The Legend of the Light Keeper (The Light Keeper Series Book 1) (13 page)

“How come I didn’t see it? Or Hunter and Owen. All I saw was the Light, just like you all described to me. It lasted a few seconds and was gone.”

“Seconds. I wonder if we lost time.”

“I don’t know. I didn’t look at my watch,” he said.

“We’ll never know then, but it’s possible.”

“I suppose anything is possible, Lily. Are you sure you aren’t dreaming all of this? Maybe the excitement of seeing the Light makes you black out…”

“Positive. I
really
wish I were. I’ve had a few nightmares about it, but I know the difference. Maybe I only see it because I’m related.”

“In that case, wouldn’t Owen and Hunter see it too?” He scooted closer to me on the bed.

“Maybe it’s because I’ve seen ghosts and the Shadows before. When I saw the Shadow last night it was the Light that chased it away. It was Alyssa. She’s protecting me. That’s why she was here before when she left the marks, to protect me from the Shadows.

“Granny said that Alyssa moved away and got married, but I know she was murdered. I just don’t know for sure who did it and why. I think it was Rex. I always see a figure, but it is so dark that I can’t make out any features. She’s trying to show me the truth. Why else would she come to me?”

“Well, I want to know why it’s just happening to you and no one else,” he said. “I don’t like this, Lily. It
can’t
be safe, not with us all losing time. Maybe you can see it because you can see the Shadows, but how come we can see the Light and lose time and nothing else? It doesn’t make much sense. I’m going to read this diary to clarify what you’re telling me. ”

“Maybe we should go to Granny for answers about Alyssa. It may help. She might know more than she‘s told me.” Talon agreed with a nod.

I grabbed his hand and we hurried next door.

* * *

Granny was preparing lunch, so we waited in Owen’s room and I filled them in on everything I’d told Talon.

“I agree Granny might know more, but after her reaction the last time we brought up the Light, I think we need to approach with caution. You can ask her anything about Alyssa, but just don’t say a word about the Light. Got it?” he said. ” I agreed.

Finally, Granny called us to the table. She had fixed enough chicken salad sandwiches for everyone and insisted we eat. She’d even opened a fresh bag of chips and a two-liter soda.

I nibbled at my sandwich, picking at the crust. “Granny, I want to know more about Alyssa. Can you tell me about her?”

“Alyssa. Let’s see.” Granny put a finger to her lip. “I heard that she supposedly ran away and got married,” she said.

“What do you mean, supposedly?”

“Well, that’s what Aunt Josie always said. That she
supposedly
ran away, but she had another idea. She thought something bad had happened to her.”

“Like what?” I narrowed my eyes.

“Well, I’m not sure, but Aunt Josie always told my daddy that Alyssa would have never run away like that. That she must have been forced away or some harm had come to her, because she could never see her just up and leaving; she and Josie were so close.”

“Yeah, her diary makes that clear. She loved your daddy as well. She didn’t want to leave them behind.” But the diary had also said that she was going to leave. That it hurt, but she knew she had to.

“Yeah, their mother had sworn to them that she’d run off, but Josie knew better. She said she had nightmares about her for years.”

“Nightmares? Do you think that‘s what made her believe something bad had happened?” I was surprised. I wondered if she’d had nightmares like me. Perhaps Alyssa was trying to reach her too.

“Well, she was always very intuitive. So was Mary, your Gram,” she said.

“You mean, like psychic?” Owen asked.

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far, not with Aunt Josie. But Mary, yes, she could see things. I remember that night out on Bragg with the Brine boys, she said she saw something. She was so hysterical though, and refused to talk about it. Only that it was something horrible.” Granny shook her head. “I admit we lost time and saw the Light, but that’s it. I thought she was just overreacting, but sometimes I wonder. It was a very strange night.”

“Gram saw the murder,” I whispered to Talon, his eyes wide.

“What honey?” Granny didn’t hear me.

