Daniel Taylor and the Dark Legacy Read online

  “What spell have you cast on me?” she murmured, sighing.

  Just as she was about to lower the binoculars, Daniel shifted in his chair. He turned to his desk and seemed to be writing something.

  Is he actually doing his homework on a Friday afternoon? Since when has he been such a nerd?

  He suddenly held up a big sheet of paper to his window on which he had written: “I know that you’re watching me!” Her heart stopped. She let go of the cord to her blinds and almost fell backward. Her pulse raced. He had seemed to look right at her with those catlike eyes of his!

  How did he know? Danny must have the instincts of a wild animal!

  She restlessly paced up and down her room, changing into a light-colored T-shirt and a flowered skirt. How embarrassing — Danny must think I’m some kind of Peeping Tom! Or he suspects it. Oh, no, what if he’s worked out that I have a crush on him? And what if he’s grossed out by it and won’t ever speak to me again? Her blood ran cold. But her curiosity finally got the best of her.

  She carefully pulled the blinds back up, but Daniel wasn’t sitting at his desk anymore. Before leaving, he had stuck another sheet of paper to his window: “Okay, I’ll go to the party with you.”

  “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Beaming, Vanessa pushed away from her desk and danced across the room like a crazed goblin.

  Vanessa was still in seventh heaven as she lay down on her towel to dry off in the sun. The little lake surrounded by a forest, situated at the bottom of the hill on which Little Peak had been built, was an oasis for the local residents. In summer, everyone in town who didn’t have to work was there, and even now — at the end of October — it was still warm enough to swim in this part of California. Vendors and kiosks sold ice cream and other snacks, and there were areas for beach volleyball, basketball, and tennis, as well as a mini-golf course and a large playground. A track for inline skating and skateboarders had been built the previous year in the nearby forest, and the locals also enjoyed a well-maintained fitness trail. Vanessa had tried jogging there a few times, but had given up because she was worried she might get even thinner. She knew this was ridiculous, since a few extra muscles might give her a little more bulk. Maybe she should drop the excuses and start running again.

  A ladybug was climbing up a nearby daisy. The sun warming her back, Vanessa dreamily watched as it tried to reach the next blade of grass.

  Colleen touched her shoulder. “Look over there, Nessa — isn’t that Daniel jumping into the water? The one in the blue swim trunks.” Colleen nodded toward the opposite shore, her damp blond hair swaying slightly with the motion of her head.

  Vanessa’s heart immediately beat a little faster. She pulled her cap lower over her eyes and examined the tall boy in the blue shorts. Even though they were some distance away, she recognized him immediately. He’s basically a full-grown man, and I’m flat as a board, she thought. The tightness in her chest was a clear indication of how crazy she was for Danny. “He said he didn’t want to come,” she murmured, feeling tremendous disappointment rising within her. He was probably ashamed to be seen with her.

  “He’s cute, isn’t he?” Colleen had pulled her glasses out of her tote bag and was gazing over at the opposite shore. “Yeah, he’s got a certain something — a nice ass, to say the least.”

  Nessa shrugged, hoping her flushed cheeks might be mistaken for sunburn. Colleen was her best friend, but Vanessa hadn’t yet told her anything. What she felt for Danny was a very personal secret.

  “It’s a pity he’s such a weirdo,” Colleen said, putting her glasses away again.

  Nessa spun around to face her. “What do you mean by that?”

  “You know, he’s just so … different. Those bulky black clothes he always wears. He looks like the Grim Reaper’s son, or one of those Goth freaks.”

  “Maybe he just likes black clothes. There are some Goths at our school, and I think they’re all right. They don’t bother anyone.”

  “Why doesn’t Daniel hang out with them, then? He’s always alone.” Colleen frowned. “It wasn’t always like this.”

  Vanessa also remembered that he used to hang around with other kids. When had that changed?

  Colleen lowered her voice. “I can’t really explain it, but I find him a little spooky. He always looks so sinister, so … well, different.”

