She stumbled over rocks and skidded down the rough path. The spray dampened her face as she steadied herself and continued on. She’d figured that there was a cave behind each of the Falls, and the path led to them. She wanted the adventure that came hand in hand with standing behind a waterfall—an adventure she’d never before experienced. Now, if she could only figure out where exactly to slip behind…Ah.
Though she got the majority of her clothing wet, she managed to climb into the small, cozy cave. It was exactly as she’d imagined it would be with its ceiling just high enough for a person to stand, and its width was ten steps across. It didn’t surprise her so much as it delighted her. What surprised her was the man she found inside.
“Brian?”
He turned, and, though he bore a resemblance to Brian from behind, the face and build was completely different.
“Welcome, Reena.” He smiled as her mouth dropped open in shock.
“L-Laurent?” she was amazed her voice didn’t crack.
He nodded and his smile made his eyes gleam. “It pleases me to see your heart brings you here. I’d wondered who he would pick.”
“Who?” Why did ghosts always talk in riddles? she wondered distantly.
Laurent shook his head, and Reena noticed that she could see the water through him. She really was seeing a ghost. “Inside, Reena. Inside you, there is the answer to so much. All you have to do is listen.”
“I-I’m sorry. I’m confused,” she began, but he smiled again.
“Reena. It is not for me to tell you the answers.”
“Then why…?”
“Am I appearing to you?” He touched her cheek, and Reena felt the warmth from the touch though his hand passed through her skin. “Because Liliane and I need your help. Three hundred years are coming to a close, but what we need is out of our reach. All we can do is give advice, perhaps even guide. We are so close, Reena. Just listen to what’s inside you. Listen to your heart.”
Reena woke, and her gaze scanned the room wildly. Gone were the waterfalls, the cave, Laurent. It had seemed so real, she thought, climbing out of bed. Her knees shook when she tried to stand, so she ended up sitting on the bed again. Her imagination had been vivid when she’d been younger, but this dream had been above and beyond her childhood imaginings. She’d felt Laurent’s ghostly touch, felt the spray from the water, smelled the woodsy scent of the place. And, now…
Her heart rate slowly settling, she swept a hand through her hair and…It was wet. Her pulse bumped up again as she stared at the water droplets on her hand. Reena held her hair up to her eyes and realized it really was wet.
What the hell is going on?
Flicking on her bedside lamp, she stared at the clock on the wall. It ticked to five o’clock, and Reena knew she’d never be able to sleep. She needed to tell someone, see what the dream had meant and why it had been so real that she was, even now, sitting on her bed with damp hair.
When the thought came, she didn’t bother hesitating. He’d shown her the falls, given her the tale, so he may as well be the one who answer her questions, too, her mind told her. Even as she thought it, she’d grabbed her cell phone and found the new number she’d put in only a day ago. So what that it was dawn, that the sun hadn’t risen yet? She needed answers and doubted she’d be able to get to sleep again.
***
“Hello?” Who on earth was calling at the crack of dawn? he wondered, even as he yanked the cell phone out of the pocket of his shorts.
“Brian, it’s Reena. I need to talk to you, please.” Her voice sounded shaky, and he wondered what had happened.
“Reena? Is everything okay?”
“Yes…no. I don’t know. I know it’s early, but I have questions that need to be answered. Please, Brian, I wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t important.” She sounded as though she might cry, and Brian found that it was the last thing he wanted.
Staring hard at the light that just teased the horizon, he ran a hand through his hair. “No problem, then. I’m, uh, at the falls actually.”
“Really?” Was that surprise or fear he heard in her voice?
“Yeah. Wanna meet me out here? If you bring your camera, I’m pretty sure you’ll get some great sunrise shots,” he added.
There was a short silence before she responded. “Okay, sure. I’ll be there in a bit. Don’t go anywhere.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Brian murmured even as he heard the click on the other end of the line.
He picked his way down the path to the falls and seated himself on a large rock. Wondering what it was that was so important she was calling him at, literally, the crack of dawn, he dipped a hand into the small pool of water that had collected near the base of the rock. When he heard the startled ribbit, he grinned at the frog that watched him with large eyes.
Reena found him sitting on the rock, a frog cradled in his palm. He was talking nonsense to it, and she had a second to think it was really cute, before she interrupted him.
“Brian?”
