Falling Darkness: The second book in the Falling Awake Series (24 page)

“Bye, Rona.” I gave her a hopeful wave as she left and with a hefty nudge from Quidel, she waved back with a modest smile.

They left with Ressler and when Caleb tipped his head in my direction and stood waiting for me, I huffed in defeat and went with him downstairs.

“I saw him,” I said, from the bar stool in Caleb’s kitchen.

Caleb stood with his lower back pressed against the counter. “When?”

“Tonight, right before I came here. I was waiting on Ressler at the port and… I saw something.”

“You saw something?”

“I’m pretty sure I did.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Eyes. Just watching me. They were his eyes, I know it. I’ve never seen anything like them before. They aren’t natural.” I repressed a shiver at the thought of those beady, glowing passageways to nowhere but hell.

“You got that right,” Caleb said. Every single one of his features had hardened.

My Talisman thumped in my pocket. Could it sense my fear? Would it be able to protect me from Sabre? I could only hope so. I pressed my hand over the fabric of my jeans, feeling the gentle thrum under my fingers. Caleb looked over at me. I couldn’t tell him that I had this protection. Matwau had insisted how important it was that no one find out, but really I just didn’t want Caleb to laugh at me or tell me how ridiculous he thought me possibly putting my life into the hands of an antique pendant sounded. He would hate the idea, and I hated to admit that was why he would never find out. Caleb’s judgment was one I couldn’t seem to bear.

A door cracked open behind me and I moved my head just enough to see Leah step out into the hallway. She had been in my dad’s room.

“Is he okay?” I asked her, a little too fraught.

“Never better, considering the circumstances.” She smiled at me. Was that supposed to be funny?

“How much longer?” I asked her. “Until he wakes up.”

“I have no idea.” She hopped up onto the counter with the kind of grace that only
she
could pull off and lit up a cigarette.

Gross.

“What’s going on, anyway?” Leah asked, a swirling of smoke escaping her lips and rippling up to the ceiling. “In fact, no…don’t tell me. Something awful has happened, and someone-” She dramatically straightened her back like she was ready to deliver an award winning performance and said in a really annoying, serious and over the top voice, “someone is after… YOU.” She stabbed her finger at me and grinned, her feathery eyelashes curling right up to her eyebrows. “Am I right?”

I batted her finger away, only causing her to laugh.

“Sabre’s here,” Caleb said.

The grin slipped off Leah’s face and she turned to him. “How?”

“How am I supposed to know? I don’t fucking know everything,” he snapped back.

“What the hell have you been doing all this time, Caleb? And
do not
say you have been with Tanya.” Leah scrunched her cigarette into a crushed mess on the counter. She didn’t care about anything at all. Someone should put one of her disgusting cigarettes out on her face.

“Tamara,” Caleb corrected her and I just managed not to gag.

“I don’t care what her fucking name is. Get out there,
now
, and find Sabre. We have no idea what he’s capable of and I don’t like that he’s out there, free to do whatever the fuck he likes.” Leah jumped down from the counter and levelled her ‘no bullshit’ gaze with Caleb’s. “Call me when you find him. I want to see him for myself.”

Caleb met her with a ‘no bullshit’ look of his own, only his was much more fierce. “You think it’s that easy? You think I’m gonna just gonna go out there and walk right into him?”

Leah stepped closer to him. “I don’t care how you do it, or how hard it is. Just find him.”

Caleb snatched his car keys from the counter and took a step around Leah, for the front door.

“Wait,” I said, after him. “I’m coming with you.”

“Not a chance,” he replied without a footstep missed. “You’re staying here.”

“But I want to come.” I stood up and followed him to the door. “Please.”

“Let her go. It will draw him out.” Leah shrugged, watching us. “I think she should go. It makes sense.”

“She stays here,” Caleb said to her. “I’m not discussing this.” And he left, closing the door heftily in my face.

“What should I do now?” I said to Leah, although I wasn’t sure why. She didn’t care what I did next. She was more than willing to throw me to the lions for some reason. She was adamant I come out of this alive, but she never said anything about unscathed.

She turned away, walking down the hallway. “I really don’t care,” she shouted back. “Go to bed, or something.”