  “Hmmm,” Nessa simply said, since she didn’t agree with Colleen’s assessment at all. Okay, scarcely at all. Daniel really had changed somewhat. Vanessa was happy to have a good friend like Colleen Clayton, even though she was a little jealous of her dazzling blue eyes and perfect figure. All the boys in school had the hots for her. No wonder Danny had never noticed her, next to her perfect friend! Colleen and she had many classes together, and Danny was in most of them as well.

  “We should mark today in our calendars with a gold star,” Coll continued, grinning. “His swimsuit isn’t BLACK!”

  “You nut!” Vanessa laughed and hit her lightly on the arm.

  Colleen giggled. She rummaged through her bag and offered Vanessa a stick of gum. “I’m just saying!”

  Nessa took the gum gratefully. Coll wasn’t like so many of their classmates, people who were only nice to her so that she’d do their homework. If Nessa were to tell her that she’d fallen for Danny, Colleen surely wouldn’t hit on him. Anyhow, the way it seemed, her friend didn’t want anything to do with him, which relieved Nessa immensely.

  “You’ve known Daniel for a long time,” Colleen said. “Haven’t you noticed that he doesn’t have any friends? During breaks, he’s always alone, staring into space, and when anyone tries to talk to him, he can be so abrasive.”

  “Yeah, I’ve known Danny my whole life. We played together a lot as kids. If his behavior is strange, I might not see it, just because I’m so used to it. He’s just the quiet type, I guess.”

  “His parents must be a bit weird … he must have gotten it from somewhere.”

  Vanessa unobtrusively watched Daniel as he swam laps across the lake. He glided through the water as smoothly as a fish, swimming underwater for several strokes at a time. “The Taylors seemed pretty normal to me.”

  “Seemed?” Colleen raised an eyebrow.

  “Well, his father moved out last year.”

  “Oh, right.” Colleen scratched her chin. “I forgot about that.”

  “His mother has gotten a little strange since then, but that’s understandable,” Vanessa went on. “It must have been awful when her husband suddenly left her.”

  Her friend wrinkled her nose. “Do you think that’s why Daniel flunked those classes last year? He must have taken the breakup pretty hard.”

  “As far as I know, he was never really close to his father. He was a typical mama’s boy.” Vanessa smiled, remembering how Daniel had literally clung to his mother’s apron strings as a small child. “Well, not anymore, of course. When he’s at home, he hides away in his room most of the time.”

  Colleen nodded vigorously. “See, that’s what I mean — he isolates himself from everyone. There’s something wrong there.”

  “I’d say it’s a fairly normal reaction,” Nessa murmured. She felt a pang in her chest. How hard it must have been for Daniel, watching his father disappear from their lives.

  “My mom heard that the police brought him home last month!”

  Vanessa’s pulse accelerated. Was Danny in trouble with the police? “I haven’t heard anything about that. What did he supposedly do?”

  Collen shrugged. “No idea.”

  Nessa was mad that her friend knew more about Daniel than she did. He hadn’t said anything to her; maybe it was just a rumor.

  She glanced back toward the lake and saw that Daniel was swimming toward the shore. She could only see his shoulders and his dark hair, but her heart still skipped a beat.

  “Guess what? He’s coming with me to Rebecca’s party.” She couldn’t quite believe it was true. He hadn’t actually said so in person, after all.

  “You have a date
with the unapproachable hermit?” Coll leaned closer, her eyes widening. “And you’re just telling me this now?”

  “It’s not a date.” Nessa shook her head. “Danny’s my friend.”

  “You mean, like, friends who kiss each other?”

  “COLLEEN!” Vanessa watched Daniel out of the corner of her eye. Luckily, he was way too far away to overhear them. It looked like he hadn’t even seen them. “Couldn’t you speak a little softer?” Nessa glanced around them, but it didn’t seem like anyone was eavesdropping on their conversation.

  Colleen looked a little miffed. “Well, crap, I would have liked to at that party — I could have given Cupid a helping hand. You’d definitely make a cute couple.”

  “We’ll never be a couple, because we’re just FRIENDS, you incorrigible matchmaker!” Vanessa retorted, although just the thought of Danny and her together sent a tingle down her spine. Would he be a good kisser? she asked herself. Surely he would be, with those shapely, soft lips.

