Tall, Dark Streak of Lightning (The Dark Lightning Trilogy)

by J. M. Richards

  Suddenly our tender moment was interrupted by the cries of the others in the room. “He’s getting away!” several girls squealed, and some of the guys started after the Hallway Stalker as he slipped outside and began to run. Dark Lightning pulled away from me and sped out the door and after the hooded kid as well. He was so fast. There was nothing but a dark blur, his trench coat billowing behind him like a cape.

  And that was the moment I knew.

  Chapter Twenty

  “How rare and wonderful

  is that flash of a moment when we realize we have discovered a friend.”

  —William E. Rothschild

  A shiver went through me as I watched him dash away. “Wait!” I cried suddenly, sprinting after him. I didn’t even think; I couldn’t have explained why I did it.

  Though I knew he was too fast to keep up with, I ran anyway. I ran with all my might, pumping my arms and legs as hard and fast as I could, my only thought to catch up with him. Something in me was compelled to be near him—to see, once and for all, if my suspicions were right.

  It was raining harder than ever; I slipped on the wet grass and the water soaked my clothes, weighing me down. As I tried to get a bearing on which way DL and the Hallway Stalker had gone, I heard sirens and saw police and campus security vehicles heading to a far side of campus. If he hadn’t escaped, Dark Lightning would no doubt have been handing the Hallway Stalker over to them at that moment.

  I ran and ran until I was panting and gasping; I was halfway across campus when I slowed to catch my breath. For a heartbreaking moment, I thought I’d lost him and was considering turning around and giving up. I rounded a bend in the trail, when I stopped abruptly. The little chapel— where I’d discovered a badly beaten up Davin months earlier—was only yards away. I just stood there, dripping wet and shivering, but immobile with the realization that was undeniably, relentlessly dawning.

  I walked toward the chapel door slowly, my pulse pounding. Just as I reached it, Davin stepped out. My heart always leapt when I saw him; but this time there was an extra jolt as I took in his appearance. He was sweaty and red-faced, as though he’d just been finishing up a track meet, and his hair was even more mussed than usual. Like he’d just pulled off a hat…or a ski mask.

  He stopped short when he saw me, looking shocked. “Anna!” His clothes were completely dry…like he’d been wearing a familiar black trench coat.

  My heart was racing, and not just because I’d been running or had just survived an attack. “Hey, Davin.” I nodded toward the chapel. “What are you up to?”

  “Oh, um, not much. Just…hanging out.”

  Perfectly vague, as usual, Davin, I thought. He turned the question on me, obviously unsettled by my appearance. “What about you?”

  “Actually, I was on my way to lunch with Jill and Laurel, when I went back in to get a book I forgot.” I looked at him directly, watching to see what affect my words would have on him. “The Hallway Stalker followed me in and attacked me.”

  “What? Anna—are you okay?”

  I nodded. “I am now. Dark Lightning rescued me.” I couldn’t read his expression.

  “Wow. Lucky you.”

  “I don’t believe in luck,” I told him bluntly. “Or coincidence.”

  He didn’t answer right away, and he wasn’t looking at me. “Well, I’m glad he was around, anyway. It would have been horrible if something had happened to you.” The concern on his face was real. He reached his free hand out, tentatively, and put it on my shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay? That bastard didn’t hurt you before…before DL got there?”

  I shook my head. “I’m fine.”

  “Did they catch him?” he asked.

  My heart sank a little. “I don’t know,” I confessed.

  “I think I saw Campus Security around,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll get him. Although, it did kind of look like they were more interested in chasing Dark Lightning than anyone else.”

  “What?” I shrieked. I sighed disgustedly. “So typical! Chase the good guy while the criminal gets away.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” He frowned slightly. “So…what are you doing here?”

  I tried not to blush. “I was…well…I was kind of following Dark Lightning,” I said, this time not meeting his gaze.

  “Why?” he asked, sounding stern. “You should have stayed where you were safe.”

