Luminosity (Gravity Series, #3)

By Abigail Boyd

Just when she thought her dreams couldn't get any weirder, Ariel Donovan begins having vivid nightmares of a dog that she must follow. It leads her to find an item from her past that she must use to aid her in figuring out the Thornhill Society...but she's not the only one looking for it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abigail Boyd
• Release date: Jun 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301321070

Abigail Boyd

Abigail Boyd began writing stories as a kid on dark and stormy nights. She was born and still lives in Michigan with her husband and the haunting cries of three rambunctious children. Her influences include Stephen King, Veronica Mars, and lots of processed sugar. She wishes that time had a pause button.Gravity is the first book in the four part Gravity Series. The second book, Uncertainty, is out now, and the last two books will be released on November 24th, 2012. For more information, feel free to contact me or visit me online.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

THE PARTY HAD already begun. The table stretched towards the horizon, as long as a winding road, but only three of the elegant, striped chairs were occupied. A line of candles glowed down the center, the wicks burning low. The other guests were late.

Do you have any threes? asked Ambrose Slaughter. The sight of him, even his actor-handsome face and immaculate features—which had made legions of girls swoon—shot fear into my blood. I cringed backward in my chair. What was I doing here?

Nope. Go fish. Robert Warwick’s voice slashed me deeply, despite its bored tone. The last time I'd seen him, he had been planning on murdering me.

Both men were supposed to be dead. I had witnessed Warwick being shot, collapsing to the floor as useless blood spilled out, no longer belonging to him. Yet, here he was.

I have to be dreaming. Nothing about it felt like a dream, however, and I'd never had one quite so surreal.

Ambrose had been ranked as the king of Hawthorne High’s bullies, until Warwick cut his throat. I saw no sign of blood on Ambrose's tuxedo, the one he must have worn at the school dance where he'd lost his life. His golden hair still curled in perfect ringlets, pale blue eyes reflecting the cunning of a fox.

You don’t have any good cards, Ambrose complained.

I have all the cards I need, sonny. Warwick shuffled the order of his cards around. He didn’t look so good: twitching all over his seat, unable to stay still. Sagging skin hung on his skeleton like an ill-fitting suit.

I waited for one of them to notice me and pounce or reveal a weapon. The more I watched their benign game, however, the more I realized my fear was only a projection of what I thought I should feel.

Bad hand, Ambrose insisted.

Warwick laughed in a short burst. My hand is better than yours.

Ambrose thrust his hard chest upward, pride wounded. His voice changed to an imitation of another boy, one I held close to my heart. I am my father’s son. Said so yourself.

He and Warwick assessed one another without words, glaring daggers like they were preparing to attack. Tension split the already stifling air. Then they both erupted into ugly laughter like hyenas.

He’s a nobody, Warwick cackled, shoulders still twitching like a methadone patient. Should have stayed at home.

Henry Rhodes’ face flashed through my head like flickering lightning.

Do you have any kings? Warwick screamed, making me jump and clutch at my frightened heart.

Go fish, old man. We’re all nobodies. Ambrose’s shoulders tensed up. But I would have made a better vessel. Why’d you have to kill me, Wick? He began hitting his fist against the underside of the table rhythmically, shaking the candles on top. What did he mean by a vessel?

Because you cheat on all your science tests, Warwick informed him.

You two have both completely lost your minds, I muttered.

Warwick turned his head in my direction—slowly, mechanically—until his one gray eye fell on me. The empty socket where the other should have been was covered by a heart-shaped eye patch. He winked at me and I shuddered. My alarm briefly spiked before I reasoned that if they were going to kill me, I’d be...

Am I dead? I asked out loud. Ambrose looked up at me with little interest, still banging his fist hard enough to bruise.

Philosophically speaking, we’re all a little dead, Warwick proposed. Cards scattered out of his twitching fingers.

A red streak flew around the table. I jumped up out of my chair, squinting around in the claustrophobic dark that surrounded us.

Where are we? What was that? I asked.

Questions, questions, Ambrose said, still sounding bored.

The wrong questions, clarified Warwick. Both were staring idiot-faced at their cards.

An unexpected surge of heat slammed into my right side, stunning me. I saw a building burning in the distance, hazy behind its own smoke halo. I made out the hulking outline of the Dexter Orphanage, flames shooting off the top like the tail of a comet.

Do you know what you’re afraid of? Warwick’s purring tone made my stomach twist and my nerves go on high alert.

I’m not sure. What should I be afraid of?

No answer.

