The Legend of the Light Keeper (The Light Keeper Series Book 1) (9 page)

I WOKE
UP WITH ENERGY FOR ONCE
. I spent the whole day helping the guys with the little shack. We dusted and patched and swept every inch of it for hours. Mr. Hill rode by on his mower. He stared at us the whole time he passed, which was strange since he usually never even seemed to acknowledge our presence, which really creeped me out. I kept my eyes averted.

During our break, Talon made plans for his absence. “I’m leaving you with the two-way radios. I think it will be better than our phones. This way there’s an instant connection if Lily needs you,” he told Hunter. “Just be sure that you turn them on before bed and then charge them
all day
. Can you remember that, Lily?”

“Yes!” I snapped, feeling like a child.

“I’ll remind her,” Owen said.

“If something happens, get to her window,” he said. “Lily, you’ll need to leave it cracked, just in case. And remember, my dad and Cate are just on the other end of the house, but as long as you’re quiet you’ll be okay.”

“And if we’re not quiet we’re dead, right?” Hunter laughed.

“Pretty much,” Talon assured. “I’ll call and check in, too, but if something happens I want you to call me right away.” He turned to look at me again. “I can always cut my visit short.”

“No, you can’t. You’ll only make trouble with your dad and hurt your mom’s feelings. I’ll be
fine
.” I sounded very convincing, but inside, I was terrified. I grabbed the broom and continued sweeping. Break time was over.

* * *

The next morning, Tom drove Talon to his mom’s house in Houston. He’d come to my room early to say goodbye. He kept it simple with a hug and an order to “take care,” like a brother to a sister. I watched them drive away and held back tears as my heart sank.

I spent the rest of the day piddling around the house trying to look busy instead of miserable. Mom reminded me of her offer to work at the salon, and I decided I would. It would take my mind off things and keep me from being alone every day. Plus, I’d get to make more money for my shopping trip. Mom said we could leave work early one day and head straight to the mall.

I gave up trying to look busy and remembered I had a book waiting for me in my room. I was anxious to find out more about Alyssa. I picked up the book to find that many of the next days were all about Alyssa and Michael. They had made up apparently, and she was in love. I read on hoping for more about the dreadful Rex Mitchell and the mysterious “gifts” and “sessions.” Alyssa did not disappoint
.

April 8, 1912

I told Birdie about the voice and now I am having regrets. Not only was I right about the sessions getting longer and more grueling, but Birdie was acting strange about Rex. The way her eyes held fear in them when I told her how different his inner voice sounded was enough to make my skin crawl. Something is wrong. I can feel it. She walked right out of the room after I told her. As If she feared I might hear her too. I only wish I could have heard her thoughts on the matter. Maybe trying to exercise my gift is the right thing to do. It would certainly prove an advantage in some situations. I am so exhausted and just want to sleep now, but Mother has work for me still.

April 10, 1912

Something is wrong. Birdie had me stay in session for much too long today. There has to be something bothering her about Rex, because she asked me way too many questions about him. I could only tell her so much myself as I am truly not interested in Mr. Mitchell. Michael sat with us awhile, until his dreadful cousin showed up and dragged him off. I hate his cousin. Something about him is so odd. He looks at me with a strange desire, and I am not sure why. It is apparent that Michael has already caught my eye and my heart, and I could never have any interest in his cousin at all, but he stares at me like he is the hunter and I am his prey. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I feel very uneasy around him, and I could never tell Michael my feelings about his closest relative for fear it would hurt him. I am so tired. Stealing a moment to write down my thoughts sounded like a good idea, but now I feel so scattered. And to top it off, Mother has Rex stopping in tonight for another meal. The only comfort I have is that Mother will be doing the cleaning while she pushes Rex and me out on the porch for another visit. Tomorrow she will talk of marriage again, and what a prize Rex is. I just want to wash my feet and go to bed.