He looked up and grinned at her. “Hey! You’re just in time! Fred and I were just talking about what breakfast we were going to have. Fred seriously thinks flies and crawly bugs are the way to go, but I have my doubts.” When she didn’t smile as he’d hoped she would, he scooted over and patted the space next to him. “Have a seat and tell Uncle Brian what’s bothering you.”
“I don’t think I can think of you as an uncle,” she muttered, but sat. “What are you doing here so early?”
Brian shrugged. “I come to run every morning. It’s a great way to start the day, you know.”
“Do you ever sleep?”
He grinned. “Of course, I do! I just have a lot of energy when I wake up, so, a few years back, I decided I’d come here to run every day. And, ta-da! Here I am.”
“Yeah.” When she was silent, he nudged her knee.
“What’s up, Reena?”
She frowned as Fred the frog hopped from his hand onto her leg. “I had a dream.”
“About?”
She pointed to the waterfall. “That. Here. Laurent.”
“What?” He touched her chin, enough to cause her to look at him. Even in the blue light of dawn, his eyes were intense.
“I had a dream about Laurent,” she repeated. “We were in the cave behind the first waterfall. The weird thing is, I’ve never been back there, but I bet I could tell you exactly what it looks like.”
“I bet you could.” He let go of her and nudged Fred back into his pool. “Why don’t you tell me what you and Laurent chatted about?”
When she’d described her dream and the advice Laurent had given her, he was quiet for a few moments, frowning at his hands. She wondered if he thought she was crazy, absolutely nuts, as Kevin had told her many people thought he was for having strange dreams. Finally, Brian looked up at her and studied her face.
His voice was thoughtful when he spoke. “I’ve never dreamt about the Falls. I was born here, run here, but I’ve never dreamt of this place. I’ve never seen the ghosts, not even in dreams. You’re here not two days, and they’ve already snuck into your dreams.” He sighed. “I can’t help you, Reena. Kevin, on the other hand, has plenty of experience with dreams. He and Callie would probably be really interested in hearing what Laurent told you. I think you’ll be better off talking to them.”
“Thank you for helping. I’m sorry it makes you sad that, for whatever reason, the legend’s sucked me into it.” She kissed his cheek. “If it’s any consolation, I’d rather you have these dreams than me. I’d rather be a bystander in it. You, on the other hand, are more a part of this place” she gestured around them “than I am.”
He shook his head. “How do you get into my head, woman? But, no, I’m not sad, so much as wondering why I’ve always felt attracted to this place if I wasn’t meant to do something for the lovers. Kevin’s immortalized them in art, Callie in her books, Gwen and Howie will with the memorial. I can’t help wondering what I’m doing.” When he realized how whiny he sounded, he shook his head and slid off the rock. “Come on.”
“Where?”
Brian held out a hand. “Just come. I hope you brought your camera.” He pointed to the sky overhead. Pink was seeping its way through the blues and purples staining the atmosphere. “The sun’s coming out. You should get some great shots, but you have to hurry.”
Nodding, she grabbed her bag and let him help her off the rock. They trudged back up the path towards the same overlook she’d photographed from before. Though the only time they spoke was when he invited her to a barbecue at his home later that day, Reena found herself enjoying the content silence that fell just as she was realizing how much she enjoyed being around him. She hadn’t experienced that with a man since…No. She forced her mind away from the past to see the way the colors of the sky were changing and making the forest glow with soft light. It was beautiful, and she understood why so many people she’d met in Seven Falls appreciated the place.
“Reena.” Brian’s voice turned her attention from the woods to the direction his hand was gesturing.
“Oh!” Her delight in the sun that edged over the horizon and tinted the falls a rosy hue had her reaching for her camera.
Brian watched as Reena snapped picture after picture, stopping every so often to adjust her shutter and muttered about angles and depth. He’d lied when he’d said that he had slept. He hadn’t slept. At least not during the night that had just passed. He’d tossed and turned, trying to figure out why, in six years, he’d never felt for Juliet what he now felt for Reena. Sure, Juliet was smart, funny, caring, and sweet to the core, but so was Reena. So why was it that he felt compelled to spend all the time in the world with Reena—the time he’d never felt the need to spend with Juliet? Not to mention he couldn’t seem to stop himself from wanting to touch her, hold her, hear that low voice with its faint Boston accent.
The sun broke upon the earth fully and flooded the falls with light.
“Reena.”
Though he’d spoken her name quietly, she heard him through the amazement she felt at watching the scenery come alive. When she turned, he was already reaching for her, and, instead of stepping away, she went into his arms willingly. As their lips met, a bird began to sing.