Another hot eruption almost knocked me down. I reached back for the chair but it had disappeared. The table was now only one of the cafeteria tables from Hawthorne High. The flames were growing more wicked and insistent, launching out of the roof at rapid speed.

I felt drawn to the burning building, as if an invisible hand were reaching out and grasping my chest. Despite any instinct of self-preservation, I had to go towards it.

My clothes trapped the heat against my skin. I tore my eyes away from the blaze to peer down, and a shocked laugh escaped my chest. A long, white dress draped my frame, the tiered skirt flowing from my waist. A ball gown. Not my style, nor anyone else my age. Where was my boring gray rainbow of jeans and t-shirts? Instead, I was stuck in a dress belonging to a doomed gothic heroine.

Warwick and Ambrose were staring at me again, as if waiting, daring me to make a move. The table was gone altogether, and we were standing in a semicircle. They glared as if focusing with x-ray vision, seeing deep down, looking for my weak spots.

Warwick chuckled, a dry hiccup in the back of his throat. Nothing is as it seems, is it?

In the gray gloom surrounding us, red flashed again, much closer. We weren’t alone.

Why don’t you go take care of it, if you’re so worried? Ambrose crossed his hefty arms, challenging me.

The relentless flames reeled me in, crackling a melody, flashing like night lights. Sticky heat pressed against me, almost unbearable in the dress’s unyielding fabric.

I peeked over my shoulder. The dead men were gone. Now it was only the Dexter Orphanage and me.

Am I going to catch on fire? It didn’t matter.

I just needed to reach the orphanage.

To meet what waited inside for me.

CHAPTER 1

NEEDLESS TO SAY, I didn’t sleep much after my nightmare. I hadn’t had a lucid dream like that in a very long time, and it spelled trouble.

I ruminated over the details in French class while my teacher plodded through a particularly snore-inducing lesson on verb conjugation. When I'd had those dreams previously, I barely interacted with the ghosts. To have had a conversation—no matter how absurd—with two deceased murderers left me anxious. I didn't think I was overreacting.

Ambrose had aided Warwick in kidnapping my best friend. Two other girls went missing later, and all three ended up murdered with ritualistic cuts on their bodies and signs of bloodletting. Then, after Warwick escaped jail and the police were closing in, he came back and silenced Ambrose permanently.

It wasn’t long before he attempted to grant me the same fate, luring me with a fake text from my boyfriend, Henry. In an old ballroom downtown that had been converted into an office, Warwick had menacingly advanced on me with a hunting knife. The sharp blade had still been stained with flecks of Ambrose’s blood.

If it hadn’t been for the bullet of an unlikely savior—Henry’s father—Warwick would have slashed me to ribbons.

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. Trying to be discreet, I slid it out and concealed it beneath my desk.

Come see me.

Just three little words, yet my pulse sped up instantly. I kept the phone hidden so the teacher couldn’t watch me reply.

I’m in the middle of class. Shouldn’t u be too?

It’s nothing you don’t know. Make an excuse.

What makes you so sure that I want to?

I was ready to jump out of my seat and race out of the room, but Henry couldn’t sense that.

Give me some credit, I know you well enough by now. Or maybe he could. Don’t leave me waiting, dear.

I sighed internally, fighting back a grin at the same time. He was right. It was a request I couldn’t ignore.

The teacher finished speaking and assigned book work. I traipsed up to her desk, knowing she was pretty strict about allowing people to leave unless they had already wet their pants or lost several liters of blood.

A hasty plan formed in my mind, but anticipation made me flub my request. She raised her eyebrows suspiciously, probably instantly assuming I was planning on getting high in the bathroom.

You can’t wait twenty minutes for the bell?

I shook my head, praying she wouldn’t make me demonstrate with a potty dance. I drank a huge bottle of water. Bad idea in hindsight.

Fine, go. Be back before class ends.

I rushed out of the classroom on light feet. I lucked out. The halls were virtually empty as I made my way to the current meeting spot.

It was February, and Henry and I had been officially dating for almost two months now, but no one knew about it—neither our families nor my closest friend, Theo. I hated the dishonesty and the sneaking around, even if it did add an air of foolish excitement. I’d experienced too much danger in the past few years. I was worried I was falling in love with peril.

Texts were mostly how we’d grown our budding relationship. A romance of words more than actions, sometimes misspelled but always meaningful. These were the bright spots in my week—when we could sneak minutes of time together.