April 11, 1912

It is just after midnight and I had to come to you, Diary, and try to get these things out on paper so they will stop clogging up my mind. The most awful thing has happened, worse than I ever imagined! Rex proposed to me! He presented me with a beautiful diamond ring, got down on one knee, and proposed! I was so taken aback. Mother practically accepted for me. I never even had a chance to respond before she was making plans and dancing around the room happily. I just want to die. I love Michael. This ring on my finger feels like shackles locked tight by my mother. I only keep it on to dare not lose it. I must make this right. I cannot marry a man for money and promise, no. I must marry for love.

I jumped out of my skin as my cell phone went off, playing some annoyingly loud song with a chicken clucking. Hunter loved to change my ring tone when I wasn’t paying attention and it annoyed me more than anything. Any time he found a phone lying around he’d play the same joke. Seeing it was Owen, I answered. “Tell your brother to stay away from my phone.”

Owen laughed. “Actually, this time it was me. He dared me and called me chicken so it just seemed appropriate. But that isn’t why I called. I wanted to remind you to turn on your two-way and it should be fully charged for the night.”

“Thanks, I think.” I checked the two-way as I yawned and hung up the phone. And then I turned over and saw the time. It was getting late and my eyes were tired. Instead of reading more, I stared up at the ceiling in my room and thought about Alyssa, so young and engaged to a much older and mysterious man, the constant struggle with her mother, and the endless sessions with Birdie that were making her tired.

Before I knew it, I woke up with the book resting on my stomach and Owen’s voice coming from the two-way. “Hey Lily, what’s up?” he asked.

“I’m sleeping,” I mumbled. I glanced to my alarm clock and realized I hadn’t been out for too long after all.

“You sound wide awake to me.” he said.

“I am now.”

“Sorry, were you dreaming of me?” He and Hunter started snickering before his finger left the button.

“Yes, I was dreaming of you. Your head was on fire. I had a glass of water, but I drank it.”

“Nice! You’re mean when you’re tired,” he said.

“You’re annoying when I’m tired.”

“Ouch! Sorry. Don’t be mad at me.” His voice wasn’t quite pleading, but I felt as if he didn’t like the thought of me being upset with him.

I sighed. “I could never be mad at you.”

“Good,” he said. “So, what are you wearing? Hunter wants to know.” I could hear them laughing again for just a second.

“You might wanna take your finger off the button a little sooner, and by the way, none of your business.”

“We were just wondering. You’re no fun.”

“I lied. I think I
am
getting mad at you.”

“Goodnight, Lily.” His voice faded. I shoved the two-way under my pillow and stared at my hummingbird until I fell asleep.

* * *

In my dream I was walking to the porch of the little shack. I stopped, and as I turned to look behind me, the town appeared around me, as if being illustrated before my eyes. There were train tracks and the place was alive with sounds and people. I turned back to the door and found it had transformed as well. Now it was newer, all the wear and weather from the years past was gone and the hotel stood tall just next door.

Curious, I went inside and instead of moss and rot, the room smelled of fresh pine. The counter shone and the little wooden cubbies were all set up in a neat row. There were many more now; they appeared brand new. A man behind the counter smiled my way, but I wasn’t sure if he saw me or not. I felt as if I knew him, so I smiled back and walked outside to the little porch again. A young man came up to me and reached for my hand. He was so handsome and his blue eyes sparkled with life. They were soft and kind like his smile. My heart fluttered and I reached to him, too, but before our hands could touch, I woke up.

* * *

The next few nights were uneventful other than Owen asking me a hundred questions about myself over the radio. I thought only girls did stuff like that. At least it passed the time, and his questions were mostly innocent. He did ask one that pertained to my undies, but I assured him that they were none of his business.

Thursday, I got my hair trimmed at the salon. Mom did my nails and her friend Janet gave me a pedicure for my birthday. By the time we left for our shopping trip that evening, I already felt like a princess. I had a great time with my mom. Shopping went well and I found the perfect pair of shoes to go with my new jeans and top. I still had a little money left, but thought I’d call it a night. I was excited about my new outfit, and the best part was that I’d actually have a place to wear it. The next night Owen and Hunter were taking me to the movies.