  “Well…” I glanced up at Davin, remembering why I’d run out there in the first place. Could I be right? Could it really be true? It seemed to fit, but— “I just…I had to see something. For myself.”

  “What?”

  I couldn’t tell him the truth, not yet. I came up with something plausible instead. “I wanted to see Dark Lightning hand that guy over to the authorities.”

  He shook his head, looking torn between amusement and frustration. “I’m sure that if Dark Lightning knew that, he’d be irritated,” he told me. “After going to all that trouble to rescue you, you then go running back into danger.” He sighed. “A fine way to repay him. Very Lois Lane of you.”

  “You’re right,” I realized, meekly. “I wasn’t thinking.” It did seem rather reckless and ungrateful, once I thought about it. But in a way, I’d just felt pulled after him.

  “You know, you really should get your head checked out,” Davin said, interrupting my thoughts. “Let me walk you to the nurse. Make sure you don’t have a concussion.”

  “I’m fine,” I objected again.

  “Probably,” he agreed. “But you still need to be checked. Now, don’t try to argue. You’re always taking care of me when I’m hurt; now it’s my turn.”

  “Okay,” I replied, suppressing a shiver. He wanted me to get my head checked out. My head. Because the Hallway Stalker slammed me against the wall. But I hadn’t mentioned that, so Davin couldn’t possibly have known about it, unless...unless he’d seen it himself. I fell into step beside him, my mind whirring with compounded questions and musings that still all seemed to point to one answer. “So, what are you doing for the break?” he asked, distracting me. “Going home again?”

  “Sort of,” I said. “I’m going to my grandparents’ house, in Virginia. My family will be there for a little while, too.”

  “On furlough?”

  I grinned. “On furlough.”

  “That will be nice.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, it will be. What about you?”

  “Oh, same old, same old. I’ll be here, working at Giant Eagle, if they’ll take me back.”

  “You don’t work there during the year?”

  “Nah. Too busy. But I need something to do during the summer…and a way to pay my room and board. Don’t suppose I could get your new address for this summer?” he added shyly. “Or would Brad object to that?”

  I scoffed. “Brad’s not in a position to object to anything.” At Davin’s raised eyebrow, I clarified, “I told him we were through.”

  “Did you?” His eyebrows shot up, and I could have sworn there was a look of relief on his face. Maybe.

  I smiled. “I did. And he took it rather well. So, write, by all means, please. And of course postage will be much less expensive.”

  “Good point.” He ushered me into the infirmary and addressed the intake nurse. “Anna Fisher was attacked in her dorm,” he informed her. The woman looked alarmed.

  “I’m okay,” I said quickly, and she raised an eyebrow.

  “Her attacker was stopped,” Davin explained, “but I just want to make sure she doesn’t have a concussion, or any other injuries.”

  The heavy-set nurse scrutinized me. “You hit your head?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Take a seat. Fill these out. Someone will be with you in a moment.”

  I sighed as I took the clipboard and sat; Davin settled next to me. “This is silly,” I said. “I’m fine. I have a little bit of a head ache, but I’m not dizzy or nauseous. I can walk and talk just fine, and I can remember everything.”

  “Everyt
hing, huh? Don’t self-diagnose, Doctor Fisher. Do you remember when the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought?”

  “The what?”

  “The Battle of Bunker Hill. We covered it in World Civ.”

  “No, we did not.”

  “We did, too. The unit on the American Revolution.”

  “Davin, that was like, two years ago! I don’t remember stuff like that!”

  “So, not everything.”

  “Everything important.”

  “That happens to have been a very significant battle,” Davin reminded me, in a smug tone.

  He was saved from a scathing reply when the nurse led me back to a smaller room to wait for the doctor. A bored man came in and glanced at my sheet before shining his little light in my eyes and asking me a series of questions. He made me follow his finger with my eyes and then concluded I was fine. “To be on the safe side, though, don’t go to sleep for a few more hours. Set an alarm and have your roommate wake you up.” He tossed me an ice pack, told me I could take tylenol, and sent me back out.