Henry's father, Phillip Rhodes, was the leader of the influential—and shady—organization called the Thornhill Society. They had connections to what Warwick did and why he did it, we just didn’t know exactly what. The details were all loosely related like a misprinted connect-the-dots page. I had the theory that they were some kind of cult, but no proof.

Thornhill wore the mask of a social group, and most in town thought they were benign and good. Were all of the members of Thornhill involved or merely a few? What had the sacrificial rituals been for? Why had Phillip killed Warwick and saved me if he hated me?

Principal McPherson and his assistant appeared, and I ducked my head, anxiety rippling through me. McPherson would surely catch me and send me back to class. Instead, he was preoccupied in his evidently stressful conversation.

They don’t know what they’re talking about, he argued, agitated. Misappropriation of funds? Every penny is accounted for. He can check it himself or have his accountant analyze the records.

Sir, I’m only repeating what I was told over the phone, the assistant said. Maybe he was being overly cautious.

He wouldn’t have brought it up at all, if he wasn’t planning on using it against me, McPherson insisted.

As they passed by me, I turned to watch the back of McPherson’s bald head and ugly suit. Misuse of funds was a big deal. McPherson had always struck me as suspicious, to the point where I’d suspected him of the girls’ disappearances. I didn’t have time to wonder about his troubles, though.

I headed for an unused part of school that had been closed off since Warwick lit a few fires there. I slowed my frantic steps as I arrived. The school had never gotten around to fixing the hall up, preferring to forget it since it was an area still under construction.

Smoke marks stained the walls above the lockers. Half of the lights were burned out, enhancing shadows that I normally wouldn’t have noticed.

Henry was nowhere to be found. Mr. Impatient must still be on his way, I mused. Ambling silently, I peered into the locked classrooms. The blinds drawn inside of the rooms made the hall several shades darker than the rest of the school. I nearly tripped over an old Halloween streamer that lay abandoned on the floor.

Paranoia attacked me hard and I stopped moving. It felt like I was being watched. I twisted to see behind me. The security camera on the wall was disabled, part of why this hall was safe. Its dead lens stared at me, and I could just barely make out my tiny reflection, my pale face and long, black hair.

A hand shot out and grabbed me. Another wrapped around my mouth to stifle my scream.

Where are you going? Henry's deep voice whispered in my ear. I instantly relaxed against him. He dropped his hand from my mouth and grinned impishly at me, his brown eyes amused.

I waited for my heart to realize things were okay, but it was still pounding, just for a different reason. His closeness brought on a wave of irrationally strong euphoria. I took in his handsome face: his full, inviting lips, the strong set of his cheekbones and jaw, the nose curved just enough to give it character. I adored his face, and I knew I'd never get tired of looking at him.

Wiping my sweaty palms off on my pants, I scowled lightly at him. I didn’t know where you were.

That was the whole point: the sneak attack. Part of me wanted to wipe the smirk off his face, but his smile was too enticing, full of suggestion. He grabbed my hand and dragged me to the small closet he’d been hiding in.

Where are we going?

I think this is better than being out in the open. Plus, I can have my way with you.

He whipped the door shut, darkening the small nook completely except for a slit of light beneath. There wasn’t much room inside so he was practically on top of me—not that I minded. My insides quivered at his proximity; yet, I felt the same strange shyness I always did the first few minutes of being around him.

Uh, I hate to inform you, but this is creepy, not sexy, I said softly, trying to diffuse the mounting tension. Unless you’re going for a seven minutes in heaven effect.

An alluring chuckle sounded beside me. Maybe I am.

All kinds of beguiling images drifted through my head, and his lips found mine in the dark. My heart began beating triple time in my chest.

His arms wrapped around my waist and he eliminated the modest gap between us. The scent of his cologne was utterly intoxicating—like trees after rain. We kissed for a long minute, and I savored the feeling of his arms around me. Heat filled my chest, spreading down into my stomach. I pressed myself against him and I felt him relax and give in to me just as completely.

Breaking away, I settled my head into the nape of his neck and listened to the strong echo of his heartbeat. I could barely see anything, but being with him was calming.

I'm guessing our time is running out, Henry said softly. His words broke the spell.

It's so ridiculous that we have to sneak around, I muttered. I feel like a criminal.

He rested his chin on top of my head and squeezed me tighter. Me too. We could buy matching orange jumpsuits.

I laughed despite myself.

I don’t want to take even the slightest risk of something bad happening to you, he said, his tone instantly serious. Dad knows you’re connecting Thornhill to Warwick. Right now he sees you as overwrought and harmless, but if he knew his only son was in love with you, he’d see you as a major threat.

