The Crescent Stone

  The Crescent Stone

  Book 1: The Crescent Stone

  E. G. McNally

  The Crescent Stone

  By

  E. G. McNally

  The Crescent Stone

  Copyright 2010 by E. G. McNally

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publications/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Dedicated to my wonderful daughter Kali.

  Table Of Contents

  Chapter I: Lake Crescent

  Chapter II: Monitoring Station

  Chapter III: Goodbyes

  Chapter IV: Strange Dream

  Chapter V: At the Tracks

  Chapter VI: Miraculous Recovery

  Chapter VII: Bad Press

  Chapter VIII: Leaving Port Angeles

  Chapter IX: One Bad Game

  Chapter X: Burning

  Chapter XI: Long Drive North

  Chapter XII: Chateau Le Cache

  Chapter XIII: Gym

  Chapter XIV: Kokrine Hills

  Chapter XV: Hughes Estate

  Chapter XVI: Cyndac Oil Refinery

  Chapter XVII: Mysterious Night

  Chapter XVIII: United

  Chapter XIX: Viper Task Force

  Chapter XX: Vampire Repayment

  Chapter XXI: Fragment Combined

  Chapter I: Lake Crescent

  Taylor woke up early, on what she thought would be just another typical morning, hoping to avoid confrontation with her new caretakers. When she appeared in the kitchen, the doorbell rang. It startled her. She wasn’t expecting her friend for another ten minutes and he should have knocked. She’d told him before that he couldn’t wake everyone up or they’d both get into trouble, but apparently he didn’t care.

  Afraid to wake everyone in the house, she rushed to the door and caught her friend’s hand before he pushed the button again. She scowled at him.

  “I thought I told you to knock.” She said with irritation pouring through her whisper. “If you wake everyone up, I’ll never be able to hang out with you in the morning.”

  “Good morning to you too,” he pertly responded and brushed past Taylor.

  “I’m just saying if you want to hang out and watch cartoons before school starts, you can’t wake everyone up.” Taylor reminded him. She wasn’t really sure he understood how much she needed his company. If it weren’t for him, she’d probably be drugging up with most of the dropouts that hang around the pier late at night. They were all headed nowhere fast, and she was thankful to be apart from them.

  “Yeah, yeah, I just forgot to knock, okay. Don’t get your panties in a knot.” Jake replied, sauntering over to the sofa and plopping down in front of the television.

  Taylor glared at him for a moment before retreating into the kitchen for some breakfast.

  “So tell me, how is this new foster home treating you?” He hollered into the kitchen.

  “Shush Jake, keep your freaking voice down, you’re gonna get us both in trouble.” She scolded him again.

  “Sorry,” he replied, this time in a whisper.

  “Oh, and in response to your question, the place isn’t bad. But I couldn’t tell you for sure, because I’ve only been here a couple of days, and you know how appearances can be deceiving. Anyhow, you’ve already made me miss the first part of the show because you keep pestering me, so just shut your trap, okay.” She eyeballed him, watching as he returned his attention to the television, ignoring the edgy tone in her voice. “I know you don’t eat breakfast, but are you sure you don’t want anything?”

  “Maybe, what’s on the menu?” Jake responded, distractedly watching the television.

  While glancing back at the television, Taylor shuffled through a couple of different shelves in the pantry.

  “Well, there’s reduce your cholesterol a little,” she said, pulling out the box of Cheerios. “Reduce your cholesterol a little more,” she said, this time pulling out a box of oatmeal, “and… Ooh, this looks good, how about some high energy now, you’ll be hungry in an hour, and have a wicked bad sugar low later?” The sarcasm pooled in her voice.

  “What’s that?” Jake mumbled, still fixated on the morning cartoons.

  “Lucky Charms,” she replied, pouring herself a large bowl, before joining Jake on the couch.

  “So is everything ready for today?” Taylor asked, munching through the cereal.

  “Uh,” he had to pause to think about her question. “Oh, you mean the lake – yeah. We just have to pick up Joe, before we head out there. His parents let him sign his own excuse notes, for the school, so naturally he’s off the hook.” Jake replied, as he glanced away from the TV, fumbled in his pocket for a second, and then handed Taylor a note. She read it.

  Please excuse Jacob Stevens from school for the day; he will be attending a family divorce counseling session. The sessions are always difficult and we don’t expect our son to return to school for the day. If there are any questions, please don’t hesitate to call our home number.

  Sincerely,

  Loretta and Frank Stevens

  “Nice! Is it real?” Taylor asked, handing back the note.

  “Yeah unfortunately, my parents really know how to embarrass the crap out of me. Doesn’t matter though, it’s not like I’m gonna show. Stupid divorce crap,” he said, shoving the note back into his pocket.

  “Speaking of which, how’s that going?” Taylor asked, and then realizing her mistake, gave Jake an apologetic look.

  “Don’t ask,” he huffed, then reached around the couch for the remote and turned off the television. “We should probably get Joe now, or he’ll start to think we forgot about him.” Jake mumbled, then halfheartedly rose from the sofa and fumbled for the keys in his pocket. As he wandered to the door, he ignored Taylor’s silent apology for bringing up his parents’ divorce, groaning the entire way to the door.

