The Legend of the Light Keeper (The Light Keeper Series Book 1) (5 page)

“I don’t know. I’m not sure we should tell anyone about this. Not until we figure it out. Anyway, first things first, are you hungry?” He picked up his bowl of soggy cereal as I nodded. “Then let me make you breakfast since I was wrong about last night.” He was already pulling me toward the kitchen before I could respond. I laughed as he dragged me down the hall, smiling back at me with his big brown eyes.

“Can you even cook?” I asked. He led me across the living room and then sat me down at the kitchen table.

“You sit here and relax.” He took out a bowl, filled it with cereal, and emptied the last of the milk into it. “How’s that?” he asked, sliding it in front of me.

I frowned. “Actually, it doesn’t work for me.”

“What? You don’t eat cereal?” He stared at me like I was an alien or something.

“Yes, all the time, but never with my hands.” I tucked my lips to keep from smiling. He pulled out a huge serving spoon and offered it to me. “Are you implying that I have a big mouth?” I feigned insult.

He laughed and gave me a normal spoon, but before I could take two bites, Owen knocked on the back door.

Talon dragged his feet to open the door and Owen came in, full of pep. He was wearing holey jeans and a faded, wrinkled T-shirt, which he somehow managed to make look good.

“You’re awfully bubbly this morning,” I said. He eyed me up and down before turning to Talon.

“You’ll never guess what happened.” Owen sat next to me and pulled his chair closer. Talon and I shrugged. There was no telling with our new friends. “Hunter was walking in the yard this morning and tripped in a hole. Fell flat on his face and got a mouthful of grass!” He made a face as if he could taste it himself.

“Wow! Is he okay?” I asked.

“Oh sure, it would take a lot more than a little hole to twist that thick ankle, but boy, was he ticked. I’m surprised you didn’t hear him cussing and spitting all the way over here.”

“I’m glad he didn‘t break anything. That would be a sorry way to start his summer,” Talon said. He took a piece of cereal from the top of my bowl and popped it into his mouth.

“Yeah, he’ll be okay. It’s Granny I’m worried about. She’s livid. That hole wasn’t there yesterday, and since she thinks that Mr. Hill stole our shovel, she’s blaming him.”

“Why would he do that?” I was still wondering about the motives of the mysterious man.

Owen shrugged. “I don’t know. It seems silly to me. But we’re just glad it wasn’t Granny who fell this morning. That could have been really bad. So now she wants us to set a trap.”

“Wait. A trap?” I asked, giggling. “What kind of trap?”

“I don’t know, but she wants us to go into town this morning and pick up some bait,” he said. The thought of Granny wanting to bait a trap to catch the old man seemed crazy and dangerous. I was intrigued.

“Bait?” Talon’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, a shiny new shovel; the perfect bait.” Owen laughed.

“What are you going to do with him when you catch him?” Talon asked.

“Who knows, but we have to go get the shovel today. Wanna go?” He glanced back and forth between us. “Hunter’s driving.”

“You want to?” I asked Talon.

“Sure, anything to get away from here,” he answered. I was glad. After the night’s events, I would take any opportunity to get away too.

HUNTER AND
OWEN WAITED
for us in Granny’s huge Lincoln Towncar. It was powder blue and so big it almost made Hunter look small behind the wheel. As Talon and I approached the car, Owen jumped out and held the back passenger door open for me. As soon as I got in, he slid in next to me and smiled at Talon. “You can have shotgun,” he said, slamming the door. Talon glared at him, but got in front without protest.

As we headed down Bragg Road, we passed Mr. Hill, who was driving slowly on his mower. He kept his gaze straight ahead and showed no acknowledgement of our presence. I stared back and got a good look at him. His leathery skin puckered around his lips and dark creases circled his deep-set eyes. He was filthy from head to toe. Dirt covered his pink, faded shirt which, I imagined, was probably red at one time.

“You ever met him?” Talon asked Hunter.

