Twisted Solstice

by Tl Reeve

  I mean, let’s be honest. Bad shit happened here... A lot.

  If I’d been some devil’s gate conspiracy nut, I’d say the 1987 earthquake opened one under us—which, FYI, is one of the other urban legends about the area.

  Yeah, yeah, I know. Only quacks talk about all that bullshit, however, two years after the earthquake, Turnbull Canyon caught on fire, destroying fourteen homes, and burned over one hundred acres. When I asked my mom about it, she said it was one of the scariest few days of her life.

  “You'll never know what it's like being told to prepare to leave your home if the fire breaches the ridge,” she said. “You’ll never know what it’s like to smell the burning hillside or see the flames whipping in the wind at night.”

  She’s right. Though we have seen fires all around us, there hasn’t been another major natural disaster in our neighborhood. After our conversation about the 4th of July fire, she showed me pictures from the area. She said grandma took her up there a few weeks after it had been put out and it scared the shit out of her.

  She said the area looked and smelled like death. The gnarled branches of burned out brush and trees, hung from precarious places; their twisted limbs reaching up toward something unseen. The hollowed remains of houses were the stuff of nightmares she recalled. Today though, it’s as if nothing ever happened. People rebuilt their homes. The canyon’s vegetation regrew and along with it came the return of all the critters who’d made the hills their home.

  When we came to the entrance of Turnbull Canyon, I pulled off into a small area known for wild, drug and sex-filled parties. From the information I could gather, it used to be a location of a house, though some, through websites and, again, legends, say it’s where the orphanage originally stood. Anyway, the only thing left from the original structure was a pool. The empty carcass became a bastion for people looking to have a good time. Graffiti covered the walls of the sixteen by twenty pool. A giant goat man dominated the back wall along with two upside-down pentagrams. The left side in big, bold letter letters proclaimed the site property of WVLS—Whittier Varrio Locos. On the other side were gang member names with each tag being unique to the person.

  In the brush surrounding the area, sat an old rusted out Whittier City School District bus, along with the shell of a VW Bug.

  “This is where we’ll make base camp,” I said, shutting off the Jeep. “It’s close to Uptown and has the most visibility should anything happen while we’re out here.”

  “Not the best of places.” Paul peered out of the windshield. “What happened to this place?”

  I didn’t know if he meant it as a rhetorical question or not. “Time? Age?”

  “Stories,” Kael said, edging forward between the seats then looked at me. “Have you never heard about the drug and alcohol-infused parties out here?"

  “Probably. Maybe in passing.” To me, it was too close to civilization. Too many people could see what was going on there. Better yet, the police could see it. Shouldn’t they have been deeper in the canyon?

  “This was the it spot. Skaters would drop into the pool. Some found areas to have sex.” Kael wiggled his brows. Unfortunately, no one wants to be here after the murder a couple of years ago.”

  “Mur-der?” Felix’s voice cracked.

  “You mean the girl?” I turned in my seat. “They caught the men who did it.”

  “She’s out here still,” Kael replied. “She’s scared and alone. She doesn’t know she died.”

  “Wait,” Paul said. “How do you know this?”

  Kael gave me that crooked grin again. “Urban legend.”

  Felix laughed. “He got you.”

  Paul, who sat beside me, rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Are we going to do this or sit here all night and talk shit?”

  I glanced at Kael who shrugged. “Well, let’s go then.”

  Chapter Two

  If I haven’t learned anything in my life, it’s this: always remember to bring something to make a fire in and with. Even though it can get to eighty degrees in the winter, in Whittier, it didn’t mean the nights couldn’t get cold. So, while Felix and Paul added new batteries to all our equipment and I made sure my tablet was charged properly, Kael made a fire in a small barbeque I brought with me. I might not be a Girl Scout, but I’ve always been prepared.

  “Isn’t it weird,” Felix said, “being up here after everything we’ve read? It feels so... Normal.”

  Nothing about this place is normal. I could feel it. Like a million set of eyes were watching us. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and my body vibrated from the excess energy building around us.

