Cloak of the Light: Wars of the Realm, Book 1

by Black, Chuck

  “Funny you should ask. Ben is forcing his help on me in math and science, and I thought maybe you might help with speech and English.” They were approaching the front door and the end of their “date.”

  Sydney looked over at him. “Nice try. You know that wouldn’t work, and besides …” She stopped and faced him with a look he hadn’t seen from her before. One eyebrow was a little higher, and her blue eyes nearly glowed.

  “You don’t need me to help you, Drew … not with school. You’re a smart guy. Your speeches are some of the best in the class, and you’re a deep thinker.” She smiled. “You’ll be fine, and I’ll be praying for you.”

  With that, she turned and walked out the front door.

  Praying? Seriously?

  Drew shook his head. Sydney was a great girl. But all she had to do was look at his life to know God didn’t care about him.

  Not one bit.

  6

  REDIRECTION AND RESURRECTION

  Ben was a good teacher, even though he got frustrated from time to time when he thought Drew should understand the more obvious concepts, like the difference between static and kinetic coefficients of frictions. But once Ben figured out where Drew’s conceptual breakdown points were, they discovered Drew had a knack for math. And although Drew enjoyed physics, he got more of a charge out of seeing Ben fly off on a tangent and start jabbering about photons, quarks, the Higgs boson particle, black holes, and multidimensional space. This usually led to deep and bizarre conversations about the origin of the universe and, ultimately, the existence of aliens.

  Within just a few weeks, Drew was getting As and Bs in most of his classes. One side benefit, he discovered, was that studying occupied his mind and kept him from dwelling too much on the emotional pain of the accident. Whether this motivation was fabricated or genuine, he didn’t care. He just knew it worked.

  He also kept in physical shape by running and by lifting weights in the garage. His weight set wasn’t complete, but it was enough to get a fair workout. Jake sent him a book on a workout designed by a Navy SEAL that required no weights, just common household items. After a few days of this regimen, he was sorer than if he had spent five tough days in the weight room. It became his daily routine, and he loved it.

  Sydney remained elusive, and when she started talking about Jesus, church, and faith, Drew became uncomfortable and didn’t join up with her as often.

  By the end of the year, Drew and Ben had become close friends. With Ben’s tutoring, Drew was able to finish up with four As and one B. It was the best he’d ever done, in spite of it being the worst year of his life. What really saddened him, though, was that Ben had enough credits to graduate. He was accepted into the physics program at Drayle University—three hundred twenty miles east of Rivercrest.

  Drew would be on his own.

  Even Sydney wouldn’t be back because she’d finished up her senior year and was going to some third-world country to do missions work for a year. Drew couldn’t begin to understand why she would waste a year of her life doing such a thing.

  EARLY IN THE SUMMER, Jake helped Kathryn find a modest home on the edge of town sitting on two acres. It was a ranch-style farmhouse on the verge of being overtaken by the expanding city. A dirt road connected the home to the paved county road in front, and a peaceful covey of trees bordered the back. Drew and his mother were happy to be out of the apartment and into a regular home again.

  Once the move was complete, Jake took Drew on the first of two ten-day camping trips that summer. The first to the Ozarks, as he had promised, and the second to the Badlands of North Dakota. Each time they went, Jake added more and more to Drew’s Ranger training. By the end of the second trip, Drew was nearly himself again. It had been a long, hard year, and although he was different, he felt whole.

  Near the end of summer, Drew bumped into Alex at a gas station, and Alex asked if he would consider coming out for football his senior year. Drew hadn’t even considered it as an option and was taken aback by the question.

  “We could sure use a good running back this year,” the large lineman said.

  A flood of unexpected emotions welled up in Drew, and for just a moment he found himself right back in the postaccident horror he had lived with for months. Still … something in his DNA tugged at him.