I was worried. We knew nothing about Sabre. He started off as what you would call a ‘bad’ fallen angel, but the powers he harnessed now were apparently nothing Caleb had ever seen before. He was faster than the speed of light when he wanted to be and he had the ability to control other people. Then, with one splash of holy water, he crumples into nothing but burning ash and bones. Caleb was convinced he must somehow have the devil in him, but he was yet to prove it, and I didn’t like the idea of him doing it on his own one bit.

I kicked the door with my foot, frustrated, and after three or four minutes of deliberating whether or not I should go after him, I grabbed my own set of keys from my bedroom and shook on my coat. No way could I just sit here and
go to
sleep as Leah suggested. Caleb might hate me more by the day, but he was in this because of me and I had to do something. He wouldn’t like it but if I was being honest, I really didn’t give a shit. I left Caleb’s apartment quietly and got in my Fiat. I didn’t even bother to think of where a creep like Sabre might be hiding. I turned over the engine and left the parking lot. I would start where this all began.

My house.

I
rolled into my driveway as soundlessly as was humanly possible. Killing the engine, I looked up into the blackened windows. I knew no one was home, but I felt uneasy.  I sat for maybe ten minutes before I finally had the courage to get out the car, and the next thing I knew, I was standing on the porch turning my key in the lock of the front door. I let the door swing open and when I was confident there was no one on the other side, I took a step into the darkened hallway.

I flicked the switch for the light, but after the click, the darkness stayed exactly where it was, clinging to the walls and staircase like a thick, suffocating blanket. The electric was off. What the frick? Caleb was still paying the utility bills. He promised me he would. Unless… he’d forgot. He 
was
 spending all his time with Tamara now, anyway. What else did I expect? I was dumb, really dumb. I should have taken care of my own bills and never let Caleb take over as always. Damsel in distress wasn’t a very flattering image of me, and I needed to shed it as soon as possible.

I stepped fully inside the house and let the door close softly behind me. The quiet of the place was like thunder in my ears it was so heavy and commanding. I could hear the faint ticking of the clock in the kitchen and after what happened last time I was in that room, I avoided stepping foot in there. As it was, I didn’t bother going into the living room either, and instead, went straight upstairs.

I cautiously pushed open my bedroom door, and let it swing fully open on its own. I let out a small breath when the room was empty. What was I expecting? Sabre to be hiding in the corner? Highly doubtful.

At my bedroom window, I looked out into the street. It was desolate, not a soul in sight. I had no clue where to go from here. Should I sit and wait? I wondered where exactly Caleb was searching. The harbor, maybe? That 
was
 where we had last seen him. I should have went there. In fact, I was going to go there... right now. I turned to leave, when the sound of the front door creaking open, stopped me in place. I was too scared to move even a finger in fear of being heard. I backed up until I was just resting on the edge of the window seat. This was what I wanted. I came here looking for Sabre, and he had found me. I should be glad.

I held my breath while I listened to the careful footsteps ascending the stairs. Each tap bringing something that wouldn’t hesitate to do me harm, closer by the second. My fingers wrapped around the edge of the seat, my nails biting into the wood to stop me from shaking. I couldn’t be scared, there was no time for weakness, and it wouldn’t help me that was for sure. The moon beamed in boldly behind me and I saw the fingers wrapped around my bedroom door. I was rigid, still holding the last of my breath. I thought I might combust I was so deprived of oxygen, and with no other choice, I gasped in a lung full of air when the door creaked open and…

“Surprise, Surprise.”

“It’s you,” I said, letting the full effect of my relief flood to the surface. “It’s just you.”

“I knew you wouldn’t listen. You are making my job ten times harder.” Caleb filled the bedroom doorway, all broad shoulders and ruffled hair in the silhouette of the moonlight.

“I thought you were Sabre.”

“You mean you were hoping I was Sabre.”

“How did you know I was here?” I asked. My grip loosened on the seat and I allowed my body to relax. I felt the urge to laugh I was so relieved. So much for brave.

“Because even though you’re a straight A student in school and the most trouble you ever get yourself into is underage drinking, you are reckless and predictable. For someone as smart as you, you shouldn’t be making dumb decisions like coming here on your own. No one will thank you for it.” I knew he meant it, but his tone wasn’t as clipped as it normally is with me.

