“Who is this?” Lucy demanded.
“I need to talk to you, Lucy, I …” the voice hacked and wheezed. Lucy thought for a moment she recognized it. It was definitely a man’s voice, but who?
“Who is this?”
“Did you hear what I said?”
It was then that she recognized him. “Kenny?”
“Lucy did you …” more coughing, “… hear what I said?”
“What’s the matter? You disappeared that night—you sound awful—what happened to you?”
“Lucy, I don’t have much time. I have to leave here, but I’ll be back tonight after dark. Meet me here in the library and I’ll explain everything. I have to go.” She heard him coughing and wheezing even more.
“Kenny, no wait! Explain what?” Lucy frantically tried to keep him on the phone. For a moment she heard nothing, and then Kenny came back on the line.
“I’ve made some bad mistakes, Lucy. Just be here after dark; I have answers for you about who’s after you and …” he hesitated as if wanting to say something, but never did. “You have to come alone.” He sounded insistent.
“No, I’m bringing Benjamin,” Lucy insisted.
Kenny became suddenly forceful. “No! If you bring any of them, I won’t be here.” He wheezed again. Lucy didn’t respond. The idea of going alone made her nervous, but she wanted to hear what he had to say. She needed to find out more.
“Okay,” Lucy said hesitantly. “I’ll come alone. But you have to promise me it’s safe.”
Kenny didn’t say anything for a moment. “It’s safe.”
Before Lucy could say another word, the other line had gone dead.
She sat in her chair and thought about what Kenny had said. She thought about what he could possibly know about anything. He had been so quiet and reclusive in his office all the time that she hadn’t really noticed anything about him that would even begin to lead him to be involved with the world she had become a part of.
She stood up and crossed to her father and picked up his heavy hand. All she could think about was that somehow Kenny knew things. Lucy had no reason not to trust him. He had always been decent to her, and at times seemed as though, in his awkward way, he was flirting with her. She thought about the times she had caught him watching her. It was a little creepy, but if he really did like her, he was probably trying to help her. It only took her a moment to give Kenny the benefit of the doubt. She began to re-pack her bag. As she turned to leave, she stopped. Back at her father’s side she took the gold medallion from its box and placed the chain around his neck.
“I know you wouldn’t approve of this, but I’m going to save mom.”
She held his fingers tightly in her own and looked at his gentle face and brushed the hair out of his eyes. Bending down she kissed him for what she hoped wouldn’t be the last time, and walked out of the room.
Down at the Cavalier, Benjamin saw her approaching and immediately got out, walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for her. Lucy tried not to show that anything had happened so she forced a smile, but it wasn’t going to fool anyone, least of all Benjamin.
“That was quick. You okay?” he asked as soon as Lucy was in ear-shot.
Lucy tried to act coy. “Yeah, why?”
“Nothing, you just don’t look your usual self.”
“Oh, no, I feel fine.” Her mind was going so many different directions thinking about what Kenny could possibly want to tell her, that she was having a hard time focusing on her lies. “I guess it’s just, you know, weird not having him on his birthday. That’s all.”
Benjamin smiled warmly at her. “I’m sorry, Lucy, but you have to remember that he is still alive. When we find who did this to him,” he looked directly into her eyes, “perhaps that will be enough to bring him back.”
Lucy was grateful for the confidence boost, but she had already hoped for that and at the same time she was dead set on freeing her mother’s light so that she could rest in peace or move on, or whatever it is that a person’s essence does. All she wanted to do was get to the library, get whatever information she could from Kenny, and maybe end it once and for all.
“I know. It’s just hard.”
“We’ll find him, Lucy. Peter is a great tracker. He’ll find wherever Sukabra is hiding and we’ll destroy him and set your mother free and whatever he took of your father, I promise.” Lucy forced as much of a smile as she could, and Benjamin got back into the car.
For nearly three hours, Lucy was down in the basement working with Benjamin’s practice sword. She had to focus on how she was going to get to the library without telling anyone. But as she battled against Benjamin and Jack, she was losing every round. She was preoccupied with thoughts of Kenny and the library and she knew she needed to get to him to found out what he meant by having answers. The biggest dilemma was getting out of the house unseen and getting out with the only thing she could use as protection, a sword.
When she had decided that her miserable practice had run its course, Lucy walked over to where her totem sat on the stone podium. She held the small golden cube in her hand, gripping it tightly, and pushed all of her light into it, then set it back down.
It was barely past noon and she was so frazzled that she wanted to tell Benjamin and Jack about Kenny, but she knew she couldn’t. If any of them went with her, Kenny might not tell her anything.
Lucy felt sweaty and tired as she walked up the stairs and into the kitchen. At the sink she filled a glass with water but just held it. She didn’t have the strength to even lift it to her mouth. She was more emotionally drained than physically. Looking out the kitchen window she saw Benjamin outside doing his ritualistic Tai Chi. After every workout, he would go out into the yard and move his body in the fluid strokes of absolute concentration and harmony for at least an hour.
