Falling Darkness: The second book in the Falling Awake Series (19 page)

“Answers,” I screamed. “The truth.”

“And when you don’t like the answer? What will you do then? When the truth isn’t the truth you wanted?”

“I’ll deal with it.”

“You do what you need to do, but I won’t help you do it.”

“Then I guess that’s the difference between me and you,” I managed through unshed tears. “I would never write you off like that.”

“I haven’t written you off. I just don’t want to be witness to something that is gonna end in tragedy.”

“Why do you keep saying that?” I almost yelled.

Caleb stepped down from the rock he was sitting on and came to a standstill dead ahead of me. He laid his hand over my chest and I bit back the tears that were trying to tear their way out. “Your heart is too pure to handle real hurt and disappointment.”

“I’ve lived long enough to know what real disappointment feels like, and believe me, I know what it’s like to hurt,” I argued. “One day I meet a boy who is believe it or not, a fallen angel and my world is tipped upside down. And on top of that, there is someone out there who would like nothing more than to see me dead, and you think I don’t know what real disappointment feels like? You think I don’t hurt when I see you with her?”

“That’s nothing compared to how I know you will feel if you find out Gabriel is anything other than who you believed he was your whole life.”

I dropped my head and clenched my fidgeting fingers.

“Whatever happens and whatever you do, I want you to remember that I am always there. It might not seem like it now…”

I brought my head back up and met Caleb’s glaring stance with one of my own. “I wish that was true.”

He splayed his fingers softly through my hair and traced them down the wet strands that clung to my back. “I’m losing every single part of myself. Every good part anyway, and you’re the best part of all and I can’t stop it. I can’t do a damn thing about it.”

“You will never lose me,” I promised. I brought my hands up and cupped either side of his face. “A day won’t ever pass when there isn’t a part of you in my heart. I won’t lie, sometimes I want to kill you, and there are times when I think I hate you. But I could never let go of you… trust me, I’ve tried.”

“I will never deserve you,” he breathed. The anger of a protest was hanging heavy on my tongue when Caleb dug his fingertips into my back and pushed himself up against me. He lowered his head and brushed his lips over my jaw line and I tipped my head back in the rush of his skin on mine. “But I really don’t care.”

Before a kiss could even manifest in my mind, I was shaken awake, the dreariness of the dark cabin bearing down on me.

“We’re here,” Ressler said from where he stood looking over me.

“I slept the whole way?” It felt like maybe a half hour had passed.

“Yeah, come on get up. Sully needs to head back out.”

“Just let me get dressed,” I said, getting up and hunting around for my clothes that I had thrown carelessly all over the floor. I put my leggings back on and stretched my hoody over my severe case of bed head. Once my sneakers were on and I had my bag ready, I met Drake and Ressler on the harbor and watched our only way home sail back out.

“So what now?” Drake asked. “Has anyone thought this through?”

“We could stay at Matwau’s,” I suggested.

Ressler was sharp to react. “No thank you.”

“Got any better ideas?” I asked, dumping my bag on the floor. It was well after midnight and there was only a few fisherman in sight, mulling around on the gangways of the marina. I felt like a suspicious intruder, invading someone else’s land when I had no business being here.

“There has to be like a motel around here somewhere,” Drake said, setting off along the long and empty road. I looked at Ressler and picked up my bag, following Drake. We walked for maybe fifteen or twenty minutes before we stopped at a medium sized Inn, made entirely of duck egg colored wood.

“This will do,” Drake said, eyeing up the building and we headed inside. At the desk, an older Native American woman, observed us walking in like we were here to plan our next heist. A T.V. played behind the desk, the volume turned low.

Drake stepped up to the counter and asked her, “How much for a room?”

She peered around him at me, and after staring at me for a good ten seconds, she looked back at Drake and then got up, rifling around in a drawer and then returned with a silver key attached with a wooden tag.

“Room nineteen. It’s upstairs on the left.” She pushed the key across the counter towards Drake and settled back in her chair. Drake pulled a wad of dollar bills from his back pocket and set it on the counter. The woman ignored the money and flashed me another look. “No charge,” she said.

“I insist,” Drake said, pushing the money even further towards her. The old lady eyed the bills and then picked them up, locking them away in the cash register.

“Call reception on zero if you need anything. Kai will be here all night.”

Drake nodded his thanks. He turned to me and Ressler, “Come on.”

Room nineteen was nice. It was clean and modern with a king-size pine bed, fitted with crisp, white sheets. There was a double pine, mirrored wardrobe in the corner by the window and two pine chairs with floral cushions attached.

“Threesome?” Ressler asked, looking at the only bed in the room.

“If you weren’t in it,” Drake said, dropping into the chair and kicking his feet up onto the other opposite. That was his bed, then. I locked myself away in the bathroom and changed into a pair of boy shorts and a white, strappy tank. I gathered my hair into a ponytail and brushed my teeth. I unlocked the door and stepped back into the room. There was only Drake, lying across the two chairs. “Where’s Ressler?” I asked.

“Gone to look around.”

“What for?”

“Didn’t say. Probably just wants to check the area out.”

I pulled the sheets back and climbed into the cool bed. “How come you’re not with Mellissa this weekend?” I’d barely seen her myself, but Drake was with her most of the time lately. Him being here now seemed a little odd.

“She said she was busy. You know anything about that?”

“She never mentioned any plans to me, but we don’t actually tell each other everything, surprisingly.” I didn’t tell her everything more like. I met Drake’s eyes and wondered if she was with Jason.

“She’s avoiding me,” he said deadpan.

