realize the awesomeness that this is gold!
Real gold
!” Hunter frowned at us like we were insane. We all laughed. Poor Hunter, he wasn’t trying to be funny this time.

The boys couldn’t risk going back over until Mr. Hill made another trip out. I had ruined their window of opportunity, so the plan was to wait till later that night when he’d go out again, but that didn’t happen. Tom and Mom wanted some family time, so Talon and I were stuck at home for the evening playing games with them. We would get to bed early and try again the next day.

THE GUYS
MADE IT CRYSTAL CLEAR
they would never forgive me if I interrupted their adventure again. Owen was worried that Mr. Hill might be aware that someone had been in his house. I was desperately needed as a look out, now that the probability of them getting caught and needing to use the Water was even greater. I figured it was his way of placing more guilt on me, which worked. So I sat on the steps of Granny’s house, like a good girl, listening for the mower and looking for any sign of Mr. Hill. I tried not to even think about the guys and what they were doing and finding out, if anything at all. I hoped they remembered pictures this time and I hoped they were safe.

My mind was full of a thousand thoughts, and the one that stayed on the surface was that Talon loved me.
He loves me
. I’d never known just thinking about the words, repeating them in my head, would cause such a physical reaction, but my heart beat faster, my smile was uncontrollable, and my heart grew tingly. Talon Thomas loved me. I glanced up, smiling, but quickly found panic.

Mr. Hill was crossing the clearing toward his house. He had tricked us! He had taken a path through the trees that led back to his property. His mower was probably parked down the road. I grabbed my radio and started over to intercept.

“Get out of the house now! He’s here!” I crossed the little drive. Mr. Hill acted as though he didn’t see me. He was making a beeline to his house, straight for Talon and my cousins who were probably scurrying to get out the backdoor. At least I hoped. The fear of them being caught and arrested hit me as I pictured Talon being led away by police for breaking and entering. Another more violent scenario played out that involved Mr. Hill and his shovel. I had to do something!

I ran toward him and knew I’d have to stop him. If he didn’t see them in there, he’d have no proof. “Hey, Rex!” I yelled as he got closer to the trailer door. “Rex Mitchell!” I spit the name, staring him down, just feet away.

He spun and closed the gap before I could run, grabbing my throat. “What did you call me?” he sneered. He dragged me into the darkened trailer and I struggled to stay on my feet. Talon and the guys were nowhere in sight but I heard a noise in the back room.

He loosened his grip and I stumbled just as Talon came in the door behind me. Mr. Hill’s eyes burned with anger. “You left your footprints last time,” he growled. I hadn’t thought about that. The thick sand was bound to hold telltale signs of our trespasses.

Hunter stepped out of the shadows from the back of the trailer with Owen behind him. We had Mr. Hill cornered, but he still had my throat.

“Let her go!” Talon said. His eyes were narrowed and his chest bowed. “Let her go or I swear I’ll kill you!” He knew the power of those words. I trusted when he said it; he meant it and it scared me, knowing he’d do it to save me. Mr. Hill must have realized he meant it, too. He threw me to the sandy floor at his feet. I wanted to scramble away, but there was nowhere to go.

“You murderer! You killed Alyssa!” I screamed.

“How do you know her?” he asked. His voice was gravelly. “And where did you get her ring?”

“I’m her niece. You killed her and she’s come back to tell me who you are and what you did to her!”

“No! No, I’d never hurt her, I
loved
her, I didn’t kill her!” He shook his head slowly and his hard blue eyes turned soft. That’s when I recognized him.

This rough scary man was hardened through loss, through age, and time, but deep inside he was still the sweet, handsome boy I’d seen in the visions. “Michael?” I said, gasping when he turned to me, acknowledging his name.

“You know me?” he asked. The softness in his eyes calmed me.

“Yes. I do now.”

“You’re like her. You’re one of them.” He narrowed his eyes, and I just shook my head, not sure what he meant. “Don’t trust anyone. No one is what they seem. He will come for you, too. Birdie can help. She helped Alyssa.” His words were falling out of his mouth so frantically that I didn’t understand what he was trying to tell me. He rambled on. “I went to warn her. I was gonna take her away with me, but he found out and he killed her! I tried to tell Alyssa’s mom what had happened, but she insisted that they’d run away together and that I was a liar, a troublemaker, and no good for Alyssa. She wouldn’t even check. I’ve searched for her every day—all these years—trying to find her, but he keeps her from me.” He broke down.