“I couldn’t let you go after him on your own.”

“I can handle Sabre.”

“You will have to lock me away before I sit back and let everyone fight my battles for me,” I said, getting up and walking over to him.

Caleb closed his eyes briefly when I stopped in front of him and then gave me a look that could bring any girl to her knees. My heart was racing. Sabre standing in front of me might have been a more preferable situation. I doubted whether he could hurt me as much as Caleb could. The wounds Caleb left cut deeper than any scar would be able to.

“I’ll take you back to my place,” he said.

“I want to stay here,” I objected firmly. “Just for tonight. He might come here if he knows that’s where I am. He wants me, and this is the only way.” Caleb stared at me, waiting for a better explanation. “I won’t just do nothing.”

“He wants to kill you,” Caleb stated with no nonsense. “You want me to just hand you to him on a plate? As tempting as that is right now, that won’t get anybody anywhere.”

“Stay with me, then.” Oh god, was I really going to beg? I couldn’t trust myself not to. I lost control of myself whenever Caleb stepped into a room and could never pin point what my idiot next move might be. I was capable of anything right now.

“I can't stay here with you. You need to leave.”

“Christ, Caleb,” I griped. “I know you can’t stand me but be a bit nicer about it, won’t you?”

"You don’t understand."

"So make me." If Leah was so sure I was the one to stop Caleb from completely losing himself, to this lesser and almost completely unbearable... prick, then like hell was I going to give up without even so much as a fight. I made him a promise and I was delivering no matter 
he
 said. "I'm staying and I guess that means you are, too."

I was shooting at random, hoping my not backing down would get through to him. I watched his stony expression, trying to read the impenetrable steel behind his eyes. He didn’t look like he was budging on this one. In a few seconds he was probably going to drag me out of here screaming bloody murder.

"Fine. We stay."

Hmm, I wasn’t expecting that. "We are?" My voice was shaky and I mentally held a grip on myself. "I mean, we are?" I said with more conviction and surety of myself.

"If he hasn’t shown up by morning, you get dressed, go to school, and don’t pull this shit again, got it? I won’t be so nice next time."

"Then why are you being so nice this time?" I was being sarcastic and I hoped that he missed the bravado in my voice. If I pushed too hard, he could easily snap and change his mind. I had to try and not make a bad situation worse.

"No more talking," he instructed. His voice was like ice; sharp and full of frost. He really had no time for me. "You should get some sleep. If he shows up, I'll be downstairs. I'll know he's here before he gets within ten feet of this house. I can smell him like a rat."

I gave him a subtle nod of agreement and let him get as far as one foot onto the carpeted hallway before I shouted out, "Stay here with me... please." 

The muscles in his shoulders bunched into heavy knots.

"I don't want anything from you. Just stay here with me." It was verging on a plea, but he couldn’t leave. It was finally just the two of us and I couldn't get my head around exactly what it was, but something was different about him. He was 
softer
 in some way, and not as agitated. I was taking advantage while I had the chance.

Caleb rolled his shoulders back and the tension in him gradually loosened. "I'll be downstairs," he said with barely a glance over his shoulder in my direction, and he was gone. His solitary footsteps leading away from me were a harsh slap back to reality, yet again.

“Well I tried,” I mumbled to Leah, knowing fine well she couldn’t hear me.

I slumped down onto the bed, dragging my hands through my hair. The house was cold. It felt unlived in despite Caleb staying here most nights. Even my brushed cotton sheets which I used to love, felt cool and un-inviting under my skin. The whole house was different, and being here now, feeling out of place and utterly alone, I truly felt my dad missing from my everyday life. He was home, and now home didn’t even have me in it. My whole family life was broken apart. I had gained and lost so much in the space of less than a year that if it wasn’t so damn infuriating, would be comical. I had Caleb in the same house, yet he might as well be on another continent he was so closed off from me. I was starting to think there was no way of getting through to him. He had shown me an open window and then slammed it shut, right in my face.

