Destined to Fall (An Angel Falls Book 5) Read online

  People mill about, some climb the stairs in hope of a trimmer waistline or rounder butt or maybe because they’re masochistic. Other visitors picnic in the stands or wander around, exploring the outdoor theater and grounds. I turn my attention to the stage. The place where the famous, or want-to-be famous, bleed their desires and heartaches in the form of music. This is where Jared will be tonight. His guitar will sing, hum, and chant for him. The instrument will rip out his passion and project it into the crowd and amphitheater of his dreams.

  Star stands in front of me. The calculating behind her dark amber eyes has me wary, but I lean in to listen as she explains something to me. I hear her instructions, but it’s as if she’s talking through water. I’m about to ask her to repeat herself, but she suddenly looks startled and flinches. She turns back to me and stuffs a small messy clump of beads and feathers into my hand.

  “What’s this?” I ask.

  “Follow my lead,” she says, and keeps looking around for something, or someone.

  I stare at the clump in my hand. It’s woven of black and white feathers with tiny trinkets tied to it. A small clock face, multicolored beads, a crescent moon and sun, an acorn, and a snake. The miniature snake sends a chilling ripple down my spine. The next thing I know, Star’s unusual gift pulls me forward. Time zips ahead in a blur of flashing stage lights, pounding drums, and peeling guitars. Caleb sings a familiar lyric. It’s something I helped write.

  I’m suddenly blinded. Fear strikes an unimaginable blow to my senses. Stealing not only my vision, but also my breath, and my ability to comprehend reality. Disoriented, I stumble about until my vision clears. I’m standing to the far side of stage right. There’s arguing nearby and I turn to better hear the familiar voices. Then I notice my brother lying flat on his back. Marcus faces away from me. The argument is between Jared and Marcus. Only Jared is in two places at once. His body is on the ground but his spirit is upright.

  Suddenly, there’s chaos everywhere on stage. The members of Mostly Mayhem move in closer. People rush around in the periphery. The stagehands keep a wide berth with equally wide eyes. Star is surrounded by her band mates. She appears shaken and close to panic. I’m appalled she isn’t trying to help Jared. I thought she loved him. Why isn’t she doing something? I see everything, but I can’t get over the fact that my brother isn’t moving. He’s dead. This is it. We’ve been waiting for the moment to happen, but it’s still unreal.

  I run forward and throw myself down next to Jared. Except it’s not me and it is me. It’s another me. Why am I not talking to Jared’s spirit? He’s obviously not in his body any longer. How am I seeing this? I stare at my dream self. Then I look back and forth like that until I’m spinning and confused.

  “Juliana. Wake up. Please, love,” he says.

  “Nooo,” I moan and bury my face against Nathaniel.

  I shake my head in denial. “Nooo,” I say again. “They’re supposed to stop now.”

  “Another vision?” Nathaniel asks as he strokes my back. “You’re awake now. Let it pass,” he soothes.

  I inhale a deep breath and blow it out. Then repeat.

  “Would it help to tell me about it?”

  “Yes. No,” I say confused. “I rescued Chris and the horses. I don’t want any more visions.”

  Nathaniel is oddly quiet for a second and then asks, “You want to hit something? Violence is always a good solution.”

  Unable to stop the smile, I shake my head at his suggestion. “No, it isn’t.”

  “I’m trying new tactics. My usual M.O. hasn’t been working so well. We could go blow up your trashcans or take a chainsaw into the woods and demolish some dead trees. That sounds satisfying, doesn’t it?”

  “It does. Except it probably won’t stop my blasted brain from conjuring what I don’t want to know about the future.”

  The image of Jared’s passing rises to my mind’s eye. My entire body shudders. Nathaniel wraps me tighter in his arms.

  “Jared. Tonight—” is all I can say as emotion staggers me and my voice fails.

  “You don’t have to say any more, Jules.”

  I cling to Nathaniel until the images fade.

  ∞

  Nathaniel

  “She’s been hiding you from us, hasn’t she?” Charlotte Crowson asks as Juliana and I make our way downstairs.

