Darkness Falls

by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  “That is one very cool dog,” said Annette.

  “She is,” I agreed. “She knows so much more than we do, but the way she communicates can be very confusing. We don’t always understand what she’s trying to tell us. She tried to introduce us, but got miffed because Miles got after her for luring Chip away from me, the first day I went into the estate during the thunderstorm. So she went off and sulked.”

  Jenny and Annette laughed.

  “Last year we asked her about the shadow figure I kept seeing. She said it wasn’t like Miles. Not like before. They come and go, and then disappear. They had a right to be there, but she didn’t like it. Imagine how creepy it was to hear that! In retrospect, now we know what that meant, but at the time we thought the shadow was something supernatural. Miles either didn’t have his abilities then, or didn’t realize he did, and it worried him, the thought of something being in the estate that might have the kind of power that he did, when he was semi-transparent.”

  “It’s amazing how different you guys are from everyone else,” said Annette. “You’re not a normal couple, that’s for sure.”

  “That’s what Miles said, too. We have to find our own normal. Neither one of us is quite sure what that is yet.”

  We paused to clap. Xander scored the first basket of the game.

  “I feel sorry for the other team,” I said, looking around again. “They don’t have any fans.”

  “All three of them must be between girlfriends,” said Annette. “So when did you two fall in love, then?”

  “That’s hard to answer. I don’t even really know. We both exercised a lot of self-discipline and put thoughts like that out of our minds, instead of entertaining them. It happened anyway, though. I couldn’t really say when. By the time we had the evidence to prove him innocent, I was completely in love with him. I knew he felt the same way, and begged him to tell me he loved me. I wanted to hear him say it and have that to remember, at least.”

  “I just… can’t even imagine,” said Annette. She and Jenny both looked sad.

  I stood up and cheered and clapped, Miles just scored three points. He smiled at me, and I smiled back.

  “I remember how devastated you were,” said Jenny. “I’ve never seen anyone grieve like that.”

  “I missed him unbearably. He was there beside me, and then he just faded away. I thought I would die, I hurt so bad.”

  “But then he came back,” said Annette.

  “Yeah, that’s the story we were telling last week. It wasn’t when we first met, it was when I first saw him after he returned. I thought he was Second-Miles at first.”

  “That had to have been absolutely amazing when you realized it was Miles,” said Annette.

  “It was,” I said, as we all clapped for John. “I can’t even describe how amazing it was.”

  “Luke’s brother said you burst into tears and hugged each other for over an hour,” said Jenny.

  “That’s about right,” I said. “To see him again, and to be able to touch him, something I never thought would be possible, and to feel his heart beating, I never wanted to let go. When I quit crying hysterically, Miles said, ‘so I guess you’re not glad to see me.’” I smiled as I remembered, and Jenny and Annette both laughed. “Then, he faked me out and made me think he was going to propose. Instead, he asked me if I’d teach him to drive. I was disappointed, but then he said he’d ask me the other question after he met my parents, talked to my Dad and got a ring, so I felt better. But I would have married him right then if he gave me the option. I never wanted to be separated again.”

  “What happened after that?” asked Annette.

  “He kissed me for the first time. I wanted to go introduce him to my parents and get the first item on his list checked off, but he said until I started eating and got some sleep, I wasn’t fit to drive. He was right, too.”

  “You were so thin, were you even eating at all?” asked Jenny.

  “Only when I was with you, and you made me,” I said. “Miles and I had breakfast at the estate right after that. Grandma Polly set the Chef to work as soon as she saw me, and realized how much weight I lost. She knew Miles wasn’t Second-Miles. That lady is so smart, she had it all figured out.”

  “You’re kidding!” said Jenny.

