The Secret of Strange Waters (The Light Keeper Series Book 2) (2 page)

“I told you, every
home
game.” I hated football, but I was trying to be supportive. Owen curled his lip at Holly; the two of them didn’t get along well. Owen was jealous of her, and she was irritated by him.

“Hunter wants to go to dinner before the movie. Is that okay?” she asked.

“Sure, whatever you want. We have till midnight.” She was staying with me that Friday night so she could go out with Hunter. Her parents didn’t let her stay out late, so a midnight curfew was exciting to her.

Her mouth popped open with a gasp. “You’re so lucky! I’d do anything to have a midnight curfew.”

“Yeah, and sadly it doesn’t even matter, since my boyfriend sleeps in the next room.” I winked as we both laughed. Owen mocked our laughter till I gave him the eye that told him to stop.

“I’m only kidding.” He nudged my shoulder. He didn’t like me being buddies with Holly; it only meant she’d be around that much more.

* * *

Later that night, when everyone else was asleep, I sat on my bed in my dimly lit room. Alyssa had left me the Light, but unfortunately it didn’t come with instructions. I’ve been staying up some nights to practice with it. I wished I had Birdie to help me like Alyssa did; I was certain she was a Light Keeper too. She gave Alyssa sessions to help with her abilities, so it made sense. Michael had even rambled on about how Birdie could help me, but that was impossible—Birdie was long gone. I even perused the little trunk to search for more proof or clues to find her, just in case, but there was nothing there. I was on my own and I had to be careful. Mom and Tom had no idea about the Light. They only knew of the legend that came with the road, and neither bought into it.

I tried to tell Mom about the Shadows before, and even about other things, too, but she never believed me. I could understand that, I guess. Why should she believe that my dead father, who I’d never met and didn‘t know much about, not to mention my dead grandmother, came to visit me from the other side? They had when I was young.

Talon had no idea I was calling the Light for a little practice, because I always waited till he went to bed. It wasn’t easy making a spectacle of myself, and he wasn’t sure it was smart to be calling the Light with our parents on the other side of the house. He preferred me to do it at the shack where we all hung out, so it wasn’t as dangerous. Plus, before, I lost time when I had my visions with Alyssa and I was going to get a terrible headache when I was done. I hadn’t really called the Light much, but I always kept some pain relief handy for when I did. So far I had not had any more visions, so time loss was not a problem. I wasn’t sure if I could have visions anymore without Alyssa’s help. She’d always been there to drag me into them.

I stared ahead, trying to clear my mind of everything else, focusing only on the Light that appeared and hovered in front of me. I stared deep into it, straining till my eyes felt like they could pop out of my head. Nothing. “Ugh,” I groaned, as the Light disappeared.

Rustling footsteps outside caught my attention. Peeking out of my blinds, I found Owen crossing the lawn. In one hand he held a flashlight, and in the other, something that looked like his black plastic sports bottle, which he was tapping with his finger to make a hollow thud.

Where is he going?
I wondered. Surely Granny and Hunter were asleep. It was well after midnight. I wondered what was going on next door, so I tiptoed quietly into Talon’s room and peeked out his window to their house. Everything seemed normal. There were no lights on inside, and no one else outside. There was nothing but the steady glow beaming into Talon’s room from their outdoor light. Owen was sneaking out. But why?

Talon’s alarm clock read 1:32. I glanced down at him as he slept. He was so peaceful and sweet with his legs sprawled out and his arms tucked tight in contradiction. His breathing was low and steady. I went back to my room to wait for Owen’s return. Bored, I sat on my bed and stared off into space. The Light made me focus as it appeared dim and gained its strength. It grew brighter and brighter until it wrapped its warmth around me. Then, there it came: my first vision with the Light. Something distant from my past.

I stood in a grocery store, staring out of my young eyes. I held my Gram’s hand as she talked to a lady in a blue skirt. I could hear them talking, but it was muffled, as if I were under the ocean, trying to hear someone ashore.

A little face peeked out of the lady’s shopping cart, and through the wire prison, tiny fingers poked out to reach for me. Then the same dirty-faced boy looked over the side of the cart and stuck out his tongue. Out of the corner of my eye I caught another tiny face; he peeked around the lady’s skirt and smiled at me. He was tethered to her by a harness and a leash, and seemed so familiar. Something about his eyes, so beautiful and green. I peered up to the lady and discovered that she was Granny, and the two little boys were Hunter and Owen. Owen was on the leash, and Hunter waved from the cart as Granny pushed him away.

It was my first vision from my very own past. I had met Hunter and Owen when I was little and never knew it. I wondered if Granny would remember that day, and I decided I’d ask her about it.

Then it hit me: another key to my gift. I was curious about Owen when the Light appeared, and then the vision included him. Was this a coincidence? Maybe I was trying to clear my mind too much? My thoughts must be the trigger.