I scrunched my eyes shut and thought of my next move. Seconds, turned into minutes and after completely losing track of time and no fresh thoughts surfacing in my mind what so ever, I got up and took of my shoes. Tiptoeing across the room, I was sure to not to make a sound as I let myself into my dad's room and crawled into his bed under the crisp, cold, unused sheets. The faint scent of him still lingered, and I inhaled deeply, somewhere along the line falling asleep.

The swimming hole. I was there again, only this time I was looking down, through a gap in the trees. I stepped through and halted at the very edge, before I slipped to the very bottom. But that wasn’t why I stopped. Right at the very edge of the swimming hole, with hands submerged in the dark blue water, was… me? I took a step back, partially hiding myself in between the tree trunks. I would still be seen though if whatever was down there looked up. I watched the back of the figure that looked exactly like me start to ease something up out of the water. Even from here, I could see the subtle differences. Whoever was down there, her hair was straighter than mine, and she looked more slender. Even crouching I could see she was a little taller; more graceful. What was she doing? I could see her pull her arms out of the water, but I couldn’t get a glimpse of what she was holding. The crunching of heavy footsteps storming through the trail behind me, alerted me to the fact that that I wasn’t alone and for some reason it made my heart rate excel. What was there to be scared of? This was just a dream, wasn’t it? The pounding steps grew nearer and I became panicked. The crystal sky overhead, rumbled to the color of slate in less than a second and the trees shook overhead, birds fleeing off into the distance, filling the sky with the sound of their squawking. I covered my head with my hands, as flocking feathers swooped around me, panicked before finally jetting off into the frothy, grey sky. I straightened up, my eyes settling on the woman below and I briefly wondered whether I should help her, before her hands shot up into the air.

A thick black spear protruded into the sky, tip first. The thick metal was wrapped in gold around the middle, and she held onto it, looking up into the coming storm. When the echoing footsteps behind me felt like they were about to barrel down on me, the woman shot a look behind her, directly at me and the spear burst into a thousand pieces right above her head.

***

I angled my head towards the window. The curtains had been open all night and it was still dark out. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and pushed my hands through my hair. I had dreamt of my mom, and I didn’t understand any of it. It was probably all the emotions of the past few weeks finally messing with my head. I pushed it to the back of my mind and jumped in the shower. I tried my best to make myself presentable for the day. I really couldn’t be bothered, and so I fixed my hair into a French plait and pulled on the first outfit that passed as half decent; a long sleeved white tee and faded skinny jeans. I pulled on my blue coat, with fur hood and suede ankle boots. Make up would have to be a miss for today. Most of my things were at Caleb’s place anyway. Not everything, but almost.

I headed downstairs to see if there was anything I could grab for breakfast. Caleb was stood by the window, looking outside. He turned when he heard me walk into the room.

“The water’s hot,” I said. “You fixed the electric?”

“It just tripped, that’s all.” He looked away, to whatever was outside.

One look around the kitchen confirmed there was nothing there to eat. What had Caleb been living on?

“I guess I’m going to school, then.” I wasn’t, not right away. It was still early, just pushing five am, but I wanted to stop and see Matwau first. His ferry was leaving at five thirty. Sabre was yet to make an appearance and I would feel a whole lot better when Matwau was back home. If anything happened to him because of me, I wouldn’t know how to live with myself.

“Right,” was all Caleb said. The Levis he was wearing hung beautifully low on his hips and his black t-shirt was loose and clingy against all the right curves. His body was the perfect amount of incredible. Muscle and grace, all rolled into one heavenly package. It was hard to leave him, but I had things to do and who was I kidding? He didn’t want me here, anyway. I left the house and drove to the Blue Dolphin. I could already see Matoskah and Quidel sitting outside on a nearby fence, with a bag each at their feet. Rona was on her cell a few feet away with her back to them. I got out of the car, noting how Matoskah’s face instantly sweetened into something that made me instantly smile.

“Hey,” he greeted me.

“Hi.”

“Looking good,” Quidel said. A wicked smile reached his eyes.

“What time are you guys heading for the ferry?” I asked, but one look at the harbor and I could see it had already docked. I felt a little disappointed at the sight of it. I kinda liked having them here. I was starting to like them… a lot.