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” Kael replied, handing me one of the small inferred cameras.

  Felix shrugged. “I’m just sayin’ is all.”

  The dead silence added to the charged ambiance. For as close as we were to town, we should have been able to hear the traffic. “Yeah... it’s not though. Don’t you feel it?” I couldn’t quite describe it properly, but it left me a bit shaken and unsettled and we’d yet to begin our investigation.

  Paul and Felix exchanged a glance. “I think you’re freaking yourself out.” Paul patted me on the shoulder as he went back to the Jeep to grab the cooler out of the back. “Maybe you should eat something and get a little coffee into your system. We’re here for the long haul.”

  Kael placed his hand on my knee. “I feel it.” His words were a whisper through my mind. “They’re not paying attention.”

  When I met Paul and Felix, I’d been a bit... Leery. Sure, they said all the right things in our different psychology classes. But, I could never put my finger on why they rubbed me the wrong way. As time went by, that unease dissipated. We became great friends and when I asked them to help me out, they agreed. Yet, staring at both of them, I wondered how they really felt about the supernatural and the occult.

  “Yeah, maybe some food would do me good.” I smiled at Paul. “I’m glad we got all the equipment situated. It’ll be easier to position everything on the hike up. Each device should be able to record ten hours of footage.”

  I didn’t plan on being in the canyon any longer than I had to be. By four or five am, we’d be on our way home. Then, the real work would begin. I’d have hours upon hours of footage to watch and document, then I could write my thesis. I hoped by the time Spring graduation came, I’d be able to hold up my Master's degree with pride knowing I proved or disproved something—anything, about Turnbull Canyon.

  We sat in compatible silence as we ate. I didn’t want to run the risk of food spoiling, so I went simple. Sandwiches, veggie sticks, fruit, and drinks. Also, in the cooler were bottles of water for the hike. Paul and Felix sat huddled together. Their soft whispers coupled with their loving touches made me a bit envious of their relationship.

  See, I came from a broken home. It wasn’t my mom’s fault. My sperm donor, aka dad, never wanted kids. Of course, he knew how to prevent them, but also thought the pull-out method would save him. As of right now, he had four kids. I’m the oldest. My siblings are between five and fifteen years younger than me. The last I heard from my brother, our father was couch surfing at different women’s houses somewhere in Los Angeles. We’re both convinced someone will turn up pregnant soon, and it’ll be time for him to move along once more.

  My mother never got married again, and only had one other significant relationship in my life—which ended when he cheated on her. Seeing my friends fall in love and get married or start a new life with their partners left me a bit... Empty.

  Not in a bad way though. Empty in the sense of, I don’t understand it. I don’t see the fulfillment of it. Or the hows of it. I don’t know how people can end up under a roof for twenty-plus years or more and not leave. So, when it comes to relationships, I don’t do them well.

  I guess I'm just fucked up.

  “You can have that too. If you want it.” Kael’s words were a caress against the skin of my neck.

  “With who?” I snorted.


  “Anyone.” His starry twilight-blue eyes stared up at me and my breath hitched.

  “Yeah, I have a feeling it’s not in the cards for me.” I cleared my throat as I gathered up my trash.

  Kael was at my side, following me to the Jeep. “You don’t know that for sure.”

  I laughed. “I do.” I threw my trash into the black plastic bag I’d brought with me. “Why are you doling out relationship advice, anyway?”

  He shrugged, casting his cooled gaze my way. “You deserve happiness.”

  “Sure.” I tied the bag. “My happiness will come when I have my degree in hand.”

  He shook his head. stepping into my personal space. “No, it won’t. You’ll still be wondering what all the fuss is about.” He inclined his chin. “Look at them. They’re practically fucking each other right now. Think they’re waiting?”

  I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth. Kael hadn't been wrong. Paul and Felix were sucking face. I guess they figured since we weren't going anywhere until the sun set fully and darkness blanketed the canyon, they could enjoy themselves a little? “Whatever floats their boat.”

  Kael placed his hand on the tailgate of the Jeep. His breath whispered across the back of my neck. “Does it... arouse you?”