  Taylor tossed the empty cereal bowl into the kitchen sink, and then grabbed her trusty backpack from the coat closet, before following Jake outside. She slid comfortably into the passenger seat beside Jake. As they sat in silence, she admired the tight little curls of his light brown hair and the way his temple pulsed when he was frustrated, until her thoughts came to an end when they arrived outside Joe’s house.

  Joe was readily waiting as always, decked out in his designer shirt and matching stylish trousers, outside the steel gates, practically guarding his parent’s super expensive house.

  “What took you guys so long?” He asked, tossing a rather suspicious brown bag of what was probably beer into the back seat, and then slid in beside it.

  “Don’t be such a pansy; we’re not going to leave you behind.” Taylor rolled her eyes at Joe, awaiting one of those boring, be where you say you’re going to be, when you say you’re going to be there lectures that parents always give, but Jake intercepted before Joe could begin.

  “Plus, if we left you behind, who would provide the beer and endless entertainment, right?” Jake said, cutting Joe off before he could retaliate.

  “Rough couple of days?” Joe commented while glancing at
Taylor, uncharacteristically picking up on her body language.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” Taylor sucked in a deep breath, pausing, allowing the boys a chance to change the subject, before unloading all of her frustrations on them. But neither spoke, knowing that Taylor would have more to say, because she always did.

  “I just can’t believe this crap,” she paused to regroup her thoughts and then continued. “You know, I’ve moved six times this year and it’s not even December yet. I’m not sure how many foster homes are left. But no . . . the state keeps finding more, and they expect me to just keep taking it, as if nothing bad ever happens. Who the hell are they to keep bossing me around? I mean why can’t I just get emancipated and come live with one of you or something? I bet your parents have room.” Taylor glanced back at Joe, “It’s not like I wouldn’t be just fine without their ridiculous attempts at help.” Taylor clenched her fists and gave out an angry groan. “And everyone at school looks at me like I’m a dang freak show, I hate it.” She sighed, nearing the brink of tears.

  In order to hide her tears, Taylor’s expression was replaced by a scowl. Her pitch black eyes practically burned a hole through the car window while she glared outside. Her attitude had clearly changed and both Jake and Joe had decided that silence was the only remedy, or at least the only one they were willing to risk. Both boys slumped against their seats, defeated and ill-equipped to deal with a Taylor sob-fest.

  Oblivious to the tension, Taylor eased out of her foul mood, daydreaming about flying through the green canopy of evergreens, lucidly envisioning herself as a castle gargoyle, come to life, twisting and winding freely from the tensions of the hurtful world she lived in.

  Taylor dropped back into reality when Jake turned the car, onto a side road, hugging the northern side of the lake. The tall evergreen trees nestled within a thick blanket of fog gave the lake a serene and almost eerily vacant appearance. The tops of the mountains were hidden and the grey lifelessness of the fog reflected in the sheen top of the lake. It was empty, as it often was, and that was good.

  The lake was perfect. Everyone was in school and the lake was barren. She would have plenty of time to reflect on her new situation. With the help of her two best friends and the silent seclusion that the lake brought, she would be able to overcome the depressing feelings of self-degradation that she often struggled with.

  Her life felt like a snake pit of loss, full of poisonous obstacles. Every time she moved, she had to accept that she would lose half of her clothes, most of her jewelry, and basically all of her valuables. It was always very difficult and upsetting, with each move becoming consecutively rougher. A little time alone often helped her feel better and it was comforting to be around the boys, especially Jake, with his good humor and sensible views on everyday life.

  As Jake pulled onto the trailhead, Joe loaded up Taylor’s backpack with junk food and the beer.

  “Let’s get hammered,” Taylor said, winking at Jake. “Not,” she mumbled.

  Jake chuckled in response, and then both he and Taylor took off after Joe, down the trail, until they arrived at the small, cleverly crafted, wooden bridge that joined one side of the cliff to the other. Contained within the alcove was a small swimming hole known as The Devil’s Punch Bowl.

  Rumor had it, that it got its name from the trapped souls wadding around in the water. It was said that the devil had collected them, over the years, from the kids who jumped off the cliff and crashed into the jagged rocks below, instead of cheating the devil and landing in the water.

  “Go get the wood,” Joe pointed to Taylor, and then to Jake, “You figure out how to light this thing,” he signaled toward the extinguished fire pit they’d used in the past, “And I’ll start on the beer.” He shuffled through the backpack and pulled out a bottle.

  Simultaneously, Taylor and Jake rolled their eyes, releasing complementing chuckles.

  “No surprise there,” Taylor mumbled, and then browsed through some of the surrounding ferns and bushes until she had found enough wood to start a fire.

  “The lake is pretty dead this morning,” Jake commented, surveying the surface for any unwanted guests. “There’s someone in a boat far off, but I can’t tell if it’s a ranger or not. We’ll just have to try our luck.” He said pulling a lighter from his pocket. He squatted down and rearranged the small pile of wood Taylor had placed in the fire pit.