He keeps her from him?
The words rattled in my mind though I knew Mr. Hill was just distraught; he knew Alyssa was dead, but then it came to me. I remembered the way that Alyssa had cried for him in that EVP. Rex had tried, but he hadn’t silenced her forever. She was searching for Michael too. I knew what I had to do. I could bring them together. “I know where she is. She’s been looking for you too.” And then, as if I’d called it myself, the Light appeared before me, illuminating the darkened trailer so bright it was hard to keep my eyes open.

But then I focused and I could see her there before me. Alyssa. She called for me to follow her to the clearing in the vision. The familiar place I’d seen so many times with her.

Alyssa was in the hole—her grave—and the shadowy figure was shoveling dirt over her as she lay there dying. This shadowy figure that I thought had to be Rex Mitchell; though I had to admit I had never really seen him to identify him. Alyssa pointed her finger at him and dropped her head in sadness. I took a closer look, concentrating on the shadow, till it became clearer, coming into view like an instant picture developing. My hand clutched over my mouth when before me I saw, not Rex, but the familiar face of Alyssa’s own mother, Rebecca. Those hard cruel eyes that had so many times scolded her daughter were the last thing that Alyssa would see.

I watched till she’d covered her completely, carefully patted the soil, and raked leaves and pine straw over the space to make it seem untouched. Then the figure stepped back into the sun, the shadowy outline changed and once again appeared more masculine. It was a man, but how? The words came back to me that Mr. Hill had said.
No one is as they seem
.

“Who is he?” I asked. Alyssa shook her head and moved her lips, but the sound was so muffled, as though listening through water, that I couldn’t understand her. “Am I like you?” I asked, and again the same mumbled response frustrated me, but the nod she gave told me the answer I needed. Then she pointed above my head and I looked to see my own Light hovering above me. I was like her, and I’d had my Light all along. It suddenly fell into place. That first night when I’d run to Talon, and then when I was locked in the bathroom; it had been me all along.
You’re like her,
Mr. Hill had said. And then I remembered his warning. “Will Rex come for me?” The question fell from my lips in a whisper; so frightening that I could not speak it loudly. Alyssa lowered her chin and then looked up to me with the sorrow-filled eyes, and nodded. “What am I?” I needed the answer, but the Light brightened around me once again.

Alyssa was smiling at me now, and we were standing face to face in the Light back inside the little dilapidated trailer. She’d shown me all she could.

I waited for the Light to disappear as usual, but was surprised that it stayed, glowing brightly as everyone stood mesmerized. Alyssa smiled to Michael and stretched out her hand. Her eyes beckoned him to her, though I realized he still couldn’t see
her
. Her eyes then pleaded with me, so I took him by the hand and led the old man towards me to the brightest core of the Light, where Alyssa waited as gracefully as an angel. I wanted to cry at the expression of love in his eyes as he saw her for the first time in decades.

Alyssa took his hand, and all of a sudden, he changed. No longer was he the hard-faced old man, but the handsome boy she’d always loved. She turned to me and smiled, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Then she reached out her hand and the Light around us seemed to rush to her palm, forming an orb, glowing bright and white, yet contained. She motioned for me to do the same. I reached out my hand and my small, glowing orb took its place there. Then Alyssa’s Light joined mine and the Light grew intense as the two orbs became one, her own power making mine stronger. The others gasped. They could see her now too. I was glad that I wasn’t alone in seeing this miracle. Michael and Alyssa gave me one last bittersweet smile, embraced and then disappeared, fading into thin air. Darkness fell across the trailer and I stood there with my hand out. It was empty now, but I finally understood.

Alyssa wanted me to help her find Michael, so they could cross over together. She’d tried for so long to do it herself, but she couldn’t quite reach him. Rex, somehow, had made it impossible for them to find one another, but with my help she’d succeeded. I was her connection to the other side, her mediator between the living and the dead.

She’d shown me the truth about what had really happened to her, and who’d killed her. Though I still wasn’t sure who the man was, or what he was, I knew he was something not quite natural and he was coming for me too. Did this mean he was still out there somewhere, like Michael, surviving all these years? Or was he a spirit that would come for me in the Shadows? The thought of it terrified me.