  A jolt shot through my body. “Arouse me? What kind of question is that?” I went to face him, but he held me in place.

  “They don’t even care if you see them,” he said.

  “If you’re implying, I’m a voyeur I can assure you, I’m not.” My heart skipped a beat, and goosebumps spread across my arms and legs.

  “Maybe you’re not ready yet.” Kael stepped away and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

  “You’re an asshole.”

  He chuckled. “I can neither confirm or deny your assessment.” He held out his hand to me. “Come on, I want to show you something real quick.”

  I debated going with him. Even though none of the usual alarm bells were going off, it didn’t mean Kael didn’t have bad intentions. I peered over at my friends and gaped at their state. Felix had his pants open and Paul knelt in front of him. Anger burned bright within me. They were here to help me with my thesis not give each other blow jobs. Irritation settled between my shoulder blades.

  I should have known better.

  “Come on, let me show you something.” Kael took my hand and guided me away from the scene. “You shouldn’t have ever done this on your own, but you also shouldn’t have brought them.”

  Boy, he didn’t say anything I wasn’t already thinking. “Yeah, I’m slowly figuring this out.”

  Kael laced his fingers with mine. I don't know what I expected when he did so. My brain wavered between hot and cold. Hot because he appeared so normal. Cold because, in every sense of the word, he was dead. However, my expectation paled in comparison. He was neither. There was a soft buzz of current passed between us where we touched. A hum of electricity is the only way to explain it. Maybe the snap of a Tesla coil. It didn’t hurt. It tingled. It made me feel energized.

  Exposed even.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “To the site.” He pointed to the little ridge not more than fifty feet in front of us. “I have someone I want you to meet.”

  Uh, what? I stopped. “I’m sorry, did you say there is a person waiting for us up there?”

  Kael rolled his eyes. “You want the full experience, right?”

  I did. But, at what cost? “I’m not saying I don’t...”

  “You’re afraid,” he whispered, crowding me. “I won’t let anything hurt you tonight. I promise.”

  Kael wrapped his arm around my shoulders and tugged me into his side. “You say it like you’re human and can protect me.”

  He squeezed me, and I swore my whole body was on fire. Not in warning. It’d been different. I liked it. It wasn’t quite arousing or contentment, but a thrill of things to come. I had to remind myself he was dead. Just because he could make himself be seen and interact with everyone, didn’t mean anything.

  “Because I can,” he said.

  We started up the small footpath to the crest of the ridge. The dry brush cracked under our feet with each step we took. Below us, the city bustled with activity. Such a contrast to the quite here in the hills. “What do you want out of this life, Simone?”

  His question startled me. “I-I don’t know.” I glanced up at him and frowned. The shadows surrounding us were growing longer as the sun went down. At most, we had forty-five minutes before we’d be thrown into complete darkness. “I want my degree. I want to be able to help people, I guess.”

  "What if I told you, I could show you everything if you promise to give me the chance to do so?"

  Corny much? “Yeah, see, that’s not a creepy statement at all.”

  He laughed. "I'm serious. I think you're onto something here. I think you could make a living out of this. In fact, if you'll let me stay with you, like I am, not as just your guardian, I promise it."

  We stopped just before the clearing overlooking Azusa. “What do you think I can do?”

  “I promise you, when your footage is shown along with your paper, people will be knocking down your door to have you work for them. Shit happens up here, Simone. Together we can prove it.”

  “You’re dead.”

  “Thanks for pointing out the obvious sweetheart,” Kael chided. “Doesn’t mean I can’t help you. I mean, I’m already your guide.”

  “You are, along with two others.” I turned to walk back down the path. This was stupid. Illogical. I couldn’t believe I fell for his line.

  Yes, I could.

  I could blame the fact I hadn’t gotten laid in months while I worked on this project. I could blame him for being so dang hot. I mean, I did let him turn me inside out and hope for something I can’t have.

  He’s dead for fucks sakes.