  “What? Is the wood pile not good enough for Mr. Ex-Boy Scout?” Taylor jeered, hovering over Jake, as he placed the wood in a cone shape. “You know, the wood is going to burn, regardless of how pretty you stack it.”

  “That’s true,” he responded. “But I’m never going to get the fire started, arranged the way you had it,” Jake smartly pointed out. “So, chill out dude – go jump off the cliff or something.” He said, waving her away, returning his attention to the fire until he had it hotly burning.

  “Fine whatever,” Taylor mumbled, walking out to the bridge. She pulled her worn out shirt quickly over her head and shook loose her hair. The long black strands fell limply against her shoulders. She tossed the rest of her stuff over the side of the bridge and onto the ground, where she could easily reach them after plunging into the icy glacier water.

  Jake watched as Taylor climbed up the jagged cliff-side and stood at the top staring down at the crystal-clear, eerily, blue-hued water of Lake Crescent.

  “She’s so nuts.” Joe commented, cracking open a second beer. He pulled out two more and cracked them open, before handing one to Jake and placing the second one beside the fire. “Taylor’s,” he guiltily responded, as if Jake had him on trial.

  “Sure,” Jake said, looking at him accusingly.

  “What, you know I never drink alone,” Joe quickly added.

  “Right, because we all believe that,” Jake rolled his eyes. After sipping some of the beer, he leaned back against a tree and waited for the soaking wet, freezing cold, completely chilled-out version of Taylor to emerge from the lake after jumping.

  Taylor stood at the top of the cliff and looked down, picking out the perfect spot, mapping out the jagged rocks, and hoping to avoid hitting them on her way down. She backed up five paces, took a deep breath, holding it briefly, and then released it, whispering into the wind, “Please get me out of this stupid town.”

  As if in response to her silent plea, the wind rippled up around her, swirling her hair across her face and causing goose bumps to form on her arms. She smiled at the playful response the wind had given her, knowing it was probably just coincidence, and felt comfort in the silly idea that maybe something out there really did care about her.

  Three long strides and she went over the cliff-side, quickly adjusting her body, angling it in just the right way to break the water without breaking a bone. She felt as though the air was sucked right out of her chest and her arms waved wildly. She pulled her legs together, preparing them first for the break. Hardly seconds before she crashed through the water, her arms made it to her side, and she looked like a professional who’d done it thousands of times.

  Taylor shuddered, as she felt all the living cells in her body scream in response to the chill of the glacier water. She had to think, before panic instinctually took over her body. Which way was up, she wondered, waiting in the cold dim water, until her body finally began rising in the direction of the surface.

  She began frantically swimming for the surface, peering through the dimly lit water for signs of the shore, always in the back of her mind praying that she didn’t run out of air before reaching it.

  And there it was. Lodged between a rock and some murky lake plants. A diamond looking stone, or at least what she thought might be a diamond, faintly glowing. Taylor reached out and grasped it from between a rock and some plant muck. After several thoughts of leaving town flashed through her head, using cash from pawning the diamond, she refocused on reaching the surface, and finally broke through the water gasping desperately for air.

  And then a negative thought c
rossed her mind as she quickly pulled herself up, out of the water, and onto the shore, brushing off the cold water dripping down her skin. What if someone thinks it’s stolen, and what if they come after her for stealing it? Not only would she end up in jail, but also she’d never get out of her stupid town.

  “Hmm, better not tell anyone about it,” she mumbled, shaking the cold water from her hair, before finding her way to the warm fire Jake started.

  “Tell anyone about what?” An authoritative voice startled Taylor.

  She glanced up at the fire, where both boys were standing erect, stern frowns pulled tightly across their faces, and then whipped her head toward the voice. A uniformed man, a forest ranger, was standing beside her, his boat pulled up alongside the bridge. Her lighthearted feeling, brought on by the freedom and grace of the jump, dissolved, leaving only a feeling of disappointment.

  “Guys . . .” She groaned, frustrated that they didn’t say anything.

  “Up there, with the others,” the ranger instructed.

  “It’s not what you think,” Taylor began to explain, her usual sarcastic tone missing, replaced by a pleading whine. Then she paused, looked at Jake with an empty beer bottle in hand, then at Joe with his and several empty ones beside him, and sighed. “Oh, never mind,” she added.

  “So what do you have in your hand?” The ranger said, pointing to Taylor. “I came over here thinking I was just going to bust the group of kids who’ve been starting fires, but instead I find you guys. Not only with a fire, but cutting class, and drinking? Wow, talk about racking up the points. You kids don’t know what’s good for you. Anyhow, open up your hand – let’s see what you’ve got.” He tapped his flashlight on her hand.

  She was nervous, agitated, and a little frightened. She began to think about getting caught with it. Wondered if it was lost or stolen, and thought about how much trouble she’d get into if she were caught with it. Her imagination began to run away with her. What if the diamond actually belonged to some majorly wealthy businessman? What if he would stop at nothing less than sending some unknown, mob connected, source to deal with her, in order to get it back, and then no one would ever hear from her again? The thoughts flitted through her mind before settling on something more realistic. Then her eyes widened with fear as she realized they could put her in jail; stealing such a huge diamond was sure to be a felony.