Lies In The Dark (The Mirror Souls Series Book 2) Read online

  LIES

  In the dark

  BOOK TWO

  THE MIRROR SOULS SERIES

  By

  N.T. Summers

  PUBLISHED BY:

  N.T. Summers

  Copyright © 2021 by N.T. Summers

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  DEDICATION

  To

  My family living and those that have passed onto the next world,

  especially my beautiful, loving Millie

  whose voice always made me feel like I was safe and home.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE ~ FUN HOUSE

  CHAPTER TWO ~ ROSES

  CHAPTER THREE ~ SHAME

  CHAPTER FOUR ~ LESSONS

  CHAPTER FIVE ~ WILDFLOWERS

  CHAPTER SIX ~ REVELATIONS

  CHAPTER SEVEN ~ JOURNEY

  CHAPTER EIGHT ~ THE SEEKERS

  CHAPTER NINE ~ LIGHTS

  CHAPTER TEN ~ LIES

  CHAPTER ELEVEN ~ FAIRY TALES

  CHAPTER TWELVE ~ A NIGHTMARE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN ~ DESPAIR

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN ~ LUKE’S BEGINNING

  O, beautiful upon the grave,

  The starlight and the moonbeams lie!

  With such sweet watchers o'er our sleep,

  Why should we ever fear to die?

  ~Mary Ann H. Dodd Shutts (1813–1878), "The Broken-Hearted"

  CHAPTER ONE

  Fun House

  “Is that you Millie?” a young woman’s voice called out from another room.

  “Yes Ava, it’s us and we have brought you a visitor!” Millicent seemed to be talking differently. She was pronouncing all her words rather articulately, so clearly as though she was talking to someone from another country, where English may not be their first language.

  Ava appeared in the hallway looking surprised. I guess to her it must have looked rather strange to have a stranger walking into her house alone and standing in her hallway staring at the wall. Actually I was watching Millicent, waiting for her to introduce us and end this awkwardness.

  “Hi. I’m Ava,” she said, offering me her hand to shake. She is quite different. I don’t think I have seen anyone like her before. She is thin and taller than me by a few inches. Her hair is long and black. Straight as a board and it fell all the way down her back. She’s wearing black Doc Marten boots with black and white striped tights under a tiny black knit dress. When she smiled at me, I instantly felt at ease. I believe Ava might just be a lot of fun. I smile back and tell her I’m Natalie, a new friend of Millicent and Spencer. Ava gasps and looks towards Millicent.

  “Is it really her?” she squeals.

  “Yes, Ava, it is her, the one and only,” she said seriously.

  “Where is Hayden? Does he know she’s here?” she asks Spencer, I think, because she’s looking in his general direction, but she is off a bit.

  “No, Hayden doesn’t know where she is, but he is getting closer,” he said, looking at me.

  “We decided to bring Natalie out for some fun before Hayden catches up to her. I want to bring her to the Funhouse tonight,” Millicent tells her, which is news to me.

  “We will need your help though. Natalie is starving, and she doesn’t have any money on her. She left in a bit of a rush this morning,” Millicent explained, making me feel rather embarrassed.

  “Of course darling, come with me,” Ava said, clutching my hand and gently leading me into the house towards the kitchen. I prop myself up on a stool while I watch Ava fix me a bowl of vegetable soup and french bread with butter. I’m practically drooling when she places it in front of me. “Thank you so much,” I told her before digging in. I don’t even look up until I’m nearly finished. Everyone is watching me and I feel uncomfortable. I place my spoon down and take another bite of the bread before I nod.

  “Much better,” I tell Millie, who stands beside me. “So what is the funhouse?” I ask her.

  “It’s a dance club,” she smirks.

  “Why would I want to go to a dance club?” I ask her. Before she has a chance to answer, we hear footsteps coming down the stairs.

  “Mark, come here. We have an important guest.” Ava calls, clasping her hands together. A tall skinny man comes walking into the kitchen.

  “Oh, ‘ello. I’m Mark and you are?” he asks gruffly. He sounds as though he has just woken up.