I really didn’t know if that was true or not. I needed to invest more time in my relationship with my best friend. “What reason would she have to avoid you?”

Drake tipped his bead back and released a beaten sigh.

“Drake?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”

“I hope not,” he said, but as soon as I got back to Friday Harbor, I knew I needed to speak to Mellissa. Something was going on and I knew Drake would never tell me anything about it, he was too respectful for that.

The next morning we were on our way out before ten and I handed the room key back to reception. I thanked the lady from the night before, and memorized her name tag.
Flora.
She snaked her fingers around the keys and looked me up and down.

“Thanks,” I said, starting to feel uneasy under her hawk eye. She stood up, crossed her knit cardigan over her chest and gave me a somber nod. Not knowing what else to say, even though the whole meeting was anything but casual, or normal, I smiled and left.

I couldn’t remember the way to Matwau’s house or where exactly it was but as soon as we got closer to the marina, I zeroed in on everyone I could see who looked like they were doing any kind of work. It wasn’t long before the silkiest hair and the most unflawed copper skin I had ever seen took over my view.

I ran over to Matoskah. He was carrying a crate in his hands and he turned in my direction, setting it down onto the floor and jogging over to meet me. “Hey,” he said, picking me up off the floor with his big arms.

“Hey,” I said, laughing. “You can put me down now.”

“Right,” he said, dropping me to the floor. “Happy to see you, that’s all.” I looked behind me at Drake and Ressler.

“You brought bodyguards?” Matoskah asked, looking part entertained, part unsure.

“You’d be surprised how close you are,” I said. “Listen, are you working all day?”

“Not if you don’t want me to.”

“Actually, I was wondering if you would drop me off at Matwau’s house. I need to see him.”

“Yeah, no problem. My trucks just over there. Are they coming?”

“Um, no,” I told him. “I’ll meet you at your truck in five okay. I just need to tell them.”

“Cool.”

Matoskah walked off to his truck and I took a breath for courage. “Guy’s,” I said, when I got closer to Drake and Ressler. “I’m going to see Matwau and I’m going alone.”

“Like hell,” Ressler responded.

“Okay, I thought you might say that…”

“I wouldn’t mind going surfing,” Drake put in completely out of nowhere.

“What?” was the word out of mine and Ressler’s mouth at the exact same time.

“There’s some good beaches around here.”

“Okay,” I said, shaking off the weirdness of that. “You do
that,
and I’m going with Matoskah.”

“No you’re not.” Ressler stepped forward and wrapped his fingers around my elbow.

“Ressler.” Drake stepped forward and tugged him backwards. “She’ll be okay.”

“We don’t know that,” he protested, shrugging Drake off, roughly.

“She’ll be fine,” Drake said again. “We’re not far if she needs us.”

Ressler glowered at Drake “She better be,” he warned.

“I will be,” I said. “You’re overreacting.”

“You need to chill out.” Drake shoved Ressler in the back towards the marina. “Let’s go surfing.”

I watched them leave. Wow that was easy. The sound of a strained engine roared up beside me and I turned and pulled open the passenger side of Matoskah’s truck.

He flashed me his smile of pure, white perfection and I sat back, feeling oddly like I had just achieved something really big. This small bit of freedom from Drake and Ressler was massive to me and I planned on making the most of it.

Matoskah had to go back to work so after he dropped me at Matwau’s, he said he would come pick me up after work.

“I didn’t expect to see you so soon,” Matwau announced, handing me a cup of chamomile tea.

“Is it too weird if I say, I couldn’t stay away?”

“Maybe to some, but I’m glad you’re here.”

“The reason I’m here,” I began, “Is because I wanted to talk to you about something.”

He took a careful sip of his tea. “I’m listening.”

“That movie you showed me of my mom. That thing she done with the wave.”

“Savannah’s gifts,” he confirmed.

“Right,” I said. “See, the thing is…” I didn’t know how to say it. I wasn’t sure I should even be saying it. It was supposed to be a secret and I was a few seconds away from spilling everything.

“I have the same problem.”

“Gift,” Matwau corrected.

Hmph, Easy for you to say. “Gift,” I said.

“Do you want to show me?” he offered. He set aside his cup and looked at me, keenly.

I blushed with embarrassment. “I’m not very good.”

“What can you do?”

I looked around the room. I was yet to learn everything I could do, so I might as well test the waters now. Caleb told me I could do anything. Anything I wanted.

I set my cup in-between my knees. “I’m not sure if this will work and it’s nothing major.”

“Go on,” Matwau urged.

When I felt completely ready, I cradled the fine china of the cup in both my hands and closed my eyes. When the cold from the cup started to nip at the palms of my hands, I inadvertently smiled and opened my eyes.

“It worked,” I whispered, peering down into the cup at the liquid tea that looked exactly the same as before except now, it was freezing cold.

“I don’t see anything.” Matwau had a look of confusion about his face. I stood up and handed him my cup. “In there,” I said.

“This is cold.” The corners of his mouth crumpled into a grin of disbelief. “You turned this cold?”

“Uh huh. It’s small and silly, but I’m only just getting to grips with it all.”

He stood up and patted me on the arm. “Definitely Savannah’s child.”

We stood outside in Matwau’s back yard. He had no neighbors, so there was just the two of us.

“Once more,” he said, and I raised my hand, palm down above a small fish pond and watched the droplets of water raise with my hand. Just before all the water completely drained away and the fish were left gasping for air, I lowered my palm and let the water fall back in. Matoskah rubbed his hand over his mouth and grinned. “Unbelievable.”

“I’ve never done any of these things before,” I said.

“You’re a natural, just like your mother.”

“I wish I could have met her.”