  “No, she knew, but she didn’t tell us until right before our wedding. She knew Miles and I loved each other, and that’s why I lost weight, believing I’d never see him again. Maybe she felt a little bad at not letting him have my phone number while he was in the hospital, he could have called me and told me he was okay, and where to find him! She had the chef make a carb-laden breakfast though, and so we ate. Then we went to the family room to watch a movie, and I fell sound asleep and didn’t wake up until evening. I slept hardly at all while he was gone, and once he was back… it caught up with me, I guess. I fell asleep listening to his heart beat. My favorite sound in the world.”

  “You’ve got the most romantic story,” said Annette.

  “We do,” I agreed. “I love being able to talk about all of this. Until now, we’ve only been able to talk about it with each other.”

  “Who would have ever guessed the truth,” said Jenny.

  “You guessed something,” I said. “You knew there was more than we were telling you.”

  “Yeah, but I had no idea just how much more! I admit, it struck me just how identical he is to—well, himself,” Jenny said, and we laughed. “He wasn’t identical to Second-Miles, though. Very similar, but not identical. I chalked it up to not seeing him in several years, but I still wondered.”

  “Annie thought Second-Miles’ spirit was at the estate while he was in the coma. She thought that’s how we met.”

  “She knows?” Jenny asked in surprise.

  “Last Friday when we went back to the estate to talk to Pastor Gary, Annie came with him. I ended up referring to setting Miles free, and rather than try to lie my way out of it, Miles and I decided to be honest with them. We didn’t know how they could help us if we held things back. They took it really well. They believed us.”

  “Are you going to tell your parents?” asked Annette.

  “No,” I said swiftly. “No way! My brother and sister would find out, and then everyone would hear about it.”

  “But no one would believe it,” said Jenny.

  “We’d like to think that. Probably the only person who would believe it, would be someone who isn’t rational, and that’s not the kind of person we want knowing. I’m not afraid anymore of someone trying to take Miles and figure out how he can do what he can, because no one could possibly hold him against his will. He is afraid of someone trying to get to him through me, though.”

  “That’s a valid fear,” said Annette.

  “Yeah. So no way will my parents find out. But you have to realize, even if it weren’t for my brother and sister, it would completely freak my Mom out. Dad too probably, but especially Mom. They might question whether they really know Miles, and look at him differently. I don’t want that. If anything, he’s a better man than they realize. He’s put me first since the day we met, he’s completely unselfish, but they might not see it that way. I love my parents, but I don’t think they’d see things clearly if they knew. The age difference would totally freak them out.”

  “What is that like, him being so much older in a way?” asked Annette.

  “Well, he’s a lot more mature than I am. We had some difficulty last year because I wasn’t willing to listen and discuss it when we disagreed on something major. I felt like he was lecturing, and he wasn’t. That really hurt him. But he’s very patient, and forgiving. We’ve never actually fought, but that’s all to his credit.”

  We clapped again, and cheered. Miles stole the ball and passed it to John, who passed it to Xander, who made a basket.

  “Speaking of maturity level, that sort of brings us back to Cheryl,” said Jenny. “She does look up to you.”

  “And why is this, again?” I asked.

&n
bsp; “She sees your life as being very glamorous and romantic. You solve the Bannerman mystery when you’re nineteen, you get engaged to Miles, then there’s all the craziness that went on last year while you were engaged, somehow you survive the attempt on your lives, you go on to have a storybook wedding, you live in a castle most of the time, you and Miles are in the newspaper frequently because of some event or other that you’ve attended, your clothes, your jewelry…”

  “I guess I can see how it would look that way from her perspective in some regards… She’s delusional though, if she thinks being held at gunpoint and told that your fiancé is going to be murdered, then framed for your murder, is in any way glamorous or romantic!” I felt more than a little annoyed that she’d think that.

  “I know, I agree,” said Jenny. “She doesn’t see the difficulties you’ve faced, only the outcome. She sees you as very brave, and smart, which you are—and she wants to be like you. So when Xander asked her to keep her ears open for anything she could learn about the professor, and then she found out it was you that he had an unwelcome interest in, she became very enthusiastic about it.”