“No. We tried when we first moved here last year. Granny went over and knocked on his screen door. She could see him sitting right inside, but he never answered. She said hello and left. That’s why we think he’s off his rocker. Granny is certain he’s taking the shovels. He’s really getting on her bad side.”

“Yeah, I heard you took a trip this morning,” Talon said. “Grass for breakfast?”

“Yeah, good thing it wasn’t Granny. She could have been hurt really bad.”

As Talon and Hunter continued their conversation, Owen inched toward me. He had a sly look on his face and seemed to be really pleased with himself.

“You should sit back and put on your seatbelt,” I suggested, hoping he’d get a clue, but he wasn’t easily deterred.

“Law says you don’t have to wear it in the back seat. Lucky me,” he said. I would have been more put off by his confidence, but there was something in the way he almost mocked himself, with a certain tone in his voice when he said such things, that I wasn’t sure he was serious at all.

I turned to speak, hoping to let him know I wasn’t interested and correct him on state laws, when something caught my eye. “What’s that?” I pointed over his shoulder and peered out the back glass as we passed a small building in the woods. It looked like, a little ramshackle house or camp, with a mess of vines growing up as tall as the roof. It was barely visible.

“It’s an old hunting camp.” He shrugged, glancing away from me for a second to peek. “Hunter and I tried to get to it one day, but it was so grown up we had to give up until we can go back with a machete.”

“Could you see inside?” I wondered if it was empty.

“No, not at all. We planned to go back but we haven’t found the time.”

“I want to go check it out. I’ll even help you clear it,” Talon offered. “It would be a cool place to camp out.”

“That’s what
we
were thinking.” Owen sounded a little defensive.

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan,” Hunter said. He turned off Bragg Road and headed toward town.

I stared out the window. Owen sat right next to me, leaning up to talk to Hunter and Talon over the seat. They were in the process of planning a campout and discussing all the things that they could bring. I tried to ignore most of it. The plans could never include me. Mom wouldn’t agree to me going on a campout with three boys, even if one of them was my soon-to-be step-brother. I was excited about the little shack, though. I wondered if it remained from years ago when the little town was alive.

Hunter pulled into the lot of the hardware store, and after parking the car, he went inside to get the shovel. We stayed put until Talon suddenly got the urge to go to the pharmacy next door.

“I’ll be right back.” He jumped out of the car, crossed the lot, and went inside.

Owen bounced up in his seat and watched Talon run toward the store and then he turned to me and said, “Ah, we’re alone.” He leaned in closer.

“Yes, we are.” My tone was sharper than necessary. Owen seemed nice enough, but also a little eager, which made me leery of him. Besides, I was holding out hope for Talon, even if I didn’t want to admit it aloud.

I didn’t even know if Talon liked me back. He seemed to be trying to tell me something the other night, but part of me wondered if that was just small talk. Maybe he was just trying to get to know me.

“We should go out sometime.” Owen leaned back against the car door. It was the most distance that he’d allowed between us the whole trip, and it showed me that he might be a little vulnerable after all. It strangely endeared me to him.

“I don’t know, Owen.” I shrugged.

“I think we’d have fun together,” he said. “Or do you have a boyfriend back home or something?” He studied his thumbnail, awaiting my answer.

“No, it’s just…”

“Do you like someone else?” He glanced up toward the pharmacy. I felt like I was being interrogated. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Truth was, I would go out with him in any other situation, but I had feelings for Talon that I couldn’t ignore. “Well, don’t answer me now. Think about it.” He turned and straightened up in his seat as Hunter opened the door.

“Where’s Talon?” Hunter leaned the shovel across the seats and got in.

“Here he comes,” Owen answered. His voice was low. He seemed bummed and not as sure of himself as I’d figured.

Talon carried a yellow plastic bag that was tied shut. When he got in, he put it down at his feet. “You miss me?” He turned to me and smirked. I had the feeling he’d known just how awkward my time alone with Owen had been.