  Juliana’s grandmother turns from facing the television in the family room and eyes me like I’m a spectacle on display. The unnerving look is thorough but not necessarily uncomfortable. There’s a unique quality about Mrs. Crowson which interests me. Her scrutiny sort of reminds me of how Juliana looks at me, and then again, it sort of reminds me of how Chris stares at me, too.

  “Grandma!” Juliana says as she skirts in front of me and whisks her grandmother to the kitchen. “I am not,” she defends.

  Mrs. Crowson takes another look over her shoulder at me as she’s led into the other room. On the TV, a news anchorwoman stands in front of apocalyptic cloud of rising smoke. The distant hills covered with pine and cedar trees and sagebrush look all too familiar in the background. The crawl line reads that an estimated fifteen hundred acres have already burned and there is five percent containment. Cringing, I turn to face the women in the kitchen. As the saying goes, out of the smoke and into the fire.

  “Fess up, honey. You’re keeping him to yourself so your mother and I won’t drool on him. What a handsome young man you’ve found.”

  Her voice is high pitched and sweet as honey. Juliana has been keeping me from her family, but I won’t sell her out. At least, not yet.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Crowson. Juliana, do you want me to start some tea while the two of you work out your differences of opinion?”

  Jules cuts me a look and I try hard not to laugh. She’s flustered at being caught by her Grandmother and it’s the greatest thing I’ve seen in days.

  “Tea is an absolute must, Nathaniel. Thank you,” Mrs. Crowson says.

  “I was getting ready to call you.” Jules tries to steer her grandma to the dining table.

  Mrs. Crowson lingers near the kitchen counter, observing me with her golden-brown eyes. Her hair is long and straight like Juliana’s, but it’s mostly silver with streaks of pure white and a few strands of her original black.

  “I think it’s about time we had a formal introduction, Mrs. Crowson. Juliana does keep me to herself.”

  “I suspect I know the reason why, but I fully disagree with her.”

  My brows reach for my hairline as I grab the teakettle. Could she really know? Juliana said her paranormal abilities come from her grandmother. And Juliana thought Charlotte Crowson may know what I am on sight, which is why I’ve been kept a secret. She was giving me an interesting once over as we came down the stairs.

  “It’s an honor to meet the head of Juliana’s family. I’m an open book. Feel free to ask anything,” I offer. “And I should admit I didn’t know until now that Juliana’s mind-boggling beauty comes straight from her grandmother.”

  Juliana sort of chokes and sputters after my announcement, then disappears behind a cabinet door below the countertop before I see her expression.

  Mrs. Crowson reaches up to smooth her perfectly combed and braided hair. “Flattery will get you nowhere with me, sweet boy,” she coos the warning, and a smile plays around her mouth. “Her grandfather and father were such lookers, too. Julie gets it from all of her family members.”

  I hear some throat clearing going on from my hidden girlfriend, and then she says, “Excuse me. I’m in the room.”

  “Well, what do you want me to say?” Mrs. Crowson asks. “That we’re all ugly mutts?”

  “No, but the two of you need to stop it. It’s weird.” Jules reappears, glares at us, and bends down to pour cat food into Ariel’s dish. With the rattle of the bag, Juliana’s cat materializes from thin air and buries her face in the food bowl.

  Juliana stashes the kibble and sighs. Surrendering to the inevitable, she says, “Grandma, this is
my incredibly cute boyfriend, Nathaniel Evans. And Nathaniel, this is my incredibly nosy and persistent grandmother, Charlotte Crowson.”

  “Well, it’s about time, dear. He shouldn’t be kept hidden from me any longer.”

  Juliana’s eye roll amuses me, but I try not to let it show as I wait for the water to boil in the kettle.

  “With that out of the way, let’s get straight to it. You wouldn’t believe how my hair and eyes are changing color after the lightning strike. It’s the darndest thing,” Mrs. Crowson says.

  “Did your eye doctor say anything about the color change?” Her previous tone of annoyed frustration instantly switches to concern as the conversation changes to her grandma’s health.

  “He said it’s an unusual side effect and my vision has to be monitored closely. My eyes are one of the reasons I’m here, honey.”