  “Way too enthusiastic, since she’s going out to lunch with him,” said Annette.

  “No kidding!” I agreed. “How do we convince this girl to stay away from him? I told her we have what we need, I thought that would get her to back off.”

  “Well, she doesn’t intend to. Maybe she wants your approval, maybe she wants to impress you. I don’t know exactly, but she’s determined to learn everything she can about the guy.”

  I groaned, then clapped as Miles made another amazing shot and scored three more points. I waved when he looked my direction and smiled.

  “So how do I get through to her?” I asked. “Any suggestions? I can’t tell her the guy’s a murderer, he killed his best friend over money and has no heart, no compassion, and if he ever had a soul, he sold it. I can’t talk about how I know these things.”

  “I know, you can’t,” said Jenny. “If the wrong person ever found out, you’d be in a lot of danger. If it became common knowledge, you’d be in danger from everyone around you who had a secret they didn’t want found out.”

  “It would be easier to prove your ability than Miles’ background,” said Annette. “Your abilities are more believable than his, too, without proof of either.”

  “If Cheryl knew, she’d practically worship you,” said Jenny.

  “Well I sure don’t want that,” I said. “I wish she realized that the excitement we’ve had in life isn’t something we want. We’d prefer boredom, quite honestly. We were both very disappointed to realize that this semester isn’t going to be normal. If only she knew, Miles talks about building a fortress on an island we own and moving there to get away from everything.”

  “Really?” asked Jenny. “Is he… serious?”

  “I kind of think he is, about the building part of it, anyway. It might be nice to have a place we can go and enjoy some peace when we need a break. A place away from other people, now that we’re realizing the abilities that I have, and how they’re likely to randomly alert me to unsolved murders. When that happens, I’ll need to focus on finding evidence to prove it. At any moment our lives may be put on hold for that.”

  “What are you going to do when you have kids?” asked Annette.

  “Yikes,” I said. “I haven’t even thought about that… I don’t know if Miles has either, he hasn’t mentioned it. We don’t plan on trying until after college, but if he and I just disappear, then assume I’m pregnant and we’re at our fortress. That’s probably what he’ll insist on. Not that I’d complain, I can’t imagine fighting crime while expecting a baby or carting one around.”

  This struck us all as funny.

  “I wonder if your kids will have either of your abilities? Or both?” said Annette.

  “No idea,” I said. “I’d say surely not, but I never would have expected any of the things that have happened in the last couple of years, so I don’t know.”

  A couple of girls wandered in. I guess the other team wasn’t entirely devoid of fans. They sat too close to comfortably talk about things that were no one else’s business, so we watched the guys play without talking for the next several minutes.

  “What do you suggest I do about Cheryl?” I asked Jenny. I needed a concrete plan, because I had no ideas.

  “Would you mind trying to talk to her again?” suggested Jenny. “Maybe we could all meet for coffee or something.”

  “Oh, yuck, even I cannot imagine drinking a latte after the heat we’ve suffered through all day,” I said.

  “I’m assuming this isn’t going to last, but fine, meet up for something else. Ice cream, maybe,” said Jenny.

  “If you think there’s a chance it’ll help, then sure,” I said. “I’ll be sorely tempted to knock some sense into her though, if she persists in believing that it’s glamorous and desirable to have almost been murdered along with the man I love.”

  “If she doesn’t change her mind, I’ll hold her for you,” said Jenny, which made Annette and I laugh. “Well, she got on my last nerve today! Xander and I both love her. She’s got a lot of good qualities. But she’s very naïve in some ways. Nothing exciting has ever happened to her, and… she reminds me of Anne, from Anne of Green Gables. Ever read those books?”

  “Yes, and you’re right. I get it now,” I said. “I can see that.”

  “Me too,” said Annette. “Good luck to you Anika, I can’t imagine anyone convincing Anne—I mean, Cheryl—that drama and near tragedy aren’t the most romantic things in the world.”