She thought about how cold he must have been, wearing only his t-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts, but his face showed total focus. She wished for all the world she could find that kind of serenity at that moment. All she wanted to do was go into her haven and stay there for days and let everything just wash away. But she knew that wasn’t an option, so she decided to get focus the only way she knew how when she felt so tired and emotionally drained. She would take a nice hot shower. She lifted the glass to her lips and drank as though it would be her last taste of water for days.
***
Driving back up the hill after returning to Kat’s for a shower and some alone time, Lucy could see that the sun was going down over the ocean. Kat hadn’t gotten home from Christmas shopping when Lucy had gotten there, and neither of Kat’s parents was yet home from work. Lucy tried calling Kat’s phone, but there was no answer. She wasn’t sure why she had even tried calling except that she really felt like hearing her friend’s voice.
Heading back up to the Raven home, she had only one goal, and that was to somehow grab the sword and get back down the hill and into town. It wasn’t going to be easy. All three of the brothers were usually home at night.
The property was quiet when she arrived, which wasn’t unusual, but she needed for it to remain that way. She would go in and head for the basement, grab the sword, and find a way to conceal it.
Looking into the open garage, she saw that the Camaro was gone but the motorcycle was still there. She hoped with all her heart that Benjamin had simply accompanied Jack into town. The front door was unlocked, as it usually was, so she walked right in and headed for the hidden basement door. As she slid the bookcase to the side she was startled by another person in the room.
“Oh hey, Lucy. Where’s Kat?” It was Jack’s voice and Lucy could feel her heart rate jump up from its already elevated state. He was wet and wearing a pair of blue Hawaiian print swim trunks. He must have just finished a swim. With a towel, he was drying his hair and getting excess water out of his ears.
“Uh, she’s still Christmas shopping, I think. She wasn’t home when I got there.” She thought as quickly as she could, she had t
o be ready to go with believable answers in order to sell the lie.
“Oh, okay,” he answered nonchalantly as he started toward the kitchen.
Lucy tried to act as natural as possible as she opened the bookcase. When she heard his footsteps slap against the wood in the dining room, she waited until she heard the refrigerator open. The sound of bottles clanking in the door signaled to her that it was time to go downstairs.
She descended quickly into the room, running past all of the fitness equipment, and headed straight for the rack where her practice sword hung. Dropping her backpack, she looked for a way to conceal the sword so she could walk out with it. And then she had an idea.
She pulled the sword off the rack and looked around the room. Over at the weight machine, she saw what she needed. There were two bars that supported the structure that were only about half an inch apart. She took the sword over to it. Holding her sword she felt her light flowing through it and it became rigid. The bonding process was so much simpler since the sword essentially knew who she was. As she dropped her bag near the machine, she heard a voice at the top of the stairs. All she could do was freeze.
The voice was Jack’s. He seemed to be talking to someone. Lucy couldn’t make out what he was saying so she just stood by the weight machine, anticipating his intentions. Seconds seemed like minutes and Jack was still at the top of the stairs. Lucy couldn’t tell if he was on the phone or if Benjamin had come back in the Camaro. His voice finally began to fade and she could hear his footsteps walking back toward the kitchen.
Quickly, she slid the sword in between the two support posts and laid it down until it rested sideways on the ground. Releasing it, she felt the bond with the sword break and she sat perpendicularly to the blade. With her feet, she pushed against the handle. She was surprised at how easily the blade bent, and within only a few seconds it was all but wrapped around the support post. Unzipping her backpack, she slid the bent sword into the large empty pouch with her foot and zipped the pouch back up.
Before heading back upstairs, she looked over to her totem. She felt for some reason that it might be useful, so she ran over to it, picked it up, and put it into her jacket pocket.
Back at the top of the stairs, she casually checked for Jack and anyone else that might be home. Her heart was still racing. The living room was clear, so she walked in. As she entered into the room, she saw headlights through the front windows. It was most likely Benjamin in the Camaro. She panicked for what to do. Swiftly crossing the room, she headed for one of the overstuffed couches. She had only just sat down before the front door opened. Benjamin walked though, talking on his phone. He waved and smiled at her.
“No, I can pick it up. What time do they close?”
Lucy fumbled through her pack looking for something that would make her sitting there any less awkward. Her fingers brushed the sword and she felt the tingling of the light bond being made. She swiftly pulled her hand out, not wanting to restore the sword to its perfect shape, and opened the smaller pocket. There, she found the pages of The Outsiders and pulled it out. She randomly opened to a page and pretended to read.
“No, I’ll have it when you get here.” He listened to whoever was on the other end. “Okay, bye.” He pressed the screen of his phone and walked toward Lucy. “Would you like to go pick up a suit for Peter at the drycleaners with me? It’s just on the west side of Coos Bay, we can pick up dinner while we’re over there.”
Lucy looked up from her feigned reading session and managed what she considered a pretty decent yawn. She rubbed her eyes.
“I’m pretty tired, I was thinking of just taking a quick nap right here.” She lay down on the couch and smiled at Benjamin.
He looked at her with a sly, teasing grin, “Okay, but you’ll be missing out. I hear the drycleaner’s is a riot around six o’clock.”
“I think I’ll pass this time. You go have fun.” She smiled playfully.