MY NEW
OUTFIT WAS AWESOME
. The purple patterned top made my eyes pop. I was ready to go when Hunter pulled in the drive. It had been a while since I had gone out with friends.

Owen met me at the door. “You look amazing!” he said. He took my hand and led me to the car. I slid in front between them.

Hunter made jokes most of the way. He could make anything funny. He also liked to tease his little brother, who wasn’t in the mood to be made fun of.

When we finally pulled up at the theater, it was packed. It was an older building with a retro vibe and only one screen. A long line formed out front so Hunter dropped us off to get in line for tickets while he parked.

Owen introduced me to lots of people that he knew from school, but since I was terrible with names, I was sure I wouldn’t remember any of them come September, except maybe for one.

A tall, rough-looking guy, who seemed much older than us, kept glaring in our direction. It was kind of hard not to notice, with him just a few people away from us. Owen turned his back to him and waved some of his friends over. Before they approached, I had to know, “Who’s that guy who’s staring?” I let my gaze fall in his direction so Owen knew who I meant. He was still glaring our way, this time at me.

“That’s French. He’s a real ass, so it’s best not to make eye contact,” Owen whispered.

“French? What kind of name is that?”

“A last name. His first is Zeb, but everyone calls him French.” Owen greeted the people he’d waved over who’d finally made their way through the crowd. Hunter fell in behind them and stood next to me while Owen introduced us. There were two guys and three girls. The boys were very friendly, but the girls seemed standoffish and barely smiled my way. I understood why when they crowded in around Owen and practically hung all over him. He was obviously very popular with the ladies. Hunter got his fair share of attention too, but was more interested in making everyone laugh.

Finally, we went inside. The boys bought me candy and a drink so big I had to hold it with two hands. I’d never be able to finish it. No one could be that thirsty. After Hunter stocked up and Owen convinced me to share some popcorn, we went to find our seats. Hunter led the way, and since all the back seats were taken, we ended up down front. I hated the front, but I didn’t complain. I was determined to have fun and it was nice just being out of the woods, even if I did end up with a sore neck.

The movie was an action/comedy that Hunter was super excited about. Halfway through the movie Owen leaned in closer. I thought he had to whisper something, so I leaned in, too. His arm came down around me and I felt his lips on my neck.

“Owen!” I jumped back, glaring at him, my face burning.

He sat there a minute, stunned, as if I’d slapped him. Then he darted out of his seat, past Hunter, and out of the theater.

I wasn’t sure what to do. Hunter slid over into Owen’s empty seat, “He really likes you, Lily. He hasn’t ever felt this way and so he doesn’t know how to act.”

I sympathized. It was how I felt about Talon: awkward and unsure. “I’ll go talk to him,” I said, rising from my seat to crouch past the other watchers.

“Be gentle, I’ve got to live with him.” He shoved popcorn into his mouth as I left.

I hurried out into the muggy night air and found him leaning against the front of the old brick theater. His face was blank and he stared at his feet. His hair was sticking up funny where he’d raked his hands through it. He’d actually fixed it for the outing, and he’d dressed up in a baby blue button-down and jeans that didn’t have near as many holes as usual. Like always, he was perfect, even with his hair sticking up.

“I’m sorry.” He peeked up at me with blush-stained cheeks. “I really care about you, Lily. I want us to be together. You’re all I think about.”

“I know, but…”

“But what —Talon—right?” He nodded, waiting for me to agree. Then he gave me a disgusted glare and raked his hand though his hair, fixing the mess he’d made of it before. “It will never work out with him. He’s gonna be your brother, Lily. Your
brother
! You think your parents are gonna be okay with you living under the same roof and dating? You gonna walk around school holding his hand and making out with everyone knowing he’s your brother? That’s all people will see and you know it!” He took a step toward me, pointing his finger at my chest. “He knows it’s not right, Lily. That’s why he hasn’t made a move! It’s not… normal!” I wondered how he knew, but figured that the boys must talk.