We stood there in the dark, frozen, taking in what had just happened. Mr. Hill was gone, his spirit happily departed with Alyssa, leaving his worn body behind.

Light spilled across the floor as Granny opened the door behind us. “You’ve been gone for hours. I was starting to worry,” she said. We’d all forgotten about the time jump, but it didn’t matter. A little of our lives stolen away was nothing compared to poor Mr. Hill. He’d given up his entire life for Alyssa.

“What happened to him?” Granny asked, looking at Hunter for explanation.

“He collapsed.” Hunter shrugged. “It was the Light.”

“The Light took him home.” I smiled, though a tear rolled down my cheek. “It’s the reason it was here all this time.”

“Well, let’s leave him in peace now,” Granny said, not asking any more questions. “I better call someone.” We followed her out of the trailer, silently, still in a dream-like daze at what we’d witnessed. A peace like I’d never felt before settled over me. It was a peace I imagined you’d find in heaven, and it lingered with me for hours.

Granny called the police department who had the coroner come out to get Mr. Hill. We figured he would’ve been 113 years old if he was the same age as Alyssa in 1912. The officials suspected a heart attack, so there would be no autopsy. We told Mom and Tom about his passing when they got home from work, but of course we’d left out most of what happened. Talon and I were content to keep that to ourselves as well as hiding our relationship for a while, at least from them.

* * *

Talon tucked me into bed that night. It was a welcome change from sleeping at the shack. The sheets on my bed were softening with use and becoming more familiar.

“So, this Rex guy is like a shape-shifter?” he asked, continuing our conversation. I had been explaining what Alyssa had shown me.

“Yeah, I don’t know what to think about that,” I said. “I’m scared.” I didn’t mean to admit it aloud, but there it was.

“Scared of what?” He reached down and took my hand where it was tucked close to my face. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Lily. No one is going to get to you on my watch.” I’d told him about Rex, and how Alyssa had confirmed that he might come for me. All I could hope was that he was long gone and would never find me.

“I know. This place is different, though, even the Shadows seem stronger than before. With everything that’s happened I fear what might come next.”

“Guess I’ll have to keep you stocked up on nightlights.” He brushed my cheek with his warm fingertips.

“You know, that day in the bathroom, the lights were on and then they went out on their own. Something was trying to put me in the dark. That’s never happened.” I remembered the night we’d investigated the Light. “Talon, what did you mean about my eyes? You know, when I went to find Alyssa, you said my eyes did something strange?”

“Oh yeah, I thought I’d told you. Your eyes did this crazy thing. You know how when a bright light shines in your eyes and your pupils get smaller?” I nodded. “Well, yours got smaller at first, and then all of a sudden, they dilated really big, even though there was no change in the light around us.”

“That must have been the moment I went into the vision.” I shrugged. “There are just so many questions I have, and no way to get answers. At least Alyssa had Birdie.”

“Yeah, Mr. Hill was rambling on about Birdie. He said that she could help, but that’s crazy. Surely she isn’t still around?”

I didn’t answer him. I doubted it could be so, but then again, with the Water, anything was possible. It was hard to wrap my mind around it. I pulled my arms up to my chest and tucked the covers tight to my neck. By the look on Talon’s face, the worry was evident in my expression.

“It’ll be okay, I promise. I’ll stay here for a while till you fall asleep.” His voice was so tender and I felt safe with him. Then, as he kissed me, the light in my room popped, the bulb burning out. Talon hadn’t yet plugged in my nightlight so we were left in total darkness. The Shadow formed before Talon could speak a word or make a move. I gripped his hand tighter and started to shake. Just when I thought I was going to lose my mind with fear, my Light formed over my head, brighter than Alyssa’s. The Shadow quickly dissipated and I found Talon staring at me wide-eyed and in shock. “Lily, stay with me!” He gripped my arm as if it could take me.

I closed my eyes and took a breath and it was gone. I wasn’t sure how I did it, but I’d sent it away. Talon stepped across the room and plugged in my little hummingbird. It shone bright and lit my room. We sat quiet a minute and listened to the sound of our breathing steady.

“It was so bright,” I said. “Much brighter than before. I think it’s because Alyssa’s Light joined with mine to make it stronger.”

“Yeah, I was scared you’d end up inside it like her.” He tucked the covers around me.