  “What?” Juliana asks, and the alarm in her voice makes me look over from monitoring the stove. “What’s wrong now? Who’s watching the store? Oh crud. Am I supposed to be at work today? I’ve totally lost track. And now with the fire outside of town and everything with Jared. My brain is whacked.”

  “Now, now.” Mrs. Crowson pats Juliana’s arm. “Don’t have a panic attack. Let’s drink tea and I’ll fill you in. I couldn’t wait any longer to tell you. I was afraid I would miss you again so I came over and waited for you to wake up.”

  Juliana presses her palms to her temples and squeezes. “Grandma, I don’t know if I can take any more news.”

  “It is such a shame about the fire outside of town. How were you two involved?” she asks as if she were asking about the time of day and not if we were there when it started the night before.

  “Grandma! But how? I mean, who told you we were there?”

  Mrs. Crowson moves around to my side of the counter and opens the cabinet containing the herbs and teas. She begins lining up an assortment of Juliana’s herbs.

  “No one told me a thing. It’s my eyes. They’ve changed so much, but it’s not a matter for the doctor.”

  Juliana backs up until her legs bump into one of the chairs by the dining table. She sits without looking and half misses the seat. I catch her before she hits the floor and tip her onto the chair without thinking of the consequences. It’s a reflex I’ve developed and is apparently out of my control.

  Juliana squeezes her eyes shut and shudders. She understands completely what I’ve just done to incriminate myself.

  “Well now,” Mrs. Crowson says. “If I didn’t already suspect you were of the angelic realm, I might have thought you were some kind of superhero.”

  Keeping a steadying hand on Jules, I turn to face Mrs. Crowson. “You’re okay with this?”

  “I couldn’t say for certain until I tracked you down and saw you with my new eyes. Now I know my sight isn’t playing tricks on me. You’re a welcome friend as far as I’m concerned.” She begins to spoon loose herbs from the jars into the kettle.

  A thump sounds behind me and I see Juliana’s head planted on the tabletop. She shakes her head back and forth and says, “Oh, my God. Is this really happening?”

  “He’s a nice young man. You’re lucky to have one another.”

  “Grandma, did you just say you came over to see Nathaniel for yourself?” Juliana raises her head and turns her green eyes on Mrs. Crowson.

  “That’s right. I had a vision I couldn’t make sense of. With the change in my eyes, I knew I had to see him. The lightning strike gave me such a surprising gift. I’m seeing everything in an entirely new way. You should see the two of you through my eyes. It’s a wonder. All light and waves. It’s so beautiful, honey.”

  “Visions, too?” Juliana asks.

  The dread in her voice is so painfully familiar. Her visions have been a curse these last few weeks.

  “The visions have come and gone my whole life. It’s been some time, but this summer has brought many. The fire is a recent one. Nathaniel’s wings were another one. And now, well, Julie, I think we need to have a talk about the future of our family.”

  If I didn’t know Jules so well, I wouldn’t think it was impossible for her to be any paler than she already is, but the blanching of her skin frightens me.

  “Nathaniel doesn’t have wings,” she mumbles.

  “It’s symbolic, dear. My mind contains a million pictures that mean something different for every image. What has meaning to me may be different for you. The symbol of wings clearly meant angel.” She strains the tea into two coffee mugs. “Do you drink tea, Nathaniel?”

  “Not right now, thank you.”

  “Sit with us,” she instructs, and moves to the table and places a steaming cup in front of Jules.

  “Grandma, you’re sort of freaking me out. I think I should leave now and we can talk later. I’m headed up to Denver. Actually, Jared’s show is in Morrison tonight.”

  I take the seat to Juliana’s right.

  “Red Rocks? Oh, that makes more sense,” she says as if some vital piece of information has suddenly clicked into place. She sips her tea. “Best place for a concert. Your grandfather and I have been there many times.”

  “Really?” Juliana asks.

  “I haven’t always been an old woman, you know.” She tsks.

  The look of love in her eyes for her granddaughter is so keen I know I will always adore this woman.

  “As for you.” She stares straight at me. “You will do fine. I’m afraid of what is happening, but you will have an important role to play very soon. I want to thank you for taking care of us during this time.”