  “Told you I was fine.”

  Davin looked relieved, and all my whirring thoughts came back. “Well, it was my turn to stubbornly take care of you,” he said as we walked out. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it.”

  “Where are you headed to now?”

  “Um...” My stomach growled. “Lunch, I guess,” I laughed. Then I stopped. “Oh!”

  “What?” Davin looked alarmed all over again. “What is it?”

  “I forgot—I was supposed to meet Jill and Laurel at Phelps.”

  “I’ll walk you over.”

  “You really don’t have to,” I protested. “I am okay.”

  “I know you are. But...I don’t know. It just doesn’t seem right to leave you alone, right after you got attacked.”

  How could I have ever considered, even briefly, that Davin was anything but good? Walking with him, I felt safe. “Okay,” I agreed. And so we headed, side by side, to the cafeteria.

  He walked very close to me, as close as two people can without touching each other. I rambled about my art class, and he nodded. We kept stealing glances at each other, and looking away. A few times I caught him staring at me searchingly, but I couldn’t seem to let him hold my gaze.

  As we were about to cross the road, Davin suddenly grabbed my wrist and held me back a moment; a car peeled out of the driveway and roared past us.

  “Geez,” I gasped, and then, glancing at him curiously, I added, “Thanks.” He didn’t say anything, but slowly released my wrist. Before he completely withdrew, I took his hand and interlaced my fingers through his. He looked at me, his lips parted in surprise, but then he smiled shyly and gave my hand a squeeze as we kept walking. It gave me a feeling of nervous flutters in the best way. As we walked up to the doors, Jill and Laurel came bursting out the exit.

  “Anna! Where have you been? We were getting worried.”

  “Oh,” Jill said, nudging Laurel and shooting a pointed look at our interlocked hands. “She was with Davin.”

  “No,” I protested, but Davin cut in.

  “Actually, I was just walking Anna over from the infirmary,” he said gravely. “Anna was attacked in Mercy Hall.”

  “What? Attacked?” They stared at me. “Anna, are you okay?”

  “Yes—yes, I’m okay.”

  “Who attacked you?”

  “The Hallway Stalker,” Davin said, and I heard that note of bitterness in his tone again.

  “But,” I interrupted the next flood of questions, “I was rescued.” I paused for emphasis, and couldn’t hold back a grin, despite the seriousness of my tale. “By Dark Lightning.”

  “Seriously? He was here?”

  “He was in our dorm?”

  “He was amazing,” I said, on the verge of a swoon, when I noticed Davin watching me. “And then,” I added, “Davin also came to my rescue.”

  Both girls turned to look at him, curiously, and he shrugged, apparently feeling self-conscious. “I ran into him, and he made me go to the infirmary,” I held up my ice pack, “and walked me here, too. So I wouldn’t be alone after being attacked.”

  “Wow….That’s actually kind of sweet,” Jill said, looking at Davin with new interest.

  “Yeah, thanks for looking out for her,” Laurel added. “We can take it from here.”

  “Okay.” He released my hand but hesitated. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  I smiled at him. “Thanks, Davin. Really. For everything.”

  “No problem.” He nodded at us, and turned to walk away. After a few steps, he turned back and added, “Oh, it was 1775.”

  “What?”

  “1775. The Battle of Bunker Hill.”

  “Oh.” I laughed.

  “We learned about it the day we met,” he added. “Another red-letter day in history.”

  I smiled shyly. “Kind of like today.”

  “Yeah,” Laurel chimed in, “getting rescued by your hero! That’s one for the books.”

  “Dear Diary,” Jill added, “today I was saved by a superhero. It was the best day ever.”

  “And by my friend,” I added quietly. Davin, still close by, heard me and glanced my way; I locked my gaze onto his deep, dark eyes.

  “It was no big deal,” he murmured.

  “It was to me.”