  “Mark this is Natalie,” Ava informs him before I have a chance to say anything. He looks me over again then raises his eyebrow to Ava.

  “The Natalie Black we’ve heard so much about?” he asks her, ignoring me as I blush. I feel like a celebrity or something.

  “Yes, in the flesh and Hayden’s looking for her,” she tells him.

  “Well that’s interesting. It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Natatlie. Please, make yourself at home,” he said with a charming British accent. His flat, blond Mohawk bounces as he walks around the counter. I can’t help but look him over, he looks as interesting as Ava, with the holes in his jeans and red suspenders hanging down around his butt. He’s wearing a Ramones tee shirt with a dress shirt over top to finish the look. He is actually kind of cute, in a rough sort of way. His five o’clock shadow makes him look a little tougher than I think he really is.

  “Hi Spencer, Millicent?” he said, looking around. I smile and laugh.

  “They are over there,” I said, pointing in the opposite direction he was looking.

  “Right, I’m kind of rusty this morning,” he explains. It wasn’t actually the morning anymore either, but I decided not to be too smug. He lights a cigarette and tells me to come join him in the living room. I sit down on their large old plaid sofa, moving the colored cushions to the side. I finally allowed myself to relax a little. I lean back and sigh, taking in the room. The gold flowery wallpaper in the room is very dated but somehow looks right in this house. It’s starting to peel in a number of different spots, and there has been a leak or two judging by the stains on the ceiling. The floor is actually a really nice dark hardwood but they have put throw rugs everywhere, covering it up.

  “Can I offer you a beer or something?” he asks.

  “No thank you,” I reply, not wanting to get that comfortable yet. Hayden is still out there looking for me, if what Spencer said is true then he’ll find me before sunrise. I glance at him, leaning against the wall looking smug again.

  “Actually, I could really use a drink after the day I’ve had so far, if you don’t mind?” I say, apologetically. My nerves are rattled and I have a feeling there isn’t really anywhere for me to hide for long. If Hayden is a seeker, then I guess he’ll eventually find me, if he wants to.

  “No worries. I’ll be right back,” Mark said as he ran to the other room. Ava is looking at me, studying me.

  “You’re so much younger and smaller than I thought you would be. When did you start to see ghosts?” she asks. Before I answer Mark is back in the room and he hands me a drink.

  “Thank you,” I said smiling, knowing twenty questions are coming.

  “My pleasure,” he said, turning on some music. I look back at Ava, who’s waiting for me to answer her.

  “Well Ava, I’ve seen ghosts, since as far back as I have memories,” I reply. Eve
ryone seems amazed by my answer. “There was a time, when I was younger, that I believed everyone saw ghosts, that it was normal, we just didn’t talk about it,” I confess.

  “So, like, just so I get this straight, you can see them as though they are completely alive, just like me sitting here and you can hear them clearly as well when they speak?” Mark asks curiously.

  “Oh yes, I can and so much more actually,” I said, taking a sip, trying not to think of my nights with Adam, especially that last night we shared at his house.

  “So you can feel them too, right? You can hold their hands and run your fingers through their hair if you wanted to?” he asks, laughing at the idea. He either thinks this amazing or he’s completely terrified by it.

  “Spencer, come here and let me demonstrate,” I laugh too, enjoying the tension lifting.

  “Maybe later darling,” Spencer replies, smirking. I can tell he’s holding back a laugh.

  “That’s fucking amazing!” Mark blurts out. I jumped, surprised by his enthusiasm.

  “I guess it is, I’ve never really thought of it as amazing. It’s just something I’ve always had in my life. I’ve never truly been alone,” I said. Mark tilts his head at the idea, I can see sympathy in his eyes, understanding that it may not be as amazing as he thought.

  “So did I hear there is to be some revelry tonight, Millie?” he asks, changing the subject to something lighter.

  “Yes, we want you and Ava to bring Natalie with you to the Funhouse. Spencer and I will come along too,” Millicent explains.

  “That’s a great plan, there are going to be some wild bands tonight. It’ll be a blast. Do you have any steel toed shoes or boots? I’d hate for your feet to get stomped on the dance floor,” he informs me, raising a brow.