I started to turn away but he grabbed my arm. His words were still stinging as he put his hand behind my head and pulled me in close. It startled me, and before I could react, his lips were on mine. He kissed me hard, as if he could convince me, but I stood still. Finally, he got the picture and pulled away, shaking his head. I turned and went back inside.

The whole room burst into laughter at the movie as I ducked in and swiftly made my way to my seat next to Hunter. We didn’t talk at all. I think he could tell that I was upset. We sat there and finished the movie in silence.

Both Owen and I wanted to go straight home after the movie ended, but Hunter said he wasn’t missing out on dinner because of our little spat. He said he was starving. I personally didn’t see how, since he’d eaten enough popcorn to string the national Christmas tree, but I didn’t protest since it was a long way home and I needed a pit stop.

He found a fast food restaurant and we went inside. Hunter got the biggest burger the place made. I got a burger too, but not as big, with an order of onion rings. Owen didn’t order anything except a drink, but I convinced him to share my rings with me. We had him laughing and talking before we left. I didn’t want him to feel bad. I did care about him. I felt drawn to him in a strange way that I couldn’t explain, but it wasn’t the same way I was drawn to Talon. I wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe if I had met him first, if I hadn’t already had my heart set on Talon?

We talked all the way home, laughing and joking, and it was nice. Then, when Hunter turned on Bragg Road, Owen made a suggestion. “Hey, let’s look for the Light. You don’t have to be home until eleven, we’ve got plenty of time, nearly an hour.”

“Sure,” I said. I certainly didn’t want to go back home to my room and miss Talon.

We passed our little drive and continued down Bragg another mile before Hunter slowed the car to a crawl. I stared intently out the window, trying to focus ahead of the headlights and into the darkness, waiting for it to appear.

All of a sudden there was a small Light in the distance. “Do you see that?” Owen whispered as if he didn’t want to scare it away.

Hunter stopped the car. The Light was very faint and white. It grew larger, brighter, and more defined as it came closer, and suddenly it was shining all around me.

I held up my hand to shade my eyes, but then I saw something coming from the Light. It was a girl! Her strawberry blond hair seemed to flow around her face as if she were underwater.

She hovered in front of me, so close that I could’ve touched her if I wasn’t frozen in fear. I watched her familiar green eyes, the same green as mine, and her blank expression as she drew closer and faded right into me. I flinched, expecting to feel her.

When I opened my eyes I was looking up at a day sky. The warm sun beat down on me and I could smell fresh-cut grass and tilled earth like in the dream that I’d had on the first night in my new home.

I lay there drifting in and out of consciousness. It was peaceful. Then I felt the pressure building on my chest and something stung as it hit my face. It was dirt; thick clumps of heavy, damp dirt, falling on me, covering me. I tucked my chin to see my chest and found it covered with earth and blood. I couldn’t scream, I tried but the sound never came.

I was dying; my throat was slit and I was being buried alive.

I saw a flash of light, and as quick as it came, my vision was gone. I was back in the car with the Riley brothers, hysterical and gasping for air. I tried to scream again and finally, I could. My body shook violently from fear.

I grabbed hold of Owen and he held me tight. “It’s okay, Lily! It was just the Light, and it’s gone now!”

“You okay?” Hunter asked. He was just as worried. “Calm down. We’ll get you home.” He drove up ahead and found a place to turn around, and then he spun out in the dirt and raced for home.

By the time we drove up to the house, I had calmed down. Owen had taken the chance to be close to me, holding me to his side with his arm around my shoulder. It was comforting so I didn’t care. I needed the touch to know that it was reality and that the terrible things were over.