I was excited because I had used my gift, but the thought of it was kind of scary. There were parts of my past I would welcome, and other parts, not so much. What were the limits and what were the consequences? The last time I had a vision, I lost time. Minutes tripled and time passed without any knowledge. It had basically stolen my life.
Was there a price this time?

I jumped up and peeked around the door to Talon’s clock. It had only been ten minutes; I had
not
lost time. This gift was free, perhaps because it was my own. I was tired, though, and a slight pain nagged at my temple, but that was a trade I could handle and nothing that a painkiller and some sleep couldn’t cure. Besides, it was late, and I was eager to sleep so morning would come faster. I couldn’t wait to tell the guys.

I thought of Owen again, out in the dark somewhere, all alone and lurking about. He reminded me of Mr. Hill, the way he wandered off on his mower late at night. I closed my eyes and let my mind rest, waiting to hear the sound of his footsteps outside on the lawn, and then it hit me.
Mr. Hill!
Was Owen taking the Waters like he had?

The Waters had healing powers that could prolong life. It could also give strength and speed. Mr. Hill, who’d lived to be at least 113, was as strong as an ox and super-fast when he wanted to be. We haven’t yet found out what was in the Water to make that happen. It was pale orange, cloudy, and naturally cold; not to mention stinky like metal and sulfur. I couldn’t imagine ever drinking it, but the boys had. The night they found it, they took a taste and found that, like Michael, they were stronger and faster. I was scared, though, and didn’t join in. I had enough problems being a freak of nature without adding
that
to the list, and since we didn’t know what was in the Water, I made the guys promise me they wouldn’t take it again. I was certain that Owen had just broken that promise, but why?

I peeked out the window one more time, hoping he was on his way back, but he was nowhere in sight. I lay back and pulled the covers up to my neck. A memory came to my mind as clear as the visions in the Light; the memory of Owen kissing me in front of the movie theater. As strange as it was to think about—at the time neither of us knew we were related—in
that
moment, I only remembered him as the one who could truly love me somehow. Selfishly, I always hoped
that
part of him would never change, even though it was wrong; even though I knew it must hurt to love me, the thought of him not having those feelings hurt me.

TALON WOKE
ME UP
FOR SCHOOL
. We promised each other breakfast, but I was running late, as usual. My head was pounding, making me move even slower. He fixed me some toast and juice while I tried to do something with my hair, which would inevitably tangle on me during the night. By the time I made it to the table, Talon was finishing the milk from his cereal and my toast was cold. “How do I look?” I yawned.

“Tired,” he said. “But otherwise beautiful. How late were you up?” He met my eyes directly, as if to scold me.

“At least until two, but guess what? I saw the Light
and
I had a vision,” I announced proudly, before turning up my juice to swallow a dose of pills.

Surprised, his tone changed and his face lit with curiosity. “What happened?” He knew I tried now and then, and like I hoped, the excitement of the vision was enough to deter any anger about me doing it behind his back, in the house where our parents might see.

“Well, I met Hunter and Owen when I was little. My Gram and I ran into Granny and them in the grocery store when we were, I don’t know, maybe three and four years old. You should have seen little Hunter! Blond hair, dirty face…he was
so
cute! And Owen—” I laughed, “Owen was on a
leash
!” We both laughed heartily. I came really close to telling him about Owen‘s night out, but decided I better wait and find out what he was up to first. If he drank the Waters, I didn’t want the others doing it just to keep up.

On the way to school I couldn’t help but tease Owen about his leash. Hunter busted out laughing. He remembered it well. “Every time we left the house to go out into public, he got the leash,” he said.

Owen frowned. “You need to stop talking to Granny so much.” Granny and I had gotten closer during the last months of summer. She not only taught me to bake the family recipe for chocolate cake, but cookies and pies as well. I also learned a few gardening skills, but mostly I watched. The company was great all the same.

“Granny didn’t tell me,” I said with a smirk. “I
saw
it.” I waited for the news to sink in. They knew all about the Light and my visions. However, they also knew I hadn’t seen anything since Alyssa crossed over.

“Wait. Hold up. You can see
our
past?” Hunter asked in amazement. His theory—well, one of many—was that since the Light was now mine, if I
did
have any visions about the past, it would probably pertain only to me.

“Well, sort of. We met when we were little and never remembered it.” I explained. “Granny ran into my grandmother at the grocery store, so it
was
my past. I saw you both!”

“Cool.” Owen smiled big and stared. “So you figured out the Light?”

“Well, not entirely,” I said, fighting another yawn. “But I’m working on it.”

Talon scolded me playfully. “No more late nights for you, young lady.” He understood the vision drained me and I wasn’t getting enough sleep as it was.

“You were up late?” Owen asked, with a strange tone in his voice. He was probably wondering if I saw him.

