Last Light Falling Read Online Free PDF Page B

would have been walking. He hasn’t been able to explain how he sees things before they happen. And it’s never at a time you want it to happen, but at a time that is unexpected, yet purposefully necessary.
    “Can you please keep this between you and me? I don’t want Myra or Daniel to know about this. I don’t know what to make of it, and I’m a little freaked out,” I say quietly, wrinkling my brow.
    Gabe studies the letter intently and without hesitation, he immediately notices the groups of numbers. “These numbers are coordinates. The first set of numbers is most likely latitude, and the second set of numbers is longitude,” he says without doubt. “But I have no idea who is supposed to still be alive and why.”
    “You don’t suppose this is from Finnegan, do you?
    “Finnegan? Even if he is alive, why would he send you this. Besides, it’s not like Finnegan to be so cryptic.”
    “Who else could it be?”
    “I don’t know, but it’s obvious they want you to find out.”
    “What do you suppose these coordinates have to do with this key? Do you think the key could open up whatever is at those coordinates?” I inquisitively say.
    “Possibly, I say we check it out,” says Gabe anxiously.
    “Whoa, wait a minute.” I sit up. “We’re still speculating it’s someone we know. What if it’s just bait from some child molester? I’m curious about what this key may open, but I’m still a little uneasy about the situation,” I retort.
    “Arena! Gabriel! It’s time to go!” shouts Daniel from downstairs.
    “Take the letter with you, and we’ll figure out the coordinates at the library,” says Gabe.
    I grab the letter, fold it back up with the key inside, and stick it in my pocket. I quickly run downstairs and out the door, but before I can get into the car, my feet stop in their tracks. The corner of my eye is suddenly occupied by a shadow standing beside a tree.
    A man dressed in a long, black robe is staring in my direction. For just a slight moment, I hesitate to get in the car. It’s a priest, but he notices I’m fixed on him now, so he walks away.
    “Arena, get in,” says Daniel.
    Almost hypnotized by what I see, I quickly come to and get in the car. A priest walking in our neighborhood, staking out our house, isodd, but there’s something very familiar about that man. I’m having a case of déjà vu.
    “What’s up with you? You still freaked out about the letter?” whispers Gabe.
    “You didn’t see that priest by the tree staring at us?”
    “No, what priest?”
    Okay, now I’m more than a little freaked out, because the most observant person I know didn’t even notice the random priest standing near the bushes. Did I imagine it? I can only think about one thing right now, and that’s trying to figure out what the hell this letter means.
    Gabe and I are always at the library every Saturday. Every chance we have, that is where we want to be. Since there really is no place around here in the city to hunt, nor is there any need to, reading has become the next best thing in my life. I made a pact with Myra and Daniel; as long as I maintain good grades, I can train with Henry as much as I want. And the library is just the place to exercise my brain.
    Carrington, a small northeast Texas city, looks old and depressing, but it’s vibrant during the daytime. At night, though, it becomes a ghost town due to the government’s nationwide curfew—another one of the major changes this country has had to suffer through. Everyone plans their time carefully, choosing to do most of their shopping during mid-morning. Federal officers are spread out like ants, monitoring civilians’ behaviors. If you are caught in public past the 9:00 curfew, you are subject to a minor violation if it’s your first offense, but you will be arrested and sentenced to farm labor if it’s your second.
    I’ve heard stories of farm laborers being deprived of food and water and even submitted to public beatings.