“Not at all,” I teased, to which he responded by grabbing his heart and faking his death.

We made small talk about our old neighborhoods and schools as we headed home. Owen was sneaky enough to ask Talon about his old girlfriends, and Talon was dumb enough to answer. He’d had quite a few, like I expected. I wished I didn’t have to hear about them. As they joked and laughed, I stared out the window, trying hard to ignore them, especially when Talon described how hot one girl was. I coughed and cleared my throat.

Owen noticed that I was not amused. “What’s the matter, Lily?” He poked at my side. “I’m sure she doesn’t hold a candle to you. Right, Talon?”

Talon replied. “No one is as pretty as Lily. Not with those eyes.” He shook his head. “Have you ever seen eyes so green?” he asked the others.

Big deal
!
So he likes my eyes.
It wasn’t my idea of a deep compliment. My eyes were very strangely green and never missed by anyone. He’d just gone on for twenty minutes about one girl’s gorgeous body. “Pretty eyes” was a little weak.

I folded my arms and kept my eyes on the winding roadside. I passed the time counting blue roofs; the ones with tarps from hurricane damage. I’d also noticed that in the woods alongside Bragg, many of the trees were leaning and some snapped in half, mostly the tall loblolly pines, and the huge oaks were always uprooted. The storm had left its mark here, too. I continued my tally until we made it to the more unpopulated areas closer to home.

Hunter pulled in the drive and parked. Before I could even get my door open, Owen grabbed my hand and pulled me out on his side. “What are you two gonna do the rest of the day?” he asked.

“Nothing really, I guess we’ll just wait for our parents to get home.” I shrugged.

“You can come and hang out with us if you want,” Talon offered.

“Sure.” Owen grabbed my hand again and held it until we reached the porch. Strangely I felt no need to protest, as the action felt only natural and friendly.

As soon as we got inside, I darted to the bathroom, leaving the boys to relax on the sofa. I locked both doors out of habit, even though I didn’t think the boys would come in on me. As soon as I flushed, the lights went out. I was in the dark. I reached for the knob to the hall door, and the sinking feeling in my gut confirmed my suspicions. The door was stuck. I fought with the lock, but it wouldn’t budge. I was trapped. I tried the other door with the same results. Then I checked the switch which was still flipped upward in the “on” position. I flicked it up and down a few times to be sure.
Power outage,
my brain processed.

“Talon!” I screamed. “Help! Please!” I pounded the door. My heart raced as I continued to pound on one, then the other. I heard footsteps stomping down the hall.

Talon beat on the door. “Lily? What’s wrong?” He tried to get in, shaking the knob. “Lily!”

“They’re both stuck! Talon, please! It’s dark! The lights went out!” Someone beat on the other door, and then struggled with its knob.

“We can pick the lock,” Owen suggested. He sounded as panicked as Talon.

Hunter sounded calm. “Here, man, try this.” Then a new rattling sounded at the door. “It’s not working.”

My pupils were so wide I could feel them trying to focus in the dark. The blackness of the windowless room wrapped around me as my skin crawled with goose bumps. I had the strange feeling that the room was closing in or someone was leaning over me. I screamed. “Get me out please, Talon!” My voice cracked with fear.

“Screw this,” he said in frustration. “I’m kicking it down! Stay back, Lily!” he warned.

“No wait!” It was Owen’s voice. “Try this!”

I backed away from the door, not sure what was going to happen next. I crouched down with my arms up over my head and waited, listening to the boys struggle. I looked up and saw the inky blackness forming above me, swirling and darkening. My heart was beating faster and faster, and the sound of the boys struggle faded as my heartbeat filled my ears, as if pressure was building inside of me, until all of a sudden a Light flashed as if someone had taken a picture. Then there was a whoosh of air and a bang as the door to my bedroom swung open, missing me by inches. The sunlight from my bedroom window spilled inside.

Talon and the brothers were still working on the other door. He ran around the corner to me when he heard the door slam against the wall.