  “Maybe Cheryl’s a step up from Anne, then. I think Anne would have found it much more romantic had you both been killed,” said Jenny.

  “I’ll count my blessings. Maybe there’s a chance I can get through to Cheryl,” I said. “And maybe there’s a chance I won’t feel driven to pound some sense into her after all.”

  “We can always hope anyway,” said Jenny.

  Xander stole the ball from the other team and passed it to John, who was right beside the basket. The other team headed toward him. Rather than shoot, he passed it to Miles, who then scored three points. It was fascinating to watch the way they worked together. They’re an excellent team, and Jenny, Annette, and I clapped and cheered for them. They do practice, and it is handy that we own a gym so they can get a court whenever they want. They’re good players, too. Add all of that together with the fact that they’re great friends and in sync with each other, and they’re unbeatable. They haven’t been yet, anyway, and tonight wasn’t going to be any different.

  “Excellent game,” I said, as Miles joined me on the bleachers after it was over.

  “Thanks,” he smiled, accepting the bottle of water I handed him. “That was fun. I sort of missed our games over the summer. Not that I’d give up the way you and I spent our summer for anything.”

  “Good save,” I smiled.

  “You guys didn’t even break a sweat,” Jenny said to Xander.

  “I wouldn’t say that,” he said, “but it was one of our easier games.”

  “The other players are good, but they don’t work together as a team,” analyzed John.

  “Next summer I hope you’ll all come visit us at the estate,” I said. “Miles had the gym put in, after all. He and I played, but I’m not much of a challenge.”

  Miles smiled and pinched the bridge of his nose, and I swatted at his arm. Which, of course, he easily deflected by catching my hand mid-air and holding it.

  “Do… we even want to know?” asked Annette.

  “Anika doesn’t play by the rules, that’s all I’m going to say,” said Miles, and I couldn’t help laughing.

  “Well you’re bigger than me, and better, and how else am I supposed to have a chance?”

  “I don’t know dear, but I would never say that you aren’t a challenge. At the rate you were going, I was fearful there’d be more physical therapy in my future, and I sure don’t want that. Basketb
all really is not a contact sport. So please, guys, come visit this summer.”

  “Okay Miles,” said Xander. “We’ll do that.”

  “We’ll consider it a mission of mercy,” said John, and Miles laughed.

  I laughed too, and shoulder bumped him. He put his arm around me and kissed my cheek.

  “Ready to go?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I am,” I said. “I’ve got class to prepare for tomorrow.”

  We said goodnight to our friends, and headed back to our apartment.

  “Our PI didn’t happen to call during the game, did he?” asked Miles, as he fastened his seatbelt and started our SUV.

  I took his phone out of my purse and looked at it, then shook my head.

  “No, he didn’t text either. I wonder how long it’ll take him to find anything.”

  “I wonder. I wonder what he’ll find, too. Rob Westin may appear to have dropped off the face of the earth, or Pretend-Mead may have phased him out. Or as you suggested before, he may be acting as himself at times in addition to playing the part of Ryan Mead.”

  “Do you have any assignments yet?” I asked.

  “No, not yet. I probably will tomorrow, though. How about you?”

  “Not yet. My only assignment is truth gathering. I hope I learn something tomorrow. How do I find out if there’s evidence, and what it is?”

  “The more details we have, the closer we’ll get to that. How was Ryan killed, and where? How did Westin dispose of his body? I hate to think of you having to get this information, though. How is this not going to give you nightmares?” Miles squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back.

  “I don’t know, I don’t much like that either, now that you mention it. I can’t stand watching horror movies, or those reality crime TV shows… certainly not slasher movies! I refuse to watch those.”

  “I can’t say it disappointed me to learn that,” said Miles. “I don’t care for any of that either. After my experiences, and ours, it hits too close to home.”