Throwing that word around again, I see. I was glad he couldn’t see the furious blush racing across my face.

As much as I have to until you bounce it back to me.

I changed the subject. It’s been almost two months, Henry. You really don’t think we could come out of the closet?

He laughed softly into my hair. If he and Thornhill did have anything to do with Warwick’s crimes, then no one is safe. Especially not if that person is sniffing close to what’s his.

I think you just like having a secret, I teased.

If you're my secret, then yes, I do. He captured my lips again and held me in a lingering kiss.

I wonder when... Just as I finished the last word, the bell rang, jarring me out of my reverie. He dropped his arms from my waist and I wrenched open the door, sliding out.

I heard him let out a heavy sigh, but we were already rushing back to the main hall. I silently cursed time for not slowing down when I wanted. I knew my teacher would have a tardy slip helpfully written out for me.

Classes spilled out around us, and Henry and I blended in, becoming two more anonymous faces in the crowd. We were back to being silent enemies.

###

I have interesting news for you today, class, Mr. Golem chimed in chemistry.

Alex Perkins, my best friend Theo’s boyfriend, groaned in his seat beside me. His lanky frame shifted, barely fitting in the desk. The news is only good if there’s a lot of blood. Or strippers.

I rolled my eyes. What newspapers are you reading?

They're called tabloids and they're very credible, Alex said smugly.

Don’t worry, Mr. Golem said to the class. I know that together you guys have the collective attention span of a goldfish. I won’t waste too much of your time; that’s your job.

He held up this morning’s local paper. On the front page was a huge, grotesque picture of a dead blackbird with its ebony wings spread out stiffly. BIRD DEATHS SOLVED, screamed the headline.

Golem gave the paper to a student in the front row to pass back. As a refresher, hundreds of crows and blackbirds died during a cold snap several months ago. The CDC retrieved the bodies for testing, and now the results of those tests have been reported.

The birds had multiplied like crazy last summer, and then one morning in October, their lifeless corpses had littered the ground. I’d thought about them often. Sometimes the dark birds flew soundlessly through my dreams, dropping feathers that floated in the still air.

Anybody want to take an educated guess at what the scientists found? Golem scanned the room for raised hands.

Zombie DNA? Alex proposed. The class snickered, none louder than Alex himself.

Radioactive blood? cracked another boy.

Nothing that movie-worthy, Golem said. He scrawled quickly across the board with squeaky chalk. "They found crush injuries. The theory is that a strong antagonist, possibly the changing winds or the intense cold front, either hit the birds with debris or caused them to hit each other because their natural sense of direction was off.

They’ve settled on the temperature change as a suitable answer, despite the fact that not all the evidence points to it. The front was severe, of course—from the low seventies to below freezing. But when you put the pieces together, it's still an incomplete picture.

Okay, kind of interesting, Alex relented. Is class over yet?

Patience, dude. Don’t be a hater, Golem said in a tragic attempt to be cool ten years too late. The tests were thorough—air, water, soil. No abnormalities were found. But I’m still not buying it. I think there’s more to the story. I want you guys to think of this as extra credit. Let’s drum up some theories on what killed the birds. Break up the monotony. Since this is chemistry, we’ll start by looking at the chemicals involved.

Isn’t the cold snap a good scientific reason? asked a melodious, unfamiliar voice from the back row.

I turned, interest piqued, along with the rest of the class. It was rare to have new students at Hawthorne, especially in the middle of the school year. Theo and Henry had been the last that I could recall.

Sure, Golem said, addressing her. But there’s a lot you missed. For those of you who haven’t met her yet, this is your new classmate, Harlow Briggs.

A round of murmurs cycled through the room. Harlow's stunning face was calm, not even acknowledging that she was now the center of attention. Her smooth, dark brown skin was complimented by a beautiful leather jacket on top of a royal blue shirt. Her black hair was styled effortlessly around her face. An expensive pair of slouchy leather boots stuck out from beneath her desk.

Golem continued speaking. Only blackbirds died—none of the robins or sparrows. Why did they multiply so quickly in the first place? What caused all of the them to die at the same time?

It just seems like a waste of time, Harlow said evenly. But I didn’t witness it. I’m glad; I wouldn’t have wanted to scrape bird guts off of my Mercedes.

Golem smiled tightly. What I’m striving to teach here is the ability to think critically and not just accept an answer that is handed to you, if it’s not satisfactory.

Harlow shrugged, seeming satisfied or bored. The birds were forgotten by the rest of the class as they continued to peek at her, a diamond among the rest of us plain old rocks.

