Chasing Shadows
by A.C. Adams
Excerpt 1
Sofia turned on the car radio, and one of her favorite songs, “Home at Last” by Steely Dan, was playing. She sang along while driving down the winding road to her childhood home, and a wave of nostalgia washed over her when she arrived at the ranch and parked on the gravel path in front of the house. Most of Sofia’s memories were from here, and they would always hold a singular place in her heart.
Grabbing the sack of groceries, she walked to the porch, unlocked the door, and quietly entered. She stepped into the dark living room and then opened the drapes. Her stomach dropped as she gaped at the empty room in disbelief. All the furniture had vanished. Had the workers robbed them?
She hurried into the kitchen, put her bag on the table, and looked around. All the counters were bare, no butcher block knife set, no toaster, no coffee machine, no recipe books. The drawers and cabinets were empty, with no silverware or plates. And the refrigerator, which was normally bursting at the seams with a variety of food and drinks, had been cleared out. A shiver ran down her spine.
“Dad!” she called and rushed down the hallway. She threw open his bedroom door and stared at the barren room. There was no furniture, no clothes in the closet, nothing! Fear gripped her.
“Hello? Dad?” Her voice echoed in the empty house as she searched the rest of the rooms. Unrelenting panic seized her when she realized her father was nowhere to be found. Stripped of all personal belongings, the property seemed strangely unfamiliar, as if their lives and memories had been scrubbed from the premises. She trembled, and tears streamed down her face.
Sofia hurried outside and saw the porch swing rocking eerily back and forth in the wind, as if the ghost of Aidan was haunting his favorite spot. “Dad, where are you?” she whispered to herself.
Frantically, she ran to the barn, her heart pounding, hardly able to believe what was happening. She unlocked the door and stepped inside. The empty barn, which used to be one of her most cherished places, seemed cold and lifeless. She felt trapped in a living nightmare. Through her tears, she saw a duffle bag inside Gaia’s stall. She slid open the zipper and discovered it was stuffed with numerous rolls of crisp, one-hundred-dollar bills. Sofia looked up and spotted an envelope with her name on it, in Aidan’s handwriting, pinned to the back wall of Gaia’s stall. She took it down and read the note silently, her hands shaking.
Dearest Sofia,
I knew you would come to see Gaia and wanted to make sure you’d find this note. I’m sorry my departure was so sudden, but it was unavoidable. Unfortunately, I can’t explain why I left in a way you would understand. All my personal and business affairs are in order, and your horse is being taken care of at Hilltop Stables. The cash in the duffle bag should tide you over for a few years until you establish your career.
Please forgive me for any sorrow this may cause you. My actions are irreversible, so don’t try to find me. I have a new life now and must never see you again. Hopefully, you will learn to be at peace with my decision. I will always love you and although she won’t believe it, I love your mother too. Tell her I regret all the bitterness between us.
Your ever well-wisher, Dad
Sofia’s mind reeled, and her legs could no longer hold her upright. Overcome by nausea, she collapsed on the ground and vomited. Wracked with chills and vertigo, she tried to get up, but everything went black, and she passed out.
Excerpt 2
Bishop O’Connor led Sofia and Ella through The Brotherhood’s temple, which was unlike any church they had ever seen. The immense space had no pews, and the red-veined granite floor was polished to a mirror shine. High ceilings, accented with gold, featured elaborate frescoes of Michael the Archangel weighing souls on his perfectly calibrated scales, engaging in battle with rebel angels, and casting Satan out of Heaven.
The altar, with a channel of fire in front, ran the length of one wall. Towering above the flames was a white marble sculpture of Saint Michael, his mighty wings unfurled as he impaled Satan with his sword. Light shining through the stained-glass image of the golden-winged lion bathed the statue in vibrant colors.
As they walked out of the temple and through a maze of travertine hallways, Sofia and Ella looked around for ways to escape, but it seemed impossible. At the end of a long corridor, they reached a wooden door carved with images of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who symbolized death, famine, war, and conquest. The bishop opened the heavy door, and they entered a narrow passageway which led into a natural stone cavern.
In the center of the circular space was a ring of curved stone benches, smooth from centuries of use. Encircling the bleak chamber, tall beeswax candles stood in alcoves like flaming sentinels reflecting their light on the chiseled rock walls. A shaft of stark sunlight shone through an opening in the ceiling, hundreds of feet above. When Sofia and Ella walked in, the frigid air enveloped them, clinging to their skin like frost on a window.
“Have a seat.” The bishop motioned to the benches, his expression inscrutable. “I’ll let Aidan know you’re here.” He left them alone, and they heard the click of the door locking behind him.
“This place is a fortress,” Ella said, shivering with cold and despair. “We couldn’t leave if we wanted to. We’re at his mercy now.”
“The bishop fooled us into believing he’d help, but he made it clear they’ve been tracking me the entire time I’ve been searching for Dad.”
“He tricked me too, and I knew how devious he was.”
“I never should have asked you to join me in Rome.”
Ella put her arms around Sofia. “Don’t blame yourself. No matter what happens, I’m not sorry I came.”
The sound of footsteps on the stone floor startled them as a tall man in a hooded red robe emerged from the passageway. In the dim light, they couldn’t make out his face, but when he stepped into the stream of sunlight from above, they gasped. It was Aidan, transformed into an almost unrecognizable shell of his former self. He looked gaunt and frail, with sunken eyes that were wild and haunted.
“Oh my God, it’s Dad,” Sofia whispered to her mother.
“He looks like he’s been through a war,” Ella said.
Aidan stopped in front of them and pulled back his hood. “I see you two have finally reconciled. It’s a pity you bring out the worst in each other.”
Sofia ran up to her father and tried to hug him, but he stopped her.
“Dad, what’s happened to you?”
About the Author
A.C. Adams is the nom de plume of co-authors Anthony Leigh Adams and
Christina Adams, who have written, produced, and developed film and
television projects for many studios, including Disney, ABC, and CBS.
Christina is a producer of the Emmy Award-winning series, The Amazing Race
and multiple programs for Oprah Winfrey. Anthony composed the music and
co-wrote the book and lyrics for their most recent theatrical project,
Sideways: The Musical, which is based on the Oscar-winning film and is in
development as a Broadway musical.
The Adamses also wrote and produced the original musicals Love-In: A
Musical Celebration and Primal Twang: The Legacy of The Guitar. Both shows
were filmed and aired nationally on PBS. Primal Twang won Best Documentary
Feature at the Rome International Film Festival.
Adams Entertainment, Anthony and Christina’s production company, is
based in La Jolla, California, where they work and live with their two
calico rescue cats. Chasing Shadows, their debut novel, is inspired by true
events. For more information visit: www.adamsentertainment.com.
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