  “Wait.” Kael took my hand. The warm tingle of energy slid up my arm. “Don’t go. I promise. I’m not feeding you a bullshit tale.” He pointed out over the hillside. “See it. See all the debris?”

  I sighed. “Kael, really it’s—” I lifted my gaze to where he pointed and sucked in a breath. There along with the bramble shrubbery, green sprigs of grass and dry ground lie a trail of broken, twisted metal. The wheel from one of the axels lay on its side next to an outcropping of rocks. The engine from the left side of the plane had been smashed into the hillside, the wing not far from it. Wisps of smoke from the rubble lifted toward the sky. Small fires dotted the area and flickered from some of the bigger sections of the... “Is that the plane?”

  “Flight 416? Yes.”

  The blackened gouge where the plane hit the hillside darkened by the second. Seats, suitcases, and a sundry of other things lay strewn about. The misshapen seats, broken by the impact of the crash, clung to what remained of the cabin. Though I’d seen the photos of the site, I wasn’t quite prepared for the physical size of it.

  There were no bodies. I could only assume they were crushed on impact then burned. Of course, there are photos in the archives of body bags in the Los Angeles morgue, but I figured it was mostly for the families. I took a step forward and Kael stopped me. I’d been so transfixed by what I saw, I almost missed the sheer drop off of about thirty feet.

  “My God,” I muttered. “This is unreal.”

  Through the smoke, I saw a shadowed figure closing the distance between us. When the person breached the grey tendrils, he lifted his hand in greeting. He wore a pair of loose fitting jeans that hung from his hips in a lude manner. The exposed flesh of his belly, where his shirt didn't quite match his pants, drew my attention. Like Kael, he was slender but muscular. A dark trail of hair slipped below the hem of his pants, tempting me. I licked my lips. No way in hell ghosts should be this sexy.

  “Right on time,” Kael said. “This is my friend, Ember.”

  I knew about the plane crash. Read all the reports. There hadn’t been an Ember on the plane. So, how did he get
caught up in this particular site? I stared at the man approaching us. He wasn’t exactly classically hot, but more boyish, all American. Cute fit him. He had grey eyes and short blond hair. He had a crooked nose, probably from getting into a fight. His lips were full, and he had a strong jaw.

  “There are no Ember’s on the flight manifest,” I said.

  “Nope, Ember is a caretaker of the site,” Kael answered. “Once a year, the spirits from the plane come back and reenact the crash. He greets them and then waits. Unfortunately, they never move on to the other side.”

  “Wait... are you saying that this site is an active haunted site?” Mind. Blown.

  “Yeah,” Kael replied. “Because of the negligence of the pilot, and the owner of CCA, these people will never find their rest.”

  “So, what does he do?”

  “I explain what happen,” Ember said, joining us. “Though they’ll never move on, I walk them through the events of the night.”

  “There’s one more of us,” Kael said. “He won’t be here until later. Come on, we’ve given Paul and Felix enough time to fuck around.”

  The energy sparking from both men rattled me. I had so many questions, but they were right. The sun was setting, and the darkness climbed along the trail we'd been on. How strange some of these events coincided on the solstice and the rest didn’t. The crash happened on April 18th, 1952. The death of the young girl shot and dragged through the canyon; the middle of the summer. The fire at the orphanage, if the reports were true, the fall of 1949. I made a mental note to ask how it was all possible, later.

  When we arrived at base camp, another man had joined Felix and Paul. He gave off this fuck the world aura and it felt like death followed him everywhere. If my team members felt it, they didn’t show it. The guy wore a black hoodie with the hood up, shrouding him in darkness. His clothes were all black as well. I stopped a few feet from the fire, afraid of getting any closer to him.

  “Knock it off, dumbass,” Kael said. “You’re scaring her.”

  The guy in all black stared up at me. A terror-filled scream lodged in my throat. I saw it all in his eyes. The beginning. The end. War. Famine. My death. Dramatic, I know, but he had the oddest colored eyes. One was blue, almost white and the other was cat-eye yellow. The corner of his mouth kicked upward in a smirk that did nothing to calm the need to escape and hide filling me. Who the fuck is this guy?