“Yeah, till about two a.m.” I eyed him suspiciously, awaiting a comment, but instead he turned his head to look out the window.

Later in class, I caught him in a lie when Mrs. Collins gave us some free time before the bell. Holly and I were seated side by side with Owen’s desk behind mine. I was passing her some paper when I noticed Owen stretching his arms and yawning. “Late night, too?” I asked.

He was quick to respond. “No, I was in bed early. This class is
so
boring.”

Holly laughed. “Free time is never boring.” She was busy writing Hunter a note for his locker. Owen ignored her. I decided to let it go.

I watched him a couple more nights. He would leave, at no precise time, and walk the same path by my window, out the driveway, and down our little road to Bragg Road. One night, I was ready for him. I raised my window and waited in my dimly lit room, listening to the crickets sing, until the sound of his footsteps approached.

I startled him as I spoke. “Where are you going?”

“Jeez!” He jumped back and stumbled. “Dang, Lily! What are you doing up?” He shined his light up in my eyes.

I squinted and put my hand up to shield them. “Where?” I asked again.

“Lily, you need to go to bed and mind your own business!”

“No! I wanna come!” I pushed at my screen to get out.

“What? No way! Go to bed,” he scolded.

I glared at him through the screen. “Let me or I’ll tell Granny.” I wouldn’t really tell her, but he didn’t know that.

“Fine! I swear, Lily, you can be such a pain in the—”

“What was that?” I interrupted, but he didn’t finish. He dropped his flashlight and water bottle, pulled out his pocketknife to pry off the screen, and caught me as I climbed out.

“Now,” I asked again. “Where to?”

“Not far with you dressed like that. What are you wearing?” He gestured at my pink and brown monkey pajamas.

Tired of his stalling, I pointed to my tennis shoes. “I had to fool Talon. He thought I was going to bed.”

His lip curled. “That’s what you sleep in? Sexy.” His voice was dripping sarcasm and I almost defended myself again, but felt I better not. I wanted answers. We walked down our drive and headed for Bragg Road.

“Are you going to answer me?” I pushed his shoulder.

“Lily, you have
your
secrets,” he said accusingly.

“Not from you.” Except for the ones that were Granny’s, and those were for his own good.

“I’m going to the well.” He threw me the black water bottle. It was empty.

“You
are
taking the Waters? You broke your promise. Why?”

“It never hurts to be stronger and healthier, right?” His tone was suspiciously defensive, like he knew he was doing something bad and trying to justify it.

“Are you doing this for football?” I asked. I couldn’t think of any other reason to take such a risk. The coach finally slacked off on their two-a-day practices since school had started, but he was still working hard for the team.

“So what,” he said with a shrug. “It’s just water.”
Just water.
The picture of Owen lifting his brother above his head crossed my mind. He knew better than to try that “just water” line.

“You know that’s not
normal
water. That’s cheating.” I poked at his arm. “It gives you an unfair advantage. Besides, you don’t need it. You’re already one of the best players.”

“Lily, what do you think they’ll do, put an asterisk by my name in the yearbook?”

“What if someone finds out? I’m worried about you, Owen.” Not to mention that we didn’t know
exactly
what the Waters could do to a person. It could be dangerous.

“Why? What are you worried about me for?” He bit his lip as if to hold his tongue.

“You know I worry. You’re my family and I love you.” I searched his eyes, wishing it didn’t always have to be so awkward.

“You
love
me,” he said, unconvinced. “That’s a comfort.”

“You know I do. You’re my favorite cousin and you love me too.” I nodded, prodding him to agree. We’d gotten closer through the summer. We all had.

“Yes, maybe more than I should,” he mumbled. I pretended not to hear. Things were still awkward with him when it came to me. Sometimes I felt a tension between us, as if some underlying energy was there in him reaching out to me, waiting to burst free. I never really understood it.

We continued talking as we walked down to the trail behind the shack. Then we found the well, and Owen pulled the leaf-covered board off the top. It was nothing more than a deep hole in the ground, surrounded by carefully placed stones that stood about two feet tall, creating a rim just high enough to keep someone from falling in. A rope and bucket was attached to one rock and Owen lowered it down to retrieve his Water.

After he filled his bottle, he took a sip. His eyes stayed on mine the whole time, and then he offered it to me, extending his hand and tilting the bottle toward me. “Think about it Lily, we could live forever,” he said, whispering seductively. His tone was deep and mysterious, like he wanted me to join a cult, and then a teasing smile played across his face.

“Yeah, as long as we don’t get in a plane crash or hit by a bus,” I said, rolling my eyes. The Water did not make a person immortal, and it couldn’t save you past a certain point.

“Not many of those around here,” he said, looking out in to the darkness and taking another sip. “It is nice and cold.” He offered it again.

