Unknown Darkness (Dominions Book 2)

Chapter 3: Judah

Tonight was a rare moment when Judah DiMarco was sober. Though, he wouldn't be for long. 

He had never been one to party before. He didn't like the effects of alcohol. There were too many people he had seen make stupid mistakes under the influence of alcohol. They'd drink to the point of blacking out, and then the next morning remembers nothing. 

Judah wanted to remember everything. 

At least, Judah used to want to remember everything. 

Selena. 

She haunted his dreams. He can remember the way her long dark hair would fall down her back. He remembered how her nose would scrunch up when she heard something she found too outlandish to be real. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt her lips on his. He felt the tug of guilt pull on his heart when he thinks about how alone she must feel. 

If only he had stayed with her. Maybe she'd still be here. 

It was a cloudy day in Saffron. Judah sat on the end of the wooden pier and allowed his legs to dangle just above the water. The cool breeze of evening was starting to blow across the beach, and he closed his eyes to allow the wind to embrace him. Judah reached into the pocket of his denim jacket and pulled a flask out. He unscrewed the lid and took a swig of the warm whiskey he had stolen from his mom's liquor cabinet. 

The liquid used to hurt as it traveled down his throat, but Judah had grown accustomed to the sensation of alcohol. While the liquid still burned, it no longer required him to cough and grab at his chest. He took another swig of the liquid, then another, and then another. Soon, the once full flask was empty, and his world was once again disoriented. 

He stood upon the pier and felt his legs begin to topple. Somewhere in the distance, Judah thought he heard someone call his name, but before he could turn around, he was engulfed by warm water. His arms flapped around on the surface of the water, but Judah couldn't find the way up to breathe. Judah sunk into the darkness, and his body lay still as the surface seemed to dance further and further away. 

A shadow appeared above him, and Judah felt hands grab at his shoulders. Short legs feverishly begin to tread water from behind him, and slowly, Judah felt his body rising to the surface of the water. 

"What are you doing?" he slurred to his unknown lifeguard as they slowly made their way back to the beach. "Let me go!" he pushed at the body, unable to make out any description of the person who came to his rescue. 

"Can you stop pushing me?!" A female voice retorted back to him. "This is hard enough carrying dead weight. I don't need you actively fighting against me." 

The authority in the girl's tone sat Judah still. He began to tread lightly behind her, and when they finally got to the sandy banks of Saffron's beach, the girl collapsed on her back, gasping for air. Judah finally looked over to who saved him, and even in his drunk state, he could feel the embarrassment fall over him.

Aria Conchos lay in the sand next to him as she closed her eyes and clutched at her stomach. She dry heaved for a minute before taking a final deep breath and looked at Judah with the same piercing eyes her sister had. Her eyebrows scrunched, and she threw her long brown hair out of her face. Judah noticed a cardigan lying on the ground next to where she laid down that she quickly wrapped around her body. She checked the pocket and pulled out her phone before glaring at Judah.

"What the actual hell were you thinking?!" she hissed at him. 

She pulled strands of her hair apart and began to wring them out. 

Judah didn't have an answer. At least not one that he thought she'd approve of. When Selena first went missing, Aria and Judah spent every afternoon hanging fliers of Selena around the town. Aria didn't understand how Selena was in their room one moment, and the next, she was just gone without a trace. She'd often go over the events of the day with Judah, and though he knew the truth, he felt he could at least listen.