  “I’m not so sure that would work, Alex.” Drew imagined the uproar that would occur in the school, in the community, and especially from Sheriff Houk. It would make for an impossible situation, and Coach Bruber seemed hesitant even when everything was good. “Tell you what. You talk to Coach Bruber and some of the seniors on the team and see if they would even consider it.”

  Alex nodded and told him to take care. Before-school fall practices came, and Drew never heard back from Alex. It was what he expected, and it saddened and relieved him at the same time.

  DURING THE FOOTBALL SEASON, Drew couldn’t deny the deep ache in his gut. As therapy, he immersed himself in his studies and in working out, and he excelled in both. He took a dual-credit business and financial management class at the college the fall semester and loved it. It was a springboard into the world of finances, and he became fascinated with the mathematics of investments in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and even commodity trading. He found a website where he could practice investing and trading with simulated currency on real-time prices and values. He lost five thousand sim dollars the first month, broke even the second, and started earning consistent profits every month after that.

  After a couple of months’ research on investment and trading strategies, he turned his original ten-thousand-sim-dollar investment into thirty-eight thousand in six months. It was a game that filled his spare time during what was a lonely year.

  Despite Ben’s intense academic load, he tried to make it home at least once each month. He and Drew would spend as much time together as possible, during which Ben convinced Drew to apply at Drayle. Drew had done very well on the ACT and had a good chance of winning a scholarship there.

  Drew often thought of Sydney Carlyle, especially in the morning after his first-period class. He had lost contact with her and expected that he would likely never see her again. All he knew was that she was someplace in Indonesia wasting her life doing missions work … whatever that was.

  AT GRADUATION, DREW WALKED across the stage for his mother’s sake—he hated every moment and could still feel the harsh glares of the unforgiving. When he walked out the door of the school, it was like laying down a burden of immeasurable weight. He would never look back.

  Despite Drew’s protest, his mother couldn’t resist having a cake made in celebration of his graduation. His mother, Jake, and Ben ate two pieces each just so the cake would look like it had served its purpose.

  Drew opened the gift his mother had wrapped so beautifully. It was a new laptop with all the memory, drives, and other tech to take care of his college needs for at least the next few years.

  “Thanks, Mom.” Drew gave her a long hug. He let her hang on to him as long as she needed to. When she let loose, there were tears in her eyes.

  “I’m so proud of you, Drew.” She wiped away a tear that had trickled down her right cheek.

  “And I am proud of you, Mom. I know it hasn’t been easy. Thank you.”

  This made his mother’s condition worse.

  “So was it Ben or Jake who told you which laptop to buy?”

  She laughed and punched him in the arm. Jake and Ben both held up their hands in denial.

  Ben handed Drew a slender package wrapped in the best attempt of a physics major who could grasp the complexities of the universe but not the simplicity of folding paper around a box. Drew opened it and removed a dull spoon from the box.

  He laughed. It had to be some kind of hoax. He held it up. “A spoon? Well, I suppose I will be needing this at college.”

  Ben just smiled. “It’s a souvenir from Rivercrest High.”

  Drew still wasn’t following. “The place I want to forget forever. Thanks
a lot, buddy.”

  “It’s the spoon from my tray that day you stood up for me. I kept it to remind me I had a friend who would stand by me, even when it wasn’t easy. I want you to have it to remind you that you have the same.”

  Drew froze. A lump formed in his throat, and he grabbed Ben’s hand and gave him a quick one-armed hug. “Thanks, man.” Drew slapped Ben’s shoulder.

  Drew heard his mother sniffling again.

  “Okay,” Jake piped in. “I’m pretty sure this wasn’t supposed to get so gushy, so now it’s my turn.”

  Jake reached into his pocket and threw a set of keys in Drew’s direction. Drew snatched the keys out of the air and looked at them. It was his old key chain from his dad’s ’95 Mustang, but the keys were different. He looked up.

  “I don’t get it.”

  “Come on.” Jake grinned from ear to ear. They walked outside, and Jake clicked the remote in his pocket for the garage door to open. A white sheet hung over the beautiful and unmistakable form of a ’67 Mustang GT.