“Okay, well, I’ll be right back. He winked at her and reversed course back out the front door.
Lucy lay on the couch until she heard the deep rumble of the Camaro pull away down the hill. When she was sure he was gone, she sat up and looked around the room. Jack was probably in his part of the house, taking a shower. She stood and slung her backpack over her shoulders and walked toward the door.
As she put her hand on the knob another sound startled her. It was the vibration of her phone in her pocket. The display said Library. Her heart stopped for a moment and she took a deep breath ready to answer it when Jack came back into the room.
“Leaving so soon?”
Lucy was between Jack and her exit. All she wanted to do was get out of the house and into her car.
“Uh, yeah. Kat called, she wants a ride. Her mom needs the car tonight.”
Jack just looked at her with his usual carefree smile. He was holding a bottle of red Gatorade.
“Oh, okay.” His phone exploded into a tinkling ring tone and Lucy jumped. Jack looked momentarily curious at her before looking at the display. “Hello,” he said, waving to Lucy and walking back into the kitchen.
Lucy ran out the door and looked at her phone. The words 1 missed call: Library glared up at her. There was no message. She was running out of time. She tried to call back, but there was no answer. She wasn’t sure if she was too late and if going was even the right thing to do, especially having not told anyone.
Trying to look natural, she drove out of the driveway and down the hill. The winding drive was clear of any other traffic. As she pulled onto the road into Charleston, there was no sign of the Black Camaro.
The streets were full of rush hour traffic. It would be easy to hide in the concourse of cars as she made her way to downtown Coos Bay. The benefit to rush hour was that by the time she got to the library, the downtown area would be relatively quiet, as everyone would have gone home. There wouldn’t be anyone to notice her. Winding in and out of downtown streets, Lucy decided to take a circuitous route, using one-way streets to double back on herself in case anyone she knew had taken notice of her.
When she was a block from the library, she parked her car next to the curb so she could see the front of the building. It looked completely empty. The parking lot lights were still on and all Lucy could see was yellow police line that had been wrapped around the trees out front to prevent anyone from straying onto the property. The front of the building was draped in plastic sheeting with some sort of painter’s scaffold in front of it.
Lucy’s heart raced as she wondered what information Kenny might have and what she would ultimately do with that information.
Okay, Luce, this is it. He wants to talk. He has information that you need. Find out what it is and get out. That’s all you have to do.
She tried to psyche herself up, but it was too late. All she could do was grab her backpack, throw it over her shoulders and walk to the library. Before doing just that, she found the bottom of her pack and with a metal fingernail file, she tore a hole in it so that the handle of her sword was barely visible. It would provide a quick retrieval if needed.
The plastic sheeting was thick and attached at what seemed every possible point of contact. She walked around the entire perimeter until she found where she assumed Kenny had gotten in. It was a small corner lifted up near where the drop box had been before it had been blown off by whatever explosion had destroyed the library. She didn’t know how Kenny had gotten in because it was a tight squeeze for even her, but she managed it on her hands and knees.
The entryway was a mess. There was debris all over the floor and the walls looked as though a large piece of machinery had just grabbed onto the front of the building and pulled it right off. Books and carousel racks lay torn and mangled near the circulation desk. As she got deeper into the main part of the library, the street lights did less to light her way and she began to get nervous and a little scared.
“Kenny! Are you in here?” There was no sound. She walked over to the desk and tried to look into where his off
ice had always been. She couldn’t see anything through the darkness.
“Kenny!”
“I’m here.”
The voice startled her. It was the same raspy sound she had heard on the phone, and it came from behind her. Turning around she saw him standing in the shadows. He was hunched over as if someone had just punched him in the gut. She couldn’t make out his face, but his willowy shape and long greasy hair pulled back into a haphazard ponytail were tell-tail signs that it was him. Lucy walked toward him.
As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could see that he didn’t look the same. His cheeks were more sunken and his eyes had dark circles—so dark that they were visible against his pale skin in the shadows.
“What did you want to tell me?” She reached into her pocket and gripped her totem. The bond was instant.
“I’m sorry, Lucy. I really liked you.” He stepped into the yellow glow from the street lamps. Lucy saw that he was far different than she had initially seen. He was pale as death and his lips were purple. Behind them, she saw yellow teeth, some jagged, as he spoke. Lucy held tight to her totem, light pouring into it.
“You’re not here to give me information are you?”
Kenny held up his hands. “No, I am.” His raspy voice was somehow timid despite what Lucy assumed was his transformation into a reaper. “Lucy, I don’t want you hurt, and he told me that if I brought you to him that he wouldn’t kill you, he would only take your light and turn you into one of us.”
Lucy swallowed hard, wanting to gag at the thought of being anything like what she saw Kenny had become.
“Kenny, you’re not one of them. It’s not too late. Come with me and I can have Peter help you. There has to be a way.”
“It’s too late for me, Lucy, but we can stay friends. We can always be together.”
His words made her stomach churn. He somehow found confidence in his new state and was trying to win Lucy over. She found it nauseating and sad. She felt nothing but pity for him.
Immortal Light: Wide Awake Page 30