Into The Light (The Fallen Shadows)

by Rebecca R. Cohen

  “Okay great. Well we’re going to just grab a few of my things for the night,” Katharine said backing out of the kitchen and moving toward the staircase leading to the upstairs portion of the house. Royal remained at the sink and said nothing further as Katharine and Molli headed up the stairs.

  Katharine’s room was not the typical teenage girl’s room. The walls were absent of Justin Bieber or Robert Pattinson posters but were collaged with Harvard paraphernalia. She had been collecting it since she was a little girl and it accumulated throughout the years into various collages that she lined the walls of her room with.

  The collages were a constant reminder of her life’s goal and served as motivation to keep her going on those late nights she would spend studying till three in the morning or later. With all of the Harvard paraphernalia around the room, including a few throw pillows that were resting at the foot of Katharine’s queen-sized bed, Katharine kept an organized room. She had a habit of making sure everything was where she left it, there was something so safe about knowing that everything was exactly as she wanted it.

  “Did it seem like my father was acting strange to you?” Katharine asked Molli as she grabbed a duffle bag from under the bed and ran to her dresser and pulled open the top drawer revealing a few articles of clothing. She grabbed the clothing carelessly and shoved them into the duffle.

  Molli, who was making her way through Katharine’s walk in closet where she kept her shoes and a few of her sexier dresses, shrugged but said nothing. Katharine finished with the first three drawers of her dresser before moving onto the final drawer.

  Katharine pulled back the cream colored wooden drawer and saw the very first Harvard sweatshirt she ever got during her first visit to Harvard ten-years-earlier. She pulled the sweatshirt out of the draw slowly and fell backwards as though someone pushed her. As she pulled the sweatshirt tightly towards her body she hugged it tightly as if trying to hold tightly onto the future she would no longer have but so desperately wanted.

  Ever since she first met Ash, Katharine had been strong and as calm as she possibly could. She shed a few tears but never allowed herself to truly cry. She believed if she allowed herself to truly cry she would be giving in to what fate had in store for her and she would be saying goodbye to the life she thought she would have. Sitting on her bedroom floor holding that sweatshirt something came over Katharine and she could no longer fight what was coming.

  A waterfall of tears came pouring from Katharine’s eyes. They were uncontrollable and seemingly unstoppable.

  She pulled the sweatshirt tighter into her chest and buried her face within the fabric. It had a musty odor to it but Katharine drew it in regardless. Molli heard her friend’s cries and ran to her side. She draped her arms around Katharine and held her tightly. She said nothing, knowing full well why the tears were falling so rapidly. Molli’s touch was cold, so cold that it startled Katharine. She shuttered but welcomed the embrace.

  “I’m supposed to go to Harvard. I am supposed to become a world-renowned lawyer. I don’t want this responsibility Molli, it’s too much,” Katharine cried struggling to get the words out in between sobs.

  “I know,” Molli said hugging Katharine even tighter. She felt a sensation of helplessness. Her friend was in unimaginable pain and there was nothing she could do to help her. “It is too much. But if there is anyone in the world strong enough to handle this it’s you. Kat, you are one of the strongest people I have ever known. You will survive this.”

  Katharine looked at Molli who had always shown love for Katharine but never admiration and her words meant so much. She smiled brightly and drew deep within her to regain her composure. She shook as if shaking the sadness and fear out of her body. She placed the sweatshirt into the duffle bag and jumped to her feet, Molli followed her lead.

  “We should probably get going before Davon decides to come in and get us,” Katharine said zipping the bag and throwing it over her shoulder. “Lets go.” Katharine peered into the kitchen once the girls had gone back downstairs but Royal was no longer there.

  “Dad?” Katharine called opening the swinging door that led from the kitchen into the living room but the room was empty. “Dad, we’re going.” Silence.

  Katharine and Molli exchanged glances, both shared a common suspicion about where Royal had gone off to and why he was home in the first place but both choose to ignore it. Katharine grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from the wooden roll desk tucked in the corner of the living room and wrote her father a note.

  Dad,

  I am going to stay at Molli’s house tonight so we can study for our midterms. I have my cell if you need me. Give my love to Mom.

  Love,

  Kat

  She placed the note on the fridge with the Harvard magnet that Manna had given her for Christmas one year. I really do have a lot of Harvard paraphernalia. Katharine thought inviting the smile to return to her face. The girls headed for the front door but as Katharine placed her hand on the knob Royal’s voice echoed behind her.

  “Katharine Rose,” Royal said demandingly.

  Royal had not called Katharine by her full name since she was a little girl and he only called her that when she was in trouble. Katharine spun around to see Royal sitting on the bottom step of the staircase from which she had come from only a few moments earlier. His hands were folded and resting on his legs. In his eyes Katharine saw that he was concerned.

  “Geez Dad you scared me half to death,” Katharine said placing her hand over her heart for dramatic effect.

  “Where are you going in such a rush?” Royal asked calmly but with firm inflections.