  He rubbed his arm self-consciously. “Glad I could help. Especially after all you’ve done for me. So... if I don’t see you before you leave, have a great summer, okay? And be safe.”

  “I will,” I told him. “You too.” I hesitated and added, “Be careful.”

  Once more I watched him turn and amble away. What an idiot I’d been. All that time, it had been so obvious. The signs had all been there, but I’d been too blind to figure out what they meant. Or, as Andy would say, too afraid to trust my intuition. Just like all those other silly superhero girlfriends I complained about, I’d been too distracted to put the pieces together. I’d even tried to fit them together the wrong way. But the picture was finally clear, and it made all the difference in the world.

  I had been saved: by Dark Lightning, yes, but not that fraud Tony Gale. I’d been saved by Davin Kowalski, my best friend and the guy I had fallen head-over-heels for. I knew then, unshakably, that it was true. The doubts, the hints, the questions that had rolled around in my head almost since the very first appearance of the dark hero, all vanished. I would never look at Davin in quite the same way again. Our friendship would no longer be the same.

  For that matter, how could anything be the same? Even though the world kept spinning as it had before, for me, everything seemed cast in a new light. I went about my days the same way I always had; I did what I needed to. I studied, I slept (barely), and I went to my exams. But all the while in the back of my mind, there was the new knowledge that had utterly altered my life.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “A friend is one who knows you

  and loves you just the same.”

  —Elbert Hubbard

  I awoke in a cold sweat from another dream in which I had been running. In the dark, I sat up and shivered, hugging myself as I tried to calm down. I’d been dreaming of the hallway just outside my door, and of a hooded figure standing at the end, holding a knife, chasing me. In my nightmares he was a hundred times more menacing.

  I kept seeing flashes of his gleaming, giant knife every time I closed my eyes, and it felt like I could still hear his grunts and feel his fingers on me. It didn’t seem to matter that in reality I had fought him off and Davin had saved me. The nightmares kept coming anyway.

  I remembered that it was the weekend before finals and that Kim had gone home; I turned on the light and tried to calm myself. I didn’t want to go back to sleep, no matter how much I needed it. Instead, I turned on my roommate’s TV, and found that I was just in time for the early morning news.

  “Later today,” the anchorwoman was saying, “we’
ll have an exclusive interview with Tony Gale, and Jennifer Wright will ask him to address the rumors that he’s a fraud.”

  “More than hundred witnesses saw him giving a speech to an elementary school in Brookline,” the co-anchor explained, “while at the same time, miles away in the North Hills, Dark Lightning was caught on camera rescuing a college student from the Hallway Stalker.”

  “Was the hero at Western Pennsylvania College merely a copycat?” the anchorwoman continued. “Or is Tony Gale the copycat, and is now being discovered? We’ll have the details for you tonight at six.”

  I turned the TV back off and sat in silence. Of course I wanted Tony Gale outed as a fraud, though I wasn’t sure how Jill would take the news. I was angry that he’d ever been given even a little of the spotlight that so rightfully belonged to Davin. And I was mad that he’d made me doubt what I’d known deep down—that Davin was Dark Lightning, and always had been.

  It made sense of everything I knew about him, though I still had a lot of gaps to fill in. That was all right. I didn’t need all the answers at once, not now that I knew the truth. But putting that together was easy compared to what I was faced with after the realization hit me.

  

  I hadn’t quite finished processing my discovery, or figured out how to react to it, when I saw him again. He was sitting outside the Carnegie building as I exited, having just finished my last exam of the semester. My first inclination was to avoid him, pretend I hadn’t seen him and hope he wouldn’t notice me. I was afraid my newfound knowledge would be transparent—that he would take one look at me and know that I knew. For all I knew, he could read minds or something. But his expression made me reconsider.

  I headed over to where he sat in the grass, reading a newspaper. “Hey. Whatcha readin’?”

  He looked up in surprise. “Hey, Anna. I was just thinking about you.”

  “You were?” I felt a flutter of excitement. “Why?”