Dark Season: The Complete Third Series (All 8 books) Read Online Free
Author: Amy Cross
the risk any longer. We have to go get her, take her somewhere safe, and help her prepare for the moment when she takes her rightful place".
"And Patrick?" I ask. "Where's he in all of this? Shouldn't he be looking out for her?"
"Patrick's not in a position to help Abigail at the present time," he replies.
"What does that mean?"
"It means what it means," he says. "It means a lot has happened while you've been drinking yourself into oblivion here in New York. Some of us had to keep watch, and it wasn't easy". He pauses for a moment. "What do you think would have happened if we'd all reacted the way you reacted? What if we'd all drowned our sorrows in drink and drugs? You took the easy way out, Shelley".
"You call this easy?" I reply, angry at his assumptions.
"You didn't even go to her funeral," he says. "Everyone was asking about you, but you didn't show up. Have you even been back to Dedston? Have you even bothered to go to her grave?"
"Why would I?" I reply, lighting up another cigarette. My hands fumble a little with the lighter. "It's just a patch of ground with a dead body in it. It doesn't mean anything".
"It would have been a sign of respect," he says.
"No," I say, taking a drag on the cigarette. "Saving her life would have been a sign of respect. Going to her grave would just have been a sign of pity".
"You can't blame yourself," he says.
"I don't," I reply. "Not much, anyway. I blame you, or rather the people you work for. If your lot were always watching what happened, why didn't any of them step in and do something about it?"
"We're Watchers," he says. "We observe. We don't interfere".
"Until now".
He nods. "Until now. Times have changed. When I joined the Watchers a few years ago, the first thing they told me was that the Age of Chaos is coming and that we'd have to get more involved. They also told me that when the time came, I'd have to come and get you".
"And that's why you're here?" I ask.
"That's why I'm here".
I take another drag. "I don't have a choice, do I?"
He shakes his head.
"Promise me one thing," I say. "Promise me that, no matter what happens, we won't try to save Patrick. He's a killer. He's a fucking monster. We have to let him die".
"None of us have any interest in saving Patrick," he says. "It's not even possible. The process has already begun, and it's irreversible. The focus here is Abigail".
"I'll pack a bag," I say, realizing that there's no point fighting. I walk over to the wardrobe and pull out an old rucksack. As I sort out some clothes, I glance over at Todd. "So you've really got nothing better to do than stand and watch me pack?"
He shrugs. "Maybe you'll do a runner as soon as I'm out of the room".
"So you're gonna stare at me all the time?"
"Maybe," he replies.
Zipping up the bag, I turn to him. "Ready".
"That was quick," he says.
"I don't plan to be away for long," I reply. "Don't forget, I'm not one of you. I'm not a Watcher. I'll help Abigail, but then I'm coming back to New York". I haul my bag over my shoulder. "I'm really not planning to be away for long".
"It might take a while," he says.
"Do you even know where she is?"
"Abigail?" He smiles. "We've been watching her for years".
"How is she?" I ask as we walk to the door.
He pauses for a moment. "It's complicated".
"Alright, whatever-your-name-is, let's go," I say.
He stops. "You don't recognize me, do you?"
I sigh. "Have we met before? Have you been peering in my bedroom window every night, 'watching' me?"
He smiles. "Not quite. I suppose I should have introduced myself properly at the start". He reaches out a hand for me to shake. "It's me. Todd. Sophie's brother. Long time no see".
Chapter Three
"So how was school?" asks Evan, my foster father, as we sit eating dinner. He does this every evening: in order to keep us from talking about anything important, he fills the silence with banal, trivial questions. I guess it's his way of trying to keep up the pretense that there's nothing
"And Patrick?" I ask. "Where's he in all of this? Shouldn't he be looking out for her?"
"Patrick's not in a position to help Abigail at the present time," he replies.
"What does that mean?"
"It means what it means," he says. "It means a lot has happened while you've been drinking yourself into oblivion here in New York. Some of us had to keep watch, and it wasn't easy". He pauses for a moment. "What do you think would have happened if we'd all reacted the way you reacted? What if we'd all drowned our sorrows in drink and drugs? You took the easy way out, Shelley".
"You call this easy?" I reply, angry at his assumptions.
"You didn't even go to her funeral," he says. "Everyone was asking about you, but you didn't show up. Have you even been back to Dedston? Have you even bothered to go to her grave?"
"Why would I?" I reply, lighting up another cigarette. My hands fumble a little with the lighter. "It's just a patch of ground with a dead body in it. It doesn't mean anything".
"It would have been a sign of respect," he says.
"No," I say, taking a drag on the cigarette. "Saving her life would have been a sign of respect. Going to her grave would just have been a sign of pity".
"You can't blame yourself," he says.
"I don't," I reply. "Not much, anyway. I blame you, or rather the people you work for. If your lot were always watching what happened, why didn't any of them step in and do something about it?"
"We're Watchers," he says. "We observe. We don't interfere".
"Until now".
He nods. "Until now. Times have changed. When I joined the Watchers a few years ago, the first thing they told me was that the Age of Chaos is coming and that we'd have to get more involved. They also told me that when the time came, I'd have to come and get you".
"And that's why you're here?" I ask.
"That's why I'm here".
I take another drag. "I don't have a choice, do I?"
He shakes his head.
"Promise me one thing," I say. "Promise me that, no matter what happens, we won't try to save Patrick. He's a killer. He's a fucking monster. We have to let him die".
"None of us have any interest in saving Patrick," he says. "It's not even possible. The process has already begun, and it's irreversible. The focus here is Abigail".
"I'll pack a bag," I say, realizing that there's no point fighting. I walk over to the wardrobe and pull out an old rucksack. As I sort out some clothes, I glance over at Todd. "So you've really got nothing better to do than stand and watch me pack?"
He shrugs. "Maybe you'll do a runner as soon as I'm out of the room".
"So you're gonna stare at me all the time?"
"Maybe," he replies.
Zipping up the bag, I turn to him. "Ready".
"That was quick," he says.
"I don't plan to be away for long," I reply. "Don't forget, I'm not one of you. I'm not a Watcher. I'll help Abigail, but then I'm coming back to New York". I haul my bag over my shoulder. "I'm really not planning to be away for long".
"It might take a while," he says.
"Do you even know where she is?"
"Abigail?" He smiles. "We've been watching her for years".
"How is she?" I ask as we walk to the door.
He pauses for a moment. "It's complicated".
"Alright, whatever-your-name-is, let's go," I say.
He stops. "You don't recognize me, do you?"
I sigh. "Have we met before? Have you been peering in my bedroom window every night, 'watching' me?"
He smiles. "Not quite. I suppose I should have introduced myself properly at the start". He reaches out a hand for me to shake. "It's me. Todd. Sophie's brother. Long time no see".
Chapter Three
"So how was school?" asks Evan, my foster father, as we sit eating dinner. He does this every evening: in order to keep us from talking about anything important, he fills the silence with banal, trivial questions. I guess it's his way of trying to keep up the pretense that there's nothing
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