  “I told you, Molli and I are going to her house to study for our midterms,” Katharine replied. She remained confused by her father’s repeated question.

  Royal used the banister to pull himself into a standing position. He remained on the staircase with his hand grasping the banister.

  “Katharine you have never once lied to your mother or me so please do not start now.”

  “Dad, I’m not lying. Molli please tell…” Katharine turned toward where Molli had been standing only to find Molli was no longer standing there. “What the hell?”

  “Tell me the truth Katharine, where are you really going?”

  “Molli’s.”

  “You’re not. I’ve spoken with Molli’s parents, they have not heard from her since she left for school yesterday morning. They assumed she was here with you.” Royal said, his voice increasing in volume slightly. “Katharine I am going to ask you again and this time I want the truth, where are you going?”

  “Dad, I…” Katharine began to speak but as she struggled to come up with a realistic excuse the telephone rang.

  Royal ignored the call and remained focused on the lies his daughter was feeding him. “Katharine, your mother and I are worried about you. You have been very distant lately. Are you taking any drugs?” Royal asked. He was serious but Katharine couldn’t believe he was asking her something so incredibly absurd and out of character for her.

  “Drugs? Seriously Dad?” Katharine chuckled. Royal maintained his determined demeanor and Katharine suddenly felt like she was sitting in the interrogation room at a police station being questioned about a crime she didn’t commit.

  “Katharine, please.” Royal’s voice sounded as though he were close to tears.

  In her nearly 18-years she’d never once seen her father cry, not even when his mother died when Katharine was five. He had always been the rock of the family. He’d always say, “Crying is a sign of weakness and the men in my family are not weak.”

  It was difficult for Katharine to hear the pain in her father’s voice as he begged her for an answer he could understand and believe. There was something behind his pain, something that went deeper than Katharine hiding things from him. She knew her father better than anyone and she knew when something was worse than he was letting on. He had the same look in his eye that he had when he told her that Aunt Mary was dying.<
br />
  “Dad?” Katharine said approaching her father cautiously. “There’s something you’re not telling me isn’t there?”

  Royal slumped back down onto the step and cupped his head in his hands. He took a deep breath before raising his head to face his daughter. His eyes were red and his nose looked like he’d been rubbing it profusely for hours. He’s crying. Katharine ran to him terrified that something terrible had happened to his mother.

  The one thing that could make Royal cry was the loss of Katharine or Marion. They were Royal’s entire world, a statement he repeated practically on a daily basis. Family was everything to him, although he’d never been too close with the rest of his family, and the idea of losing one of his own became the only thing that would reduce him to tears.

  “There’s something you need to know Katharine,” Royal said looking at Katharine with a look of panic. As he opened his mouth to begin explaining what Katharine already knew would alter her world, the phone began to ring. Royal looked into the kitchen and at the white buzzing telephone and waited for it to silence. “Something about mom and me.” The phone began to make its disruptive sounds again. Royal tried to ignore the call and focus on his daughter but the phone rang persistently. He sighed deeply before heading into the kitchen. “This could be important, but please stay where you are, there is something you really need to know.”

  As Royal picked up the receiver, silencing the ringing the front door cracked opened behind Katharine and Ash’s head poked through.

  “I’m sorry but we really have to go now,” Ash said.

  “Now?” Katharine snapped. Her father was about to unveil incredibly vital information and Ash wanted her to leave? “I can’t go now. My Dad said he has something very important to tell me. I can’t just walk out now.”

  “Look I know it’s too much to ask and I know I promised you time with your family but Chance isn’t the most patient man. Be glad it’s me coming in to get you and not Davon. He’d see you dragged out kicking and screaming.” Ash ducked inside the foyer, keeping an eye on Royal as to not get caught. “We can do this my way where we simply walk out and you find out what it is your father needs to tell you another time or Davon can come in here and drag you out. Personally I’d rather you just come with me.” He reached his hand out for Katharine.

  Katharine looked at her father who had his back to her while handling what sounded like a very intense phone call. She wanted to stay and find out what her parents were hiding from her but she feared what would happen if Davon came in to drag her out. There would be no way Royal wouldn’t notice that. For the sake of her family’s safety she would have to bear the burden of not knowing what secrets her parents were hiding, at least for now.

  A wave of guilt fell over her as she took Ash’s hand. She hated lying to her parents. She hated that she couldn’t see her mother before she left. All she wanted was to come home and see her parents and tell them how much they meant to her, how much she appreciated how much faith they always put in her and the choices she made. Despite her guilt, Katharine made sure Royal’s back was still facing her before she slipped outside and quietly closed the door behind her.

  Katharine and Ash entered the aircraft where Molli and Davon were already strapped in and waiting. Katharine caught Molli’s eyes and raised her arms as if to say, “what happened to you?” Molli mouthed, sorry and focused her gaze on the steel floor of the craft. Katharine stood for a moment looking at Molli, who had been acting incredibly weird ever since Katharine woke up in the hospital earlier that day. She moved forward with the intention of confronting Molli about her odd behavior but Ash stepped in front of her blocking her path.