  “Unfortunately, I don’t have much at all with me,” I explain meekly. That’s when Ava jumps up.

  “Oh Natalie, can I dress you up tonight? I have lots of outfits to choose from, we are close enough in size. It’ll be fun, I’ll do your hair and you can wear a pair of my boots,” she said smiling, pulling me up beside her.

  “How can I say no?” I reply laughing. I haven’t felt like a regular teenager in a long time, if ever. This might be the closest I get to it.

  We spend the rest of the day talking casually and drinking. Mark taught me some drinking games and we lit up a few special cigarettes. I was feeling pretty good by the time we went upstairs to find outfits to wear to the club. Ava pulled out three dresses for me to choose from. One was a dark blue mini dress, the second was a longer black one and the third one was a short satiny blood red dress. That’s the one I chose. She gave me a pair of black socks that went above my knees, leaving a little bit of skin showing from where the sock ended and the skirt started. I loved the way it looked on me. I have never worn anything that made me feel so sexy, aside from the nightgown Hayden gave me, but I certainly wouldn't have worn that out in public. She finishes it off by lending me a pair of black Doc Martens to protect my feet. She straightened my long brown hair and parted it far over to one side so it covered one of my eyes a little. She said it made me look mysterious. Perfect, I thought. She went to work on my face. She put black eyeliner under my eyes, a light smoky shadow on my lids then curled my eyelashes. Once she applied the black mascara she put red lipstick on my lips and painted my nails a deep crimson red. I stood up to look in her mirror.

  “Wow, I don’t even recognize myself. You are amazing!” I told her. I couldn’t stop smiling.

  “Hayden won’t recognize you either,” Millicent said as she came in. She gave me a quick hug. I squeezed her back and noticed Ava was in awe of this. She must have seen my hair move and my arms holding something invisible to her. Spencer walked in after her.

  “Are you decent?” he asked, smiling.

  “What do you think?” I asked him, as I twirled around.

  “Well I wouldn’t say you’re decent. You look like a beautiful seductress ready for the night,” Spencer grinned. It was as close to a compliment as I would get from him.

  “Thank you. That is exactly the look we were going for,” I said, smiling.

  “Why didn’t anyone tell me the party was in here?” Mark said as he came stumbling into the room.

  “Holy Shit!” he stammered. “Who the hell is this? Be still my beating heart,” he swooned.

  “You’re too sweet,” I said, pinching his cheek.

  “You’re beautiful!” he said as he walked behind me and whistled. I laughed.

  “Watch yourself!” Ava scolded while grinning at him.

  “So sorry, where are my manners,” he said, sounding so sophisticated.

  “It’s time to go,” Spencer said ominously. I started to wonder if he was setting me up for something. Did he let Hayden know I was here or where we were going? I hoped not. I’m not ready to see him yet.

  Millicent took my hand as we walked down the porch steps. I turned to make sure Ava and Mark were not far behind me. I wanted to enter the club with them. Millicent sensed my nervousness and told me to relax. This was supposed to be a fun night. I nodded, reassuring myself. I needed to let go and have fun. I was young after all. I deserved to have some fun in this life didn’t I?

  Once we reached the entrance to the club Mark stepped out in front and grasped Ava’s hand and mine. He was feeling suddenly confident as he approached the entrance of the club with two women on either side of him. As we entered the club the bouncer seemed to recognize Mark right away. He came walking over quickly.

  “Hey Mark. Look at you. You are one lucky man tonight! Ava, my darling, you look lovely as always,” he said as he kissed her cheek.

  “And may I ask who this beauty on your other arm is?” he asked.

  “This lovely lady is Natalie,” Mark told him, as he squeezed my hand.

  “Natalie, it is my pleasure to meet you, have a good night guys,” he said excitedly. Once inside Ava took my hand and led me over to a small group of tables at the far side of the room. Mark stayed back to talk to the bouncer. I saw them look over to us and then back to each other. I hoped there wouldn’t be a problem over my age. Mark walked over to us and sat down beside Ava. He whispered something in her ear that made her glance quickly at me.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, prepared to have to leave.