  “Did you know that Rebecca lives next to that creepy house — old Mrs. Adams’ house?” Colleen changed the subject.

  “Coll, you know me better than that.” Vanessa placed her chewing gum back in its wrapper, because the flavor was all gone. “I don’t believe in ghost stories.” Of course, she had heard that weird things supposedly happened in Edna Adams’ house, but in a tiny town like Little Peak, rumors flew, and the truth could be quickly distorted. Edna was probably just a harmless old lady, nothing more. All the talk of witchcraft and black magic, the story that she had killed her husband — Vanessa took that for nonsense. She’d rather believe in her daydreams than in supernatural beings.

  After Daniel reached the shore, he shook out his coal-black hair, the drops of water glittering like pearls in the sun. For just a moment, he looked directly at them. Vanessa held her breath. Had he seen her?

  But Danny simply turned away again and walked off into the forest.

  “Nessa, what’s the matter?” Colleen shook her shoulder. “Did someone turn you into a pillar of salt?”

  “There was a bee.” This was only a white lie, Vanessa told herself, since she really did have a fear of insects. But the truth was that she had sensed something when Danny had looked at her. It was as though he had cried out for help, even though he hadn’t moved his lips.

  She shook her head almost imperceptibly, scolding herself for her dumb ideas. Love was making her stupid.

  Her heart was still beating faster than normal when Coll suddenly called out, “There’s Tommy! Hey, Tommy!” Coll waved to her brother. A young man who closely resembled Colleen waved back. Tommy was four years older than his sister and had the same white-blond hair, like everyone in the Clayton family.

  Colleen jumped up. “I have to take off; we’re leaving early tomorrow morning. Should we give you a ride home? We can put our bicycles in the back of the truck.”

  Tommy had been given an old pickup truck on his eighteenth birthday, and Colleen took advantage of this whenever she could. At first, Tommy had basically been Colleen’s chauffeur, and now that she had her learner’s permit, he was the designated responsible adult. Colleen was very lucky to have a brother who bore all her demands without complaint. This was another thing that Nessa, an only child, envied about her friend. She would have liked to get her driver’s license along with Colleen, but Vanessa’s parents rarely let her drive …

  Smiling, Vanessa said, “Nah, I’ll stay a little longer. Besides, I can make it up Peak Hill no problem.”

  Making sure that her brother didn’t overhear her, Colleen whispered, “Because of Daniel, right?”

  Vanessa grinned; blood rushed to her cheeks. “Busted.”

  Colleen ran over to her brother, pushing her bicycle, then turned and waved back to Vanessa. “Have fun at the party!”

  “You have fun at Disney World! Have a good flight!” Vanessa called back to them. She waited until the siblings were out of sight; she then quickly packed up her T-shirt, skirt, and towel in her backpack, set herself on her mountain bike, and followed the gravel path around the lake until she reached the spot where Danny had disappeared into the forest.

  I’ll just say a brief hello, then I’ll leave him alone, she decided, leaning her bicycle against a tree and dropping her backpack alongside it. There was nothing valuable inside, so there was little chance it would be taken. In any case, if someone took her things, she could always ask Danny to loan her his T-shirt for the way home. Heart pounding, she imagined some lurid scenarios while she followed the footpath into the woods. She was suddenly torn, wanting to go back; she didn’t want him to think she was stalking him.

  Vanessa glanced down at her padded bikini top and thought that she might just look acceptable — and then she spotted Daniel. He had spread out his towel in a shady glade and was stretched out across it, tossing and turning. His body convulsed, his back seemed strained to the breaking point, and his hands were pressed firmly against his head.

  Vanessa stood there, frozen, her heart beating twice as fast as normal. Dear God, what was wrong with him? A panic overtook her, and she had no idea what she should do. Damn it, why didn’t she have her cellphone with her? Did he need a doctor?

  All these questions and more were flying through her head when Daniel suddenly cried out, “Go away! Leave me alone!”