CHAPTER 2

THEO, ALEX, AND I were clustered by Alex's Jeep in the parking lot after school, planning what we were going to do that night. Hell had limited options to kill time outside of ghost sightings and playing cards.

We could always break out the Monopoly board, Theo suggested half-heartedly, making her fists dance up and down.

Only if we're playing for cash, Alex said, mimicking Theo's motions. He was nearly a foot taller than her and built like a linebacker, so he looked much goofier. You don't even have all the pieces, and you never let me play as the hat.

Well, I think I'm officially out of ideas, Theo said, throwing her hands up. You two figure out something brilliant. This brain is tapped out.

Oh, we could— Alex began, but Theo cut him off.

Nothing illegal, Theo clarified. Alex's face fell instantly.

Theo was an artist and always dressed the part. Her wardrobe mostly consisted of clothes she had designed and sewed herself. She’d recently traded her glasses for contacts, and her unusually vivid green eyes stood out even more without lenses to dull them. The rainbow of glitter she always wore on her eyelids brightened her look even more.

Theo had been very shy when we first met, but as she gained some validation and experience, she'd changed. She'd found a lot of acceptance and praise for her art, which was the most important thing to her, and that made her a lot more comfortable and open.

Alex and I filled her in on Golem’s extra credit project; like everyone else in Hell, she showed interest in what killed the birds. We didn’t have to bring up Harlow—her shiny silver Mercedes skimmed past us, sparing Theo by a hazardous inch.

Alex whistled at the Mercedes and Theo glared up at him. A wind gust caused her ruby red hair to fly up around her face, making her look like an irate sorceress.

He shrugged, looking embarrassed, and pulled the brim of his worn baseball cap over his eyes. What? It’s a nice car. I appreciate the finer things in life.

Henry briskly marched up beside Alex and pulled him aside. I tried not to look at him directly, to pretend it was just any other boy there, and to not think about what we had been doing mere hours ago.

Can I talk to you for a minute? Henry asked him. His voice sent little sparks to my nerves, sabotaging my effort. My body hummed with vibration, making my hands tremble.

Sure, man, Alex said. They had remained friends the entire time, throughout the drama of Henry's and my rollercoaster relationship.

Alex mouthed an apology at Theo and me as he followed Henry to his BMW. Theo scowled at the pair; she hadn’t forgiven Henry for the things he’d put me through, no matter what the excuse.

Theo caught my unsteady reaction and mistook the reason for it, patting me on the back. Give it time, Ari. You really cared about him. That doesn't just go away no matter how big of a pile of dirt the guy is.

I just want to keep myself busy, that's all, I deflected.

You can tag along with me to my father’s, if you want, Theo suggested. Not an exciting event, but he said he had something to give me. Maybe my long forgotten aunt died and left me a million dollars.

Sure. I can’t believe I’ve never met him after all this time.

She shrugged. He’s not a people person—kind of socially awkward. That’s part of why he and my mother live apart.

Alex came jogging back over and we slid into the Creep, the name that Theo had tagged his Jeep with.

What did jerkface want? Theo asked, fiddling with the radio as usual.

He was reminding me about a game tournament this weekend. I gotta bring both of my headsets.

Theo scoffed, leaning back in her seat and shaking her head. Children. Both of you.

Alex scowled at her, forgoing his seat belt. When did you suddenly get so mature? It was getting rid of the glasses, wasn’t it? They were keeping you young. Now you’re gonna get all wrinkly and eat prunes.

He tried to play it off as a joke, poking her shoulder, but I sensed some hidden tension between them. Theo's smile seemed forced and instead of replying, she busied herself digging through her bag. I wondered if they'd had an argument.

I wished we could be the four musketeers again. I wished Henry and I didn't have to hide, and that the tension disrupting our friendships would go away.

As the Creep pulled away, I gazed out of my window. Behind the wheel of his car, Henry looked up and stared at me. Our eyes met, and the longing I felt was reflected in his gaze.

###

The stink of old cigarette smoke permeated the air as Theo and I took a seat on her father’s living room couch. My eyes watered but I tried to act polite. Not as easy as I had expected.

Not a people person wasn’t the half of it when it came to Richard Weaver.

You girls haven’t been getting into trouble, have you? he asked gruffly, sitting across from us in a wife beater and boxer shorts. His fingernails were caked with dirt and putty, and a five o’clock shadow darkened his already haggard face.

No, Dad, Theo said. Her voice had gone shy and meek, like a wounded bird chirping for help. She sat with her knees together and her hands