“Nothing.” I smiled. Then I suddenly had another thought. “What happened to William Sr., your grandfather?” The diary didn’t talk much about him.

“Oh, he died when my daddy was a young boy. There was a house fire, and he thought that Alyssa was inside, so he ran in after her, but for some reason she wasn’t in the house, so he died trying to find her. I heard that my grandmother, Rebecca was her name, was never the same after that.”

She blamed Alyssa
, I thought.
That’s why she was so hard on her
. This still didn’t answer my question. I needed to know why Alyssa was coming to me. What was she trying to show me? What did she want?

“That’s all I know,” Granny said. “Why are you so interested in Alyssa all of a sudden?”

“Oh, I just read her diary is all, and it made me curious about our family.” Granny seemed satisfied with my explanation and I was glad I didn’t have to lie.

“Well, someday I’d like to tell you all about my aunt and Daddy, if you’re interested. I know much more about them, naturally.”

“Oh, of course,” I said. “Maybe I can bring my old pictures over sometime.” The more I learned about them, the more I could learn about Alyssa.

After we ate, we said our goodbyes and headed home. That night I had another strange dream. I was Alyssa, waiting on the porch of the little post—our shack. I was there waiting for Michael. It was early morning before the town woke. I was worried he wouldn’t show up. All of a sudden a familiar shadow loomed over me. As I looked up to see who it was, a slap burned across my cheek and I fell. The shadow grabbed my hair and pulled me up, the force breaking loose strands and pulling my face and eyes taut. I tried to scream, but a hand covered my mouth. Hot breath licked at my ear as my feet scrambled to find the ground. Whoever had me was strong, way too strong, his grip grinding into my flesh and tendons till I thought my bones might snap.

Suddenly I felt a release, and then something like fire at my throat. Heat rushed down my neck and spilled onto my breasts. Blood.

I woke up in a sweat. The hummingbird lit my room, and my path, as I made my way to Talon. I climbed in his bed and buried my face in his back, where I felt safe.

“What are you doing, Lily?” he asked, startled by my sudden presence. “Are you nuts? You can’t sleep in here.” He rubbed his eyes.

“I won’t go back in my room! I had an awful dream!”

“Well, you can’t stay here. I wish you could, but—let’s go. We’ll sleep on the couch. That ought to look innocent enough.” He laughed softly.

“Will you take me to the shack tomorrow?” I asked, stopping in my room to get my pillow and blanket. I wanted to see if something rang a bell.

“Yes, if you promise to let me get some sleep.” He yawned.

“I promise.” I took my end of the couch and stretched my legs as far as I could so that my feet mingled with his.

MY DREAMS
WERE GETTING
SO REAL
NOW
that I didn’t know if I was asleep or awake. They were just as clear as the visions that I’d see with the Light. I’d close my eyes and open them to another place. I was becoming familiar with this town and most of all the body that I sometimes possessed.

Even though Alyssa had the very same color eyes as mine, that was where the similarities ended. The hands I held up to study were very plain, no French tips, no manicure, just perfectly plain, pale, and freckled.

Instead of my dark wavy strands, the wind whipped long wisps of strawberry blond into my face. I was a good ten pounds heavier, as Alyssa’s shape was rounder and more developed. I regarded her chest and was envious because she had way more cleavage.
Too bad I can’t keep those
. I had always been dainty, like a pixie, or so Gram had said. That was her way of saying I was short.

This time, I found myself alone on the same dusty porch. I walked to the back in the same direction as the last time. I had no will of my own. Alyssa was in complete control. Was she trying to show me something? Maybe she was leading me to the shallow grave where she’d spent the past decades? Everything seemed so familiar, as it should. These were her eyes after all.

I went further out into the thickness of the trees, to the place where he’d killed me, well—her. I saw an old oak tree, standing tall and proud.
Could it still be around?
I tried to memorize its location and hopefully it would help me find my way back. I felt very confident that she wanted me to remember my way. “Lily,” she spoke. I couldn’t believe her voice. She had never spoken to me before. My eyes widened. It wasn’t part of my dream.