  Did he mean her? But he couldn’t have seen her! Vanessa was bewildered. Her pulse was thundering so loudly in her ears that it seemed fully possible that it could be audible to others. “Daniel?” she ventured hesitantly.

  He immediately stopped writhing and lay there motionless. “Vanessa?”

  “Yes, it’s me!” Her heart drummed on wildly.

  Daniel was shaking, although he was clearly trying to suppress it.

  “Go away!” he hissed without looking at her. It was like a blow to the stomach, but he wasn’t going to get rid of her so easily. Something was wrong with him!

  He groaned and clutched at his head again.

  “Danny!” Without any further hesitation, she ran over to him. “What’s the matter?”

  “Just a headache,” he said, panting. “Just leave me alone. Please!” He made a dismissive gesture in her direction but still avoided looking at her.

  His back to her, he sat up and groped for the sunglasses that lay on the mossy forest floor near his towel. Only when he had put them on did he turn toward her.

  Vanessa was shocked. “Danny, you’re white as a sheet!” She knelt next to him and put her hand against his forehead. It felt cool to the touch.

  He knocked her arm away. “Stop trying to mother me. Just go!”

  At first, Vanessa was tempted to jump up and run away. She had to clench her teeth to stop from bursting into tears. She had never known him to be so hurtful! But when she saw how he clutched at his temples again, she stayed seated next to him.

  “Get out of my head!” Groaning, he fell back onto his side.

  “Danny!” Vanessa leaned over him and touched him on the shoulder. “Should I call an ambulance?” Tears were streaming down his cheeks. He must be in unimaginable pain.

  “Leave me alone!” The palms of his hands pressing against his forehead, Daniel writhed in agony.

  “Daniel Taylor, you can’t actually believe that I’d just leave you here when you’re so sick!” Nessa moved closer to him and said in a commanding tone, “Come on, put your head in my lap.”

  “WHAT?” His mouth fell open. He looked shocked, but Vanessa couldn’t really see the expression in his eyes through the mirrored lenses of his sunglasses. He had probably just put them on so that she wouldn’t notice that his eyes were red from crying.

  “Maybe you’re having a migraine, or a maybe tension headache — those can be incredibly painful, too.” That would at least explain why he was always holed up in his dark room. Migraines could make your eyes sensitive to light. But then he’d probably prefer to lie motionless, since the slightest movement could unleash hellish pain. Vanessa knew this from her mother, who
had had some terrible migraine headaches in the past.

  When Danny propped himself up on one elbow, Nessa took the opportunity to pull him toward her. Now he was lying on his side next to her, their bodies forming a T. She pressed his head against her thigh, and to her amazement he let his cheek rest there, his face turned toward her. His body was still fully tensed, his knees bent. As he writhed in pain, his hands brushed against her legs. Danny pressed his lips together, and she could feel his intermittent breathing against her skin.

  She carefully took his sunglasses off, as they were pressing into her thigh, and laid them aside. Daniel kept his eyes tightly shut and trembled slightly.

  Gathering up all her courage, she began to gently stroke his hair. It felt just as soft as she had always imagined. It was still wet from swimming, and it stuck to his forehead. Her heart was pounding so hard that she could hear the thumping in her ears.

  Danny’s eyelashes fascinated Vanessa — the two dark semicircles were unusually long and thick. She gently stroked his evenly arched eyebrows, the straight nose, his jawline, and even dared to run a finger across his lips, which were as soft as velvet.

  Danny gasped.

  She quickly moved her hand across to his neck, which she massaged in a circular motion. “Do you feel any better?”

  “Hmmm.” It seemed like Daniel was relaxing a bit.

  Vanessa’s heart rattled like a jackhammer against her ribs. I’m going crazy, she thought. Danny’s lying here with his head in my lap, letting me comfort him. This has to be a dream!

  “Mmmm, that feels good.” Daniel was almost purring like a cat, looking more like one than ever.

  How I love you, you handsome thing. She couldn’t stop the thought from running through her mind. “Why don’t you tell me what happened.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I was just out in the sun for too long,” he murmured, but Vanessa sensed that he wasn’t telling the truth.