Into the depths of shadows

Chapter 3 - A step in the right direction

Finley sat alone in the big, modern house. Her legs were curled up to her chest as she sat against the window watching as the sun went down. Rays of yellow and orange streaked the sky. Night was coming quickly but Finley wasn't excited. Normally she would be getting ready for a new assignment but tonight she was not going anywhere. Tate and Harley had already left and despite her protests they hadn't permitted her to go. So now she was sulking.

She hated not knowing what was happening. She hated waiting for them to return. She wanted to go out and fight the monsters. But she also didn't want to disappoint Tate any more than she already had. Tate had been in Finley's life for as long as she could remember. He had been best friends with Aiden and he'd always been a part of her life. She had memories of him playing games with her as a child, rescuing her from trees after she'd climbed too high and teaching her how to hold a blade without chopping her own hand off. Tate had become like a second brother and she was so grateful to have him in her life.

But it made what she'd done so much worse. She'd spent the whole day at school replaying the events of the previous night and trying to figure out how she was going to make it up to him. But the only thing she could think of to regain Tate's trust was to stay put and do as he asked. So she was sitting alone miserably, desperately wanting to be with them.

Her mind wandered as it often did when she was stressed, debating her actions. She couldn't stop herself from being worried. She didn't want anything to happen to Tate or Harley. The anticipation was killing her.

A loud bang on the door caused her to jump before she sighed and removed herself from the window seat. She moved through the house wondering who was banging on the door at this time of night. The closer she got to the door, the louder the banging was. The door creaked and bulged as someone bashed against the other side. She hesitated a moment as she reached for the handle. Her hands were suddenly sweaty and her heart was pounding a little faster than normal. She didn't know why she was nervous. She shook her mind free of fear and opened the door.

A dark haired figure stood in the dim lighting of the doorway. His luminous green eyes glowed as they looked at her with anger. He was dressed in dark jeans and a hooded jumper which reminded her of a character in one of the books she had read. There was something about his stance that gave her the impression that he was angry. She wondered how he'd found her address.

"Kade what are you doing here?" She asked pulling the door a little closer to where she was so that the doorway was blocked by her body.

"I want answers now!" He shouted, "I want to talk to your friend."

She shook her head. "Go home Kade. I already told you what happened."
She was surprised by how calm she was. She was tired of lying and trying to keep it a secret and she didn't want to put up with Kade's demands.

"No I'm not leaving until I speak with your friend," he said, sweat running down the side of his face. She glanced past him at the shinny red motorbike and concluded that he'd obviously ridden there. But that didn't explain why he was sweating. It was almost like he was afraid of something. She looked at him closely and it was only then that she realized the slight tremble in his hands.

"Tate isn't here right now," she said honestly still trying to figure out why he looked so strange. Suddenly, Kade pushed past her and into the house. She swore at herself for being so unprepared. She closed the door behind her before following him. He was yelling at the top of his lungs demanding answers. There was a certain amount of desperation in his voice.

"Kade stop!" She said grabbing his arm, "I told you Tate isn't here and even if he was he wouldn't talk to you."

He turned on her, his eyes glaring into her soul. "I need to know Finley! I need to know the truth. I'm going insane trying to piece it all together. Please just tell me."