“Lily!” My eyes opened to see Mom looking down at me from the back of the couch. Her glare said I was in trouble, but it took me a second to realize why.
Oh yeah
, I thought. I was on the couch again with Talon.

“What are you doing in here?” She narrowed her eyes at Talon who was stirring now, too. He untwisted his legs from mine —the obvious problem in Mom’s eyes—and stood up. We’d gravitated to each other in the night, causing our legs to overlap instead of our feet.

“We must have fallen asleep again,” I explained as Talon took off to his room without saying a word.

Mom watched him leave. “Lily, one of you should have taken the floor. This isn’t proper.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Was she serious? She didn’t have any problem shacking up before the wedding, and now she wanted to preach to me about what was proper? “You know what I mean,” she added, sensing my protest. Then she stormed off to her room. I lay there for a little while longer.

Before Tom left for work he went to Talon’s room. I could hear them arguing, and I wondered if I’d gotten him in trouble. Tom threw open the door. “Think about it, Son! I’m serious!” he said. He stormed past me without a look and left.

Mom never said anything else about the situation, but left me a list of chores. I guess it was to keep me busy. The house was already spotless. As soon as I heard them leave the driveway, I got up and took something for my nagging, never-ending headache and went to see Talon.

He was on his computer when I entered his room. He didn’t even acknowledge me, just took a deep breath when I walked up behind him. He was pouting as he deleted e-mails from Angie the stalker. She’d taken to e-mailing since our phones didn’t get great service out here, or so he’d told her. I hoped he’d tell her about us soon, so she’d go away. He still didn’t say a word; he just glowered at the screen instead.

“So, when are you taking me to the shack?” I stood behind him and rubbed his shoulders. Then, as I ran my hand up the back of his neck and into his hair, he pulled away.

“Why do you want to go out there?” he asked with indifference in his voice.

“I want to retrace my steps, well, Alyssa’s steps,” I corrected with a giggle. His expression was still grim. “I had a dream last night and I know she was trying to show me something. There was this tree and—”

“I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head.

“I can always get Owen to take me. I’m sure he won’t mind.” I waited for his reaction.

His fingers went still and I heard him take a breath. “Maybe that’s for the best,” he said. He closed his fingers behind his head and stretched. “Whatever.”

“What’s wrong?” I took a step back, watching his profile, waiting for him to look at me. He finally did.

“Look, I’m sorry. I—” he bit his lip. “I shouldn’t have misled you. I should have never kissed you. I got careless and I’m sorry.” He looked away when my lip quivered.

“You told your dad and he got mad at you.” I fought off tears. “That’s the reason you’re being like this.”

“Sort of. He guessed, and I didn’t have a choice but to tell him. He says I have to keep it friendly and nothing more. He’s right.” Talon’s eyes held so much emotion that they practically had a voice of their own, and they weren’t saying what his mouth was, not this time.

“How can you say that? You know that’s not right. It’s not what you want. What about what
we
want, Talon? You should have stood up to him.”

He closed his eyes. “It’s for the best.”

I turned and rushed out, stopping in the front yard. I’d hoped he’d follow, but he didn’t.
If he cared he would
! I waited a few minutes, hoping he’d storm out the door and down the steps after me, that he’d take me in his arms and kiss me and I’d know that everything was okay, but he didn’t. So, without thinking it through, I took off down our little drive toward Bragg Road, and headed for the little shack on my own. It would be a long walk, but I didn’t care, nothing mattered. I was so mad and hurt.

I kept walking as the thoughts flooded my mind.
Owen was right, he said it wouldn’t work. I’m so stupid for letting him kiss me. I always fall too fast and too hard. Stupid dreams! If it weren’t for them I wouldn’t have been so scared! Then we wouldn’t have gotten caught!