  She really knows. How it’s possible is beyond my comprehension, but the certainty of her knowledge ripples through me and keeps going like a passing current. I try to catch it before it slips away, but the truth is so damn elusive. Charlotte Crowson knows Jared is dying. That his time is coming to an end and I’m here to comfort the family. My thoughts immediately reach out and pull at the fraying ends of what was just said. What else does she know?

  “You’re welcome. I can’t imagine being anywhere else or with anyone else,” I say carefully.

  She drinks tea and continues to watch me.

  I’m about to ask her what she means exactly about my role in all this when Juliana says, “Wait a second. No, Grandma. Please, stop this. I can’t take anymore.”

  Juliana rises from her chair, tea in hand, and backs away from the table.

  “It’s difficult for us, Julie. Don’t walk away. We have each other and that is where we can draw strength.”

  “Nah-nah-nah-nah,” Juliana chants and presses her free hand over her ear. “I’m not talking about this right now. I have a long drive today and I don’t want the distraction of this conversation.”

  Jules scurries out of the room and heads for the stairs.

  “Where are you going?” I ask, but she doesn’t stop or say anything more.

  I rise to follow my girlfriend. “She had a long day yesterday and she’s worried about tonight,” I say.

  Mrs. Crowson reaches across the table as if to stop me. “Is she seeing the future in her visions?”

  “I think so. Juliana said it will happen tonight.”

  “I had the same sight,” Charlotte says, and the solemnity of her declaration weighs down the room like leaden cloud cover.

  “He’s a special boy. There’s no one like him. My grandson will be… He is,” she falters and I lay my hand over hers and squeeze.

  “He will be loved and taken care of always.”

  “It is heartbreaking. Sometimes, I wonder if all the men I love will be taken early.” She sighs. “I wanted to welcome you to my family, Nathaniel. No one will ever replace Jared, but having you here will ease our grief.”

  “You have faith in me I may not deserve,” I say.

  “I’ve seen much. I’m glad you’re here.”

  She scoots her chair back and stands. Then her arms are around me and the hug she gives me feels like home. Like the arms of my mother when I was young. It’s slightly uncom
fortable and embarrassing, but so warm and reassuring that I embrace her back and let her hold me until she pulls away.

  “I’m going to go check on Jules. Do you want me to try and send her back down here?” I offer.

  Charlotte Crowson has tender tears in the corner of her eyes as she smiles at me. “You already understand my granddaughter well. I heard you say ‘try,’ and I think your try will probably fail. Let her have her space right now.”

  I nod in agreement. Juliana’s hard-headedness is best dealt with by giving her a wide berth and waiting it out. She’s not unreasonable, but it’s best to let her come to her own conclusions before inserting unwanted suggestions.

  I move toward the stairs, but Mrs. Crowson stops me with her hand on my arm. “Trust your heart, Nathaniel. It will never lead you astray.”

  It wasn’t what I was expecting. Not that I was expecting anything in particular from this remarkable lady. “Why are the hardest things in life so easy to say but so hard to accomplish?” I ask.

  “Hard and easy are two sides of the same coin, Nathaniel. When the time comes, look at the other side. And now, I have to figure out how to explain all this to my daughter-in-law.”

  “I will do my best,” I say. Having forgotten all about Diane and feeling rather dense, I ask, “Where is Juliana’s mom?”

  “She has errands to run. She left shortly before you two came downstairs. When she returns, we will have a conversation. I don’t know how it will go. Some things never get easier in life.” She squeezes my hand and transfers subliminal messages directly from her eyes to my subconscious.

  The intimate gesture is as odd as it sounds. I shake it off and take the stairs two at time. Follow my heart. It’s the message that sticks. All the rest will have to go into the “have faith everything will work out in the end” file.

  ∞

  What is the saying? “All that will go wrong will happen exactly when you need it not to.” I’m sure I’m remembering incorrectly, but it fits the current situation.

  Juliana stands in front of the bathroom mirror, arranging her hair in a twisty braid pinned and wrapped around the back of her head. I watch because, well, I like to look at my girlfriend, but also because she nearly always wears her hair loose and I want to see what she’s trying to accomplish.