  Drew looked at Jake again. “Really?”

  “Take a look.”

  Drew grabbed the white sheet near the spoiler and gave a tug. The sheet slid off the shiny deep-blue form as if gliding on air.

  “Your dad was a Mustang fanatic, to say the least. This was his first Mustang. He got it cheap ’cause it was in pretty bad shape. When he wanted to get that ’95, I bought it from him, planning to fix it up one day.” Jake just stared at the car with a proud grin.

  Drew looked at his mother, and she was as stunned as he.

  “Oh, Jake. We can’t … It’s too much …”

  “Nonsense, Kathryn. I want Drew to have it.” Jake turned to him. “I think your dad would like it too.”

  “I … I don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t say anything. Just get in and take it for a drive.”

  Drew couldn’t restrain his grin. “Come on, Ben!”

  “And be careful,” Jake said as they climbed into the car. “There’s not many of these around anymore.”

  Drew turned the ignition and was rewarded with the sound and feel of the deep rumble of the engine as it came to life.

  Drew saw his mother grab Jake’s arm and squeeze as he backed the car into the street. He eased the stick into first gear, and the machine quivered in anticipation of speed.

  “Not bad,” Ben said. “Old, but not bad.”

  Drew laughed and eased off the clutch. The blue steel form slipped through the air with ease.

  For the first time in a long, long time …

  Drew knew joy.

  THAT SUMMER, JAKE MOVED to Rivercrest and started his own security company, specializing in the transportation of high-value assets and people. There wasn’t enough population in Rivercrest to support the business, but Jake’s reputation had earned him the respect of numerous corporations across the country. Being centrally located on the continent gave him quicker and easier access to those customers.

  In spite of the challenges of building a company, Jake still carved out time for another trip with Drew that summer. Drew noticed a pattern in the trips Jake planned. Each one presented a different and new environment with challenges to overcome and survive. The first few days were dedicated to survival training, the next couple to combat training, and the last few to some fun adventure or activity. Of course, Drew never shared about the survival and combat sessions with his mother when she asked how it all went on their return.

  Jake never missed an opportunity to share another story or a quote from Drew’s dad. Somewhere during this last trip, Drew came to understand Jake’s sacrifice and commitment to the promise that he had made to his father. That level of loyalty between nonblood brothers was something that could be forged only in the fire of battle. It was something Drew wanted and was drawn to. He knew that ultimately his place was in the armed forces and specifically Special Ops. Patriotism was in his blood, and he could not deny it. With Jake’s training, he would be ahead of everyone else. He planned to get his degree and enter as an officer in four years. It was a goal that gave him purpose once more, and that felt good.

  Ben stayed at Drayle for summer school, which made Drew’s summer seem longer than usual. Ben thrived there and even had an opportunity to help a professor with some research. During a phone conversation, Drew laughed as Ben launched off on some superphysics jargon about light, plasma, and proving the existence of alternate dimensions. Amazing how the physicists of the world could become so excited about some subatomic particle that they might prove exists, even if only for a few nanoseconds.

  Drew worked full days and earned as much money as he could in preparation for school. He knew his mother wasn’t in any position to help him financially, so he was careful about every dollar he earned and spent. He started classes at Drayle in the fall and loved being free at last from the stigma of his past. Everything about college was better … much better.

  ONE AFTERNOON A COUPLE of months into the fall semester, Drew was walking through the student union toward the bookstore when a familiar scene from his past caught his eye. A girl walked briskly toward the exit door, and Drew hurried to catch her. He popped up on her right side.

  “Hey,” he said with broad smile.

  Sydney jumped.

  “Drew!” Her face lit up, and she grabbed his arm. “It’s so good to see you!”

  Her face was tanned, and her smile was as captivating as ever. Her blue eyes were different though. Still bright and warm, but older … seasoned.

  “I can’t believe you’re here, Sydney. I thought you were in Indonesia.”