  “I’m sorry honey. I didn’t mean to upset you. Let’s have some fun while we can. Mark darling, can you get us a couple drinks please,” Ava asked him, tapping his hand.

  “Yes, of course,” he said, getting up and walking over to the bar. The club was starting to fill up quickly. There were some really interesting people here.

  “Natalie,” Ava grabbed my hand, looking panicked.

  “Yes, tell me, Ava, what is it,” I replied, feeling anxious. I knew Mark was privy to some knowledge he shared with Ava.

  “Apparently Hayden has been asking around all day if anyone here has seen you. Up until now, of course, nobody has. I can’t guarantee Hayden hasn’t put out some sort of compensation for your safe return. I thought you should know he’ll probably show up before the night is over,” she warned. Mark reappeared and put my drink down in front of me.

  “Thank you. I owe you,” I said, starting to chug it. Mark hooted. “You go girl.” I jumped up and headed to the dance floor. Ava was quickly behind me. We danced with everybody around us. Millicent was right about it getting warm in here quickly. I was so happy bouncing around the floor with everybody else. I was so grateful Ava lent me her boots. When the first band started we quickly moved away from the crazy mosh pit forming in front of the stage. I loved watching the boys bounce into each other. I have never seen such an energetic crowd before. The uniform of the club included spiked black leather belts, jeans full of rips and tee shirts begging to be ripped off. The hair was a mix of Mohawks, shaved heads and so many numerous colors. I couldn’t help but wonder if Hayden would actually show up here. This wasn’t really his scene.

  I met some of Ava and Mark's friends. Everyone was fri
endly and in good spirits. I accepted all of their offers for drinks. My head was beginning to spin and Johnny, one of Mark's friends, I think, put his hand around my waist, leading me over to an empty table.

  “I think you need a rest,” he said smiling. Millicent and Spencer sat down at the table with us. I smiled at them and they shook their heads, warning me not to talk to them or him, I wasn’t sure which. Why didn’t they speak?

  “Right,” I said, nodding. Johnny looked at me.

  “I’m sorry, did I miss something?” he asks.

  “No, I’m sorry, I’m fine,” I said looking back at the dance floor. I couldn’t find Ava or Mark. Johnny was starting to make me nervous. His whole head was covered in spikes. I have never seen so many on one head. How could he possibly lie down with hair like that?

  “I like your hair,” I said, touching one of his spikes. It was so unbelievably stiff. “Wow!” I said, slightly shocked at my boldness. His smile was odd as he moved closer to me, like a snake after a mouse.

  “You like that do you?” he said grinning. I shouldn’t have said anything, quickly realizing he took that as an invitation. Ava, where are you?

  “So where are you staying tonight Natalie?” he asks, really starting to creep me out now. Millicent and Spencer disappeared. I’m alone with this freak. I look around frantically for Ava and Mark. How could they leave me like this? He put his hand on mine and was looking at me with a strange look on his face, like he was thinking of what he might like to do to me. Panic rose in me as I tried to pull my hand from him. I considered shouting for help when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

  “You can remove your hand from her now. I’m taking her home,” he said as he reached under my arms to help me up. The man with the spikes was about to protest, but Ava and Mark finally appeared beside me. He quickly got up and jumped into the mosh pit. I slowly turned around to see Hayden standing behind me. I was completely drunk, but seeing him seemed to sober me up a lot. I tried to stop the tears from coming, knowing my mascara would run and I didn’t want to look a mess. He noticed the tears in my eyes. Giving me one of his sexy grins, he reached a hand around my waist pulling me close to him. I eagerly wrapped my hands around his neck. He kissed my forehead and I didn’t attempt to move out of his grasp. He thanked Ava and Mark. I smiled at Millicent and Spencer, before he led me out of the club. I turned to wave goodbye to my new friends. Ava whispered the words, ‘I’ll see you soon.’ I nodded. Millicent smirked, like she knew all along that I would be thrilled to see Hayden again and I was.