***
“Callie Marie Dorough! What the hell are you doing knocking on my door at six in the freaking morning?!”
Callie didn’t cringe, didn’t even take a step back at the anger of a man who loomed several inches over her. Instead, she brushed past him into his home and settled into an armchair in his living room. Unable to prevent it, Kevin followed her, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.
He was barely awake and, here was Callie, pounding on his door at the crack of dawn. He hadn’t gone to bed until three as he hadn’t returned from the falls until almost half past two. He’d wanted to spend as much time as possible with Gwen and found himself thinking about her even as he wanted to strangle his good friend’s wife for waking him not three hours after he’d gone to bed.
“What is it, Callie? What could possibly be so important that you would feel it necessary to wake me up at the crack of dawn?” Kevin was spitting mad and wasn’t going to take it. Unless there was a good reason behind this wake up call.
Callie leaned forward, and he spotted the anxiety in her eyes. “Kevin, when was the last time you dreamt about the legend?”
“Huh?” That was the last thing he’d expected. “I-I don’t know. Not for a while. I think…maybe in April or May?” He shrugged. “What’s going on, Cal?”
“Something’s going to happen and soon. I’ve been having dreams about them,” Callie began. “They seem happy, and they said something about being free soon.”
“It’s almost the three hundred year anniversary,” Kevin pointed out.
She shook her head. “Come on, Kevin. You know it can’t be that easy to break the spell. Liliane told me I had to help someone fulfill something in order to set them free. What I can’t figure out is who and what.”
He frowned slightly. “That’s weird, but I haven’t had any dreams about them in months. I don’t know what to tell you. The last dream about the legend that I heard was from Kirby. She dreamt about Mia at the falls.”
Callie caught his wrist in a firm grip. “Tell me everything.”
Kevin complied and, when he’d finished, she sat back and sighed. “You’re a part of it.”
“Me? Part of what? Whatever’s going to break this spell?” He shook his head. “No way, Callie. I’m not related to Laurent or Liliane. All that connects me is the dreams.”
“And your paintings,” Callie reminded him.
“Yeah. So what? How does anything Mia said have anything to do with me breaking the spell?”
“Think, Kev. She said her death was a part of something greater than just your family. My sister may not have liked her gift, but she respected it. Understood it. Do you think it’s mere coincidence that she appears to Kirby with a message for you to help Fate on the same night that Laurent and Liliane come to me?” She shook her head. “There’s something happening, and we have to figure it out.”
“Why? I mean, if Fate is going to do what it’s going to do anyway, why can’t we just go along with the flow of it all? Why do we need to know what’s happening? Don’t you think that would hinder progress if we overthink our every action?”
Callie shook her head. “The lovers and Mia wouldn’t have given advice if they’d thought we could do whatever it is we have to do without help. There’s something missing to the puzzle of the legend, Kevin, and we have to figure it out. I can’t see the past, I can only see the future. You, on the other hand, can see the past. Try to look back and find the missing link. Please.”
“Callie, I can’t just dream on demand. It’s never been that way,” he reminded her.
“Please, Kevin. If you can’t, then try to go back to the falls and see if there’s a clue up there. Maybe you’ll see them, and they’ll give you another clue. Please,” Callie insisted.
Knowing that, no matter what he did, he’d always be embroiled in the legend, he gave in. Callie would never leave him alone unless he helped, and his own curiosity had been sparked, too. “Okay, Callie. I’ll go up and see what’s what. But, I have to tell you, I was up there last night and the night before. If I’m supposed to sense something, I pretty much failed.”
“Just go, Kevin. Please. Meanwhile, I’m going to try to dig through old journals that have been passed down through my family. Maybe there’s a clue in them.” She sighed and noted the sun was fully up and beaming through the windows. She gave him a small smile. “Sorry about dragging you out of bed, but I haven’t been able to sleep with this in my head.”
Kevin sighed. “No problem, Callie.”
She stood. “Well, I guess I’d better get back and get Astra ready for school. Do you want me to take Kirby today?”
“Nah. I’ll drive her over. Thanks for all the help the past couple mornings,” Kevin said apologetically. “And, you may as well have coffee before you go. I’m up and probably won’t go back to bed anytime soon.”
She grinned. “You’re the best!”
Author's Chapter Notes:
so, "Wednesday" is a little longer than the other two days--four parts rather than only 3, but i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it! thanks for the reviews so far and keep them coming! i'll be back next week with more!