He rushed in and knelt. “Lily, are you all right?” He pulled me into his arms. “What happened?”

I was shaking so hard that I couldn’t answer him. I hadn’t cried in months. Not since before the storm. After it, I was so determined to be strong, I had refused to cry. Now I was nearly in hysterics, tears threatening to spill.

Talon scooped me up and carried me to my bed. Owen sat next to me and held my hand. I was too upset to care. I squeezed his hand tightly.

Talon went to check out the bathroom and the lights came right on. Then he shut the door and when he reopened it, his expression had changed.

“Come see this,” he called. The brothers went to check it out, but I stayed on the bed, sobbing.

“What is it?” I asked, my voice still breaking.

“Another mark like earlier. It’s on the back of the door,” Talon called.

“Wait, this has happened before?” Hunter asked. He gave Owen a worried glance.

“Yes.” Talon grabbed my phone off my side table. “Look. Lily took these this morning. Last night, something woke her up and she saw a light. It disappeared, but this morning we found this.” They stared at the little screen, expressionless. “And that picture was broken.” He pointed to my dad’s picture.

“The marks are the same,” Hunter said.

“Same as what?” Talon asked, but Hunter ignored him.

Owen was distracted. He’d taken the picture and inspected it. “Wow, you’ve got your dad’s eyes,” he said, putting the picture back in place.

Hunter nudged him. “We need to show them.”

“Show us what?” My voice was still shaky, but the tears had stopped. Talon helped me sit up and checked me over for injuries as we listened to Hunter.

“We have had a few things happen, too,” Hunter admitted. “Marks like these and things breaking. I think the hurricane increased the paranormal activity by providing it with some sort of energy charge.”

“That makes sense,” I said. “I know paranormal activity is often increased by weather events, but I think that’s usually when the weather is happening.” I pursed my lips and thought on that a minute.

“Well, let’s go,” said Owen.

“Feel like taking a walk, Lily?” Talon asked.

“Sure, I’m okay.” I was calmer, with nothing wrong except for a slight headache that I figured was probably from all the excitement and adrenaline. I was starting to feel embarrassed by all the fuss I was making. I should have handled it better instead of acting like a big baby.

* * *

Hunter led us back to his room. Even though it was lined with shelves that were full of electronic parts, tools and colorful wires, it was just as tidy as the rest of the house. His computer was the focus of his room. It was nice and newer than Talon’s. I couldn’t even picture Hunter as computer literate, much less owning one. He was always so silly and making jokes, but when it came to his gadgets, he was very serious and smart.
So much for first impressions
.

He went around his bed and took a small voice recorder off of his headboard. “You know what an EVP is?” he asked.

I did. Paranormal TV was one of my favorite pastimes while living in the hotel. EVP stood for electronic voice phenomenon. “Yeah, why? You got one?” My eyes widened.

“What is it?” Talon, the skeptic, wasn’t quite as informed.

“It’s a disembodied voice. You don’t hear it at the time, but then it shows up on the recording when you play it back,” Owen explained. I was still waiting for Hunter to answer.

“I got something, all right. One night about a month ago, and just a few nights after finding the first mark, I recorded this while Owen was sleeping.” He pushed the button on the recorder. “Listen. You’ll hear lumberjack here snoring and then a voice.” Sure enough, Owen was sawing logs. He turned a little pink with embarrassment as we laughed quietly; still trying to hear what was on the recorder.

“Right here,” Hunter said. Then there it was, a very faint female voice. It was saying “My” something, and as it faded off, I heard another sound.

I grabbed my heart. “She’s crying,” I said. “She’s sad.”

“Crying?” Talon’s eyes narrowed as he listened. Hunter played it back.

“I think you’re right. She
is
crying,” Owen said as it ended.

“I couldn’t hear anything at the time,” Hunter explained. “I had waited for a sound, a flash of light, anything like we had before, but nothing happened so I gave up. I was teasing Owen about his snoring the next day and when I played the recording for him, we heard it.”