I made a sour face, imagining the flavor. If it were anything like the looks, it was terrible. “No thanks, really.” I covered my mouth and yawned. The past few nights were catching up with me.

“I better get you home.” He poured the rest of his Water back into the well.

“Aren’t you taking that?” I asked, watching him shake out the bottle. “No need to come out here every night.”

“A little dose will do me fine. Besides, I don’t plan on lifting anything heavy or running it off any time soon, and I don’t need Hunter finding it.” He pulled the boards over the well. “It’s too tempting to have it around.” The Water would only do so much for so long, according to the person’s strength and exertion, but continual use might be dangerous. All we had were our theories. Still, I didn’t like the way he talked about it, like it was a drug or something; like it could become addictive. Could it? At least he was showing
some
restraint. It was all I could ask for.

I watched his movements, realizing that there was no change, no clumsy effect. He appeared normal. “So, is it working? You don’t seem to be having any problems like last time,” I said.

“That’s because I’ve gotten used to it. Takes some practice is all.” That was good to know. The last time the guys drank it, they moved like drunks, staggering until they found their balance, but once they did it was amazing what they could do. Owen must have learned perfect control, which told me he’d practiced quite a bit.

About the time we reached the road, we noticed the flashlight getting dim. It flickered off a few times and Owen slapped the bottom of it, as if he could beat life into it. I was waiting for him to smash it to pieces, but his control was spot on. I always wondered why people shook and tapped them. Did it really help? My answer came minutes later when it died, leaving us in the pitch darkness of Bragg Road. As my eyes adjusted and goose bumps prickled on my arms, I could already see the figure forming in front of us. I gripped Owen’s arm and hesitated before calling the Light. “Do you see it?” I whispered.

“See what, Lily? It is too dark out here to see anything.” I could hear him beating the flashlight and giving it a few more shakes.

“It’s right in front of us. There’s a Shadow.” I stared at the inky mass. It was swirling and growing darker—a black mass in the darkness in front of us, but only I could see it. And then the Light,
my
Light, came forth. The inky mass vanished, but not before it grew a tad brighter. “It’s gone.”

“Lily?” Owen gave me an expression that was somewhere between fear and worry, but relief fell over his face when he saw I was staring back at him, not lost in some crazy vision.

“I guess we don’t need that flashlight,” I said. Embarrassment set in as the Light took its place hovering above my head.

Owen stared up at it as it floated there, a little offside, as if it were some orb-shaped halo. I reached up and took the Light into my hand, holding it out in front of me. Owen smiled as I dropped my hand and the Light took its place again.

“This is freaky, Lily. Remind me to bring a spare next time.” He took my hand and we continued on.

After a few moments of silence, the awkwardness got to be so much that I had to speak. “I’ll never get used to this.”

Owen, who had been staring off into the trees beside us, glanced my way. “What, the Light? You seem to be doing pretty good with it.”

“No, I don’t mean
using
the Light. That’s going to take forever, too, if I ever understand what I am, but I’m talking about
being
what I am. I’ve never been able to be myself so freely around others, at least not when it came to the Shadows.” Puzzled, he narrowed his eyes as if trying to understand. “You know I’ve never told anyone. I mean, my mom of course, and my Gram, but only Gram seemed to accept it. I’ve never had any close friends. I’ve had friends, but never anyone I shared my deepest secrets with.

“I tried once when I was younger. I stayed over at my friend’s house for my first sleepover. My Gram sent along my nightlight, but that was fuel for teasing. The other girls hid it and I was so terrified I had to call my mom to come and get me. Luckily things weren’t as bad as I grew up. I learned to keep my mouth shut about things, realizing that I was different. I was carrying on, pretending to be normal, ignoring the Shadows and doing everything to avoid them and the dark. I had a routine, a pattern, but I never shared my secret. Not until moving out here. Look at me now.” I motioned to the Light hovering above us. “I feel so exposed. Even though I know you and the others accept me, I can’t help but feel strange and out of place, like a thousand eyes are watching me.”

“You know we accept you. We believe in you.” His hand squeezed mine. “We love you, Lily, and we wouldn’t judge you. Like you said, we’re family, and Talon doesn’t seem to mind that his girlfriend has some amazing powers.”

“Yeah, so amazing I don’t know what the heck to do with them. What’s the point in having them?” I needed more practice, but that came with a cost. The headaches were getting worse each time I called the Light, so I had to prepare myself to pay the price. Sometimes it simply couldn’t be helped. Especially when our only flashlight went kaput.

He swung our arms playfully. “You’ll get the hang of it. Besides, look how useful it is.” He gave me a wink.

“Yeah, I’m the human flashlight. You said it was freaky,” I reminded him. The guys were always teasing; it was their way. While I believed that they were okay with it, I still figured that deep down they couldn’t help but think it freaky.