I pushed back the tears but couldn’t hold off the sweat. It was one hundred degrees in the shade, hot, and muggy. The sweat dripped down my neck and back. I wiped it with my shirt and forged on. I would find what Alyssa wanted me to find, even if I had to do it on my own.

It must have been at least a half hour or more since I’d left home. I reached for my phone to check the time, and realized I hadn’t brought it. I considered turning around, but saw the little shack just up ahead.
I’ve come this far
.
I may as well keep going
.

By the time I arrived at the shack, I was parched. I had nothing to drink so I knew I’d better take a break. I rested on the porch of the shack till I cooled off. I fanned myself with my hand, which wasn’t much help. I felt like I could pass out.

I thought of Alyssa and how she’d stood in this very place minutes before her death. After cooling down, I decided I would retrace our steps. I didn’t get too far into the trees, because I was terrified of finding the snake that Hunter had let escape. He’d said it was deadly.
That’s all I need, is to die out here.
Like Talon would care
! I was being childish, but I couldn’t help it. He’d broken my heart. I stopped and surveyed the area until I spotted a trail off to the side. It was the direction that Alyssa had gone, but the landscape had changed.

I picked my hair up and fanned my neck, and then I followed the trail, stepping carefully, mindful of snakes, especially copperheads. Hunter said they loved to hide in the coppery straw from our local pines. I’d overheard the guys talking about hunting and how they’d come across wild hogs. I was scared to meet one of those too. Hunter told me that they could attack. I pushed on and tried not to think about it.

I hoped I would find the tree soon, just to know I was in the same place. I looked toward what I thought was the right direction, the way the trail was leading, and tried to find it through the tree line. Surely a great big oak would stand out, but it didn’t.

It was then that I heard the rustling sound. It wasn’t a snake. It was much too big. I shielded my eyes and scanned for a squirrel or a bird, and strangely there were none around, only their sounds in the distance. I turned to look behind me, wondering if it was a hog, and found nothing. But when I turned back around to continue, Mr. Hill stepped out of the trees into the trail in front of me. His mower was nowhere in sight.

He glared at me, his eyes accusing. I turned to run, but he followed, running much faster than I would’ve expected from an old man. My heart thumped wildly and I slipped and caught myself with my hands, the straw digging into my palms. I pushed up, slipping in the thick bed of pine straw beneath my feet, and before I could take off again, he had me by the arm. I tried to pull away, screaming the whole time, but he tightened his grasp. His hand slid down to my wrist and he pulled me closer.

I screamed and tugged, but I couldn’t get away. The heat and strength of his hands made me fear he would snap my bones. His eyes turned down to my ring and widened. “Where did you get that?” he croaked in a rough voice, his hot breath hitting my sweat soaked face. It was metallic and reminded me of blood. I couldn’t speak. For a split second he loosened his grip and I pulled away and ran without looking back. A cold chill ran down my spine when he cried out, “Alyssa!”

I finally made it to the shack and couldn’t go any further; I had to take a rest before I passed out. My heart thumped so wildly that I thought it might explode. I was glad to find he wasn’t behind me. He might be coming though, so I couldn’t rest for long. As soon as I caught my breath, I started out again, down Bragg Road, toward home.

I had to get back. I picked up my pace and started jogging, still worried he might be coming. I had to tell the guys what happened, and what he’d said.
He called me Alyssa
!
He recognized the ring
! It was hers.
In the diary Alyssa had caught Rex digging beside the tracks. Mr. Hill digs and steals shovels. Could Mr. Hill really be Rex Mitchell?
There was no logical way! He’d have to be over a hundred years old.
But he knew her
! No man that old could get around like that. I kept trying to reason with myself. This just couldn’t be. His hands on me felt just like the hands I had felt in my dreams; so strong, too strong. It had to be him, but how?

Talon had said that anything was possible
, I reminded myself.
Talon
! I couldn’t believe that he hadn’t come looking for me. I was too worked up and worn out as it was, and the thought of Talon was too much for me to take. I kept making my way, slowly jogging down the road, and after a few yards more, everything went black.