I wondered if I was the only one to see the face in the Light. Neither one had mentioned her, but that could be shock. I had to figure out if they saw her without sounding crazy, but before I could say anything, Owen stroked my hair. “It’s okay, Lily. It was just a Light, nothing to be afraid of.” That answered my question. I was certain that they hadn‘t seen the girl at all. She’d taken me somewhere. She had given me a vision and was clearly the one giving me the strange dreams, too. They were just too similar.

Owen helped me to the porch. I was hoping he wouldn’t try anything funny like kissing me goodnight, but as we reached the top step, Mom threw open the door. “You’re late, young lady,” she said, glaring at us.

Confused, Owen and I glanced at each other. “It’s not even eleven yet,” I argued. There was no way that much time had passed. It had only taken about thirty minutes.

“Try a quarter till twelve!” She clutched her robe tight. “Look, I don’t mind if you’re gonna be late, but call me. I worry about you being out on these roads at night. Now tell Owen goodbye.” She stormed away.

I was shocked, and by the look on Owen’s face, he was too. We’d lost time. His gaze met mine and he took my hands and held them tight. “Turn on your radio and I’ll call you as soon as I get inside.”

I nodded. “Just give me twenty minutes, okay?” I turned from him and went to my room.

After I changed into my pajamas and got settled in for bed, Owen called me on the two-way. He’d figured out that we’d lost about an hour and ten minutes, give or take a few. He raved on and on about all the strange things that seemed to happen on the road. There was one more thing I needed to tell him, one more thing that terrified me: the girl’s face in the Light. Her eyes had been as green as mine, as green as Dad and Gram’s.

“Did you see anything else in the Light?” I asked. I was scared he wouldn’t believe me and he’d think I was nuts.

“No, just the Light, and it only seemed to last a couple of minutes, three at the most. Why would I see anything else?” he asked.

I considered telling him about her, but I couldn’t. I was scared they’d call Talon and he’d cut his trip short. Besides, I could barely wrap my own head around it. Was there a reason that I was the only one who saw her? Who was she? What did she want with me? I decided it wasn’t the time. “I don’t know, I was just wondering.”

“Oh yeah, There was something else,” he said. I could have sworn I heard him snap his fingers. “You know the marks on your wall?”

“Yeah. What about them, did you find a new one?”

“Yeah, Hunter had to clean one off of the hood of the car.” he said. Then he changed the subject. “Look, I’m sorry about earlier, Lily. I was way out of line. I just can’t help it. I really want to be with you. I’ve never liked anyone more.”

“You don’t really know me, Owen. Not that well. Maybe if you got to know me, you’d find that we’re really not compatible.” I was reaching and knew it. I just didn’t want to use Talon as an excuse. The things he’d said to me earlier were still stinging, maybe because they held a small amount of truth. Talon didn’t really think we should be together either.

“Maybe if you just gave me a chance, you’d see that I’m perfect for you,” he said. “I’d treat you like a princess, Lily. I’d do anything to make you happy. Give you anything.” His voice was softer than I’d ever heard it, and so sweet and charming that I believed everything he was saying. And in that moment, I knew that he could really love me; genuinely and truly. I just didn’t feel that way about him. My heart ached.

I could sympathize with him. Just as much as he wanted me, I wanted Talon. And he knew it. “I’m not giving up on you, Lily. You’ll see it’s not going to work out with him and you’ll come around.”

Oh how I hope you’re wrong,
I thought. Thinking about Talon made me miss him terribly. I decided to go to his room and sleep in his bed. I grabbed my phone and continued to talk to Owen on the two-way as I switched on Talon’s lamp and curled myself down into his covers and breathed in his scent.

Owen never knew the difference, and I wouldn’t tell or he’d think I was pathetic.
But maybe that’s what he needs to think
, I told myself.
No, I won’t hurt him that way
. Strangely, just thinking about him in pain made me ache deep in my chest. It took me by surprise. “I’ve got to go, Owen, goodnight.”

“Sweet dreams, Lily.”