  “My mission work is done for a while. I got back just in time to enroll here and get into a few classes.” Sydney looked deep into Drew’s eyes. “You’re looking really good. How was the last year for you?”

  “It turned out okay. Yeah … I’m okay. Life is good again.” He crossed his fingers and held them up. “How do you like Drayle?”

  “It’s good,” Sydney said with a nod. “I think I’m going to like it here.”

  Drew smiled. Good. “Yeah, me too. Ben’s here too.”

  “I figured. Is he running the physics department yet?” She gave a quick laugh.

  “Pretty much. So hey, do you want to catch up over a cup of coffee? You know, now that you’re all grown up and everything.”

  “That’s never been the issue, Drew.” Sydney’s expression grew serious. “It’s whether or not you’ve grown up.” Her lips curled up in a way that stilted Drew’s breathing. No girl had ever had that effect on him.

  “Touché.” Drew returned the smile. “I should have seen that coming.”

  “I have to run to class right now, but I’ll make you a deal,” Sydney came back. “A few friends and I are getting together tonight in my dorm lobby at seven for some games and stuff. You come to that, and I’ll go to coffee with you tomorrow.”

  “It’s a date.”

  “No, it’s not.” Sydney turned to go, then looked over her shoulder. “I don’t date, remember?”

  Drew smiled. She had walked away from him a hundred times, and he still was left wishing she hadn’t. She was pretty, that’s for sure, but there was something else that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

  What is it about you that’s so different, Sydney?

  But there was no answer.

  7

  IRRECONCILABLE BELIEFS

  Drew was looking forward to the evening, even if he had to share his time with Sydney with other students. He could endure anything for a couple of hours since he knew he was going to spend at least one uninterrupted hour in conversation with her the next day. He was in no small way confused by the fact that this girl crowded into his thoughts and dominated them whenever he encountered her, and yet he knew so little about her. He was not so bold, even inwardly, to suppose that love had anything to do with it, for how could he love someone whom he knew nothing about? And yet he couldn’t contain nor explain the ache he felt to be near her.

&nbs
p; He arrived at Sydney’s dorm lobby at seven and found her and a mix of ten other guys and girls waiting. One of the guys came right up to him, Sydney at his side, and stuck out his hand.

  “How are you doing, Drew? I’m Devin.” Devin looked like he was a senior. Light-brown hair and a matching beard framed his fair-complexioned face.

  Drew stuck out his hand. “I’m good.”

  Devin had a solid handshake, so Drew was cool with that.

  “We’ve got chips, Pizza Rolls, and pop if you’re hungry. We’ll get started in a few minutes, just hang loose.” Devin left to greet someone else.

  Get started? Drew looked at Sydney.

  “I’m glad you came,” she said with a smile. “Devin’s with Campus Ministries. He’s our Bible study leader.”

  Bible study? Drew moved to take a step back. Sydney reached forward and grabbed his arm.

  “You wimp.” Sydney laughed. “What are you afraid of? We’re just going to read from the Bible a little, eat some snacks, and play a few games.”

  He looked at her through narrowed eyes. This must have been the “and stuff” she was talking about. “You’re not playing fair.”

  Sydney’s smile faded, and she looked genuinely contrite. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I should have told you this was a Bible study tonight. I just thought that … well … that maybe you wouldn’t mind so much.”

  She lifted her eyes, and his heart skipped a beat.

  “I’ll buy coffee tomorrow to make up for tricking you.” Her timid smile almost undid him.

  Oh yeah. He was in trouble. He hardly knew this girl and he was already putty in her hands. He would have stayed with her if they were going to discuss a Jane Austen novel. He jumped in on the Pizza Rolls and pop right away. If he had to listen to a bunch of religious gobbledygook, he would at least get a meal out of it. After ten minutes of small talk and introductions, everybody sat down on the chairs and couches so they could see and hear Devin. Drew made sure to sit next to Sydney just in case he needed to tell her he was going to make an emergency exit.