  “You’d best take your seat we’re about ready to take off,” Ash said as he led Katharine back to her designated stool beside his.

  Reluctantly she placed herself on the stool and allowed Ash to strap her in but she kept her gaze on Molli, who was still staring at the ground.

  “Molli!” Katharine shouted looking past Ash as he pulled against the straps to make sure they were tightly in place. Molli did not respond and remained focused on the steel floor below her feet. Katharine wanted to tell her best friend about the strange conversation she’d just had with Royal but Molli seemed far too interested in staring at the ground. “Geezus what is her problem?”

  Ash looked at Katharine and then at Molli. When his gaze went back to Katharine he had sadness in his eyes. He placed one hand gently on Katharine’s cheek and smiled kindly. Katharine was taken aback by the look in his eyes. He was hiding something, possibly far worse than anything he’d already been hiding from her. Before Katharine had the chance to question Ash about what else he might have been hiding from her the aircraft was in motion.

  Still not strapped in Ash lost his balance and fell on top of Katharine, their foreheads slammed together violently.

  “Ouch!” Katharine belted out.

  “I’m sorry, as you already know I’m hard headed,” Ash replied, rubbing the spot where their heads collided.

  Katharine smiled flirtatiously almost forgetting about the secrets that were clearly being kept from her. Ash quickly secured himself on the stool as to avoid any further collisions with his Tracker.

  “I can’t stop thinking about that conversation with my Dad,” Katharine said to whomever was willing to listen. “I wish I knew what it was he wanted to tell me.”

  As the only one who could both hear her and the only one listening Ash formed a sympathetic reply. “Parents can be difficult to read. Sometimes even when we think we know everything about them they surprise us.

  “They have never hidden anything from me before. We have always had a very open relationship. Until now I’ve never even fed them a white lie,” Katharine said drawing close to tears.

  “That’s what they do. They hide things from their children and decide to reveal their darkest secrets at the most inopportune times,” Ash said shifting methodically in his seat.

  “You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” Katharine said. His inflections were so precise and absolute that she knew his mind was on his own parents as he spoke. She didn’t even realize that Guides had parents. She just always assumed that heavenly beings were just infinite because they descended from the holiest of places. “You do have parents, don’t you?”

  Ash smiled gingerly. “Of course. All beings whether of heavenly descent or otherwise are born of someone.”

  He pulled out a pendant from his pocket and held it a few inches from his face. It was round, but not a perfect circle. There were a few nooks tucked along the edges almost as if it had been frayed in some kind of battle. It looked ancient, silver but with evidence of aging and exposure to extreme heat. Engraved in the center of the pendant were a few symbols Katharine recognized as Hebrew lettering that read, של מייקל. Ash flipped the coin in between his fingers rapidly.

  “What is that, if you don’t mind me asking?” Katharine inquired pointing to the coin.

  Ash placed the coin between his thumb and index finger and held it up to Katharine so she could take a closer look.

  “It’s my family crest,” Ash explained pulling the coin back and placing it back in his pocket.

  “What does the lettering say?” Katharine realized she was inquiring about a subject that Ash was not too fond of discussing. His face spoke of discomfort and a desired change of subject.

  “You should really try to get some rest. You’re going to need your energy,” Ash said putting an end to the conversation.

  His eyes drifted off somewhere else. In his mind he was no longer there on the aircraft beside Katharine. She so badly wished he knew what he was thinking about. He didn’t reveal much about himself to her and as much as she enjoyed a good mystery he seemed to have more secrets than she could begin to imagine.

  5

  THE ANCHORAGE

  There were no windows on the aircraft so Katharine could not see where they were or if they were even still in Meadowbrook. They had been in t
he air for over an hour so Katharine chose to believe they were far out of Meadowbrook by now. It was the first time she had ever left her hometown without her parents. She had always been planning on leaving home once she graduated of course, but this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.

  For a time everyone remained quiet, subdued and calm and though Katharine’s mind was racing with questions she could only focus on what meeting Chance would be like. Other than the fact that he was the leader of the Elders and the Guides she knew nothing about him. She figured he’d be angry with her because of how defiant she had been toward Ash. She had fought him at every turn and she even went against Devon. Now as she sat there waiting to be taken to someone more powerful than even the Guide’s she wished she would have just obeyed and listened to what Ash had asked of her.

  She feared that if Chance found out that Ash allowed her to disobey and actually went along with her disobedience, his punishment would be far worse and he didn’t deserve that. She gazed at Ash who had fallen asleep with his head resting on the wall behind him; she smiled at how peaceful he looked. He had been good to her and, despite his persistent cockiness and his annoying habit of always needing to be right; she was beginning to enjoy his company.

  What if Chance assigned her to a different Guide and they were unkind and more like, Davon. He’d have her chained and bound and only released when he needed her to find the Descended. She shuddered at the thought of being under Davon’s leadership.

  The aircraft hit a rough patch of air sending it jerking forward violently, waking Ash out of his slumber. He rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands and looked at Katharine.