Ruby's Choice: Ditch Lane Diaries, #1

Prologue

Can’t Get It Out of My Head

Campbell Ridge Cave, 1972

Ruby, Anna, and Sandy trekked up the rugged trail to Campbell Ridge, their backpacks heavy with water bottles, extra flashlights, batteries, and granola for their spelunking adventure. The summer air buzzed with cicadas, but inside the cave, a damp chill greeted them. Limestone formations jagged stalactites as large as a pickup truck, and shimmering crystals jutted from the ceiling and walls, their surfaces catching the flashlight beams like prisms from another world. The pungent scent of wet earth and moss clung to Ruby’s nostrils, sharp and primal.

Ruby leaped over a rushing underground stream, nearly slipping. Her hand shot out, grabbing a protruding ledge to steady herself. Navigating much deeper than she’d ever gone before, she climbed over a massive boulder and squeezed through a narrow passage, her shoulders brushing against cold stone. The passage opened into a hidden chamber, roughly twelve by twelve, cloaked in shadow. She gripped the rock and said, Hey, guys, you have got to see this!

Sliding down, she landed on her feet. A shiver ran through her, the hair on her arms prickling.

What the heck?

Anna and Sandy scrambled in behind her, their flashlight beams darting across the enclosed space.

Holy crow. Cool hieroglyphics, Anna said, brushing dirt off her jeans.

Intricate symbols etched the walls: spirals that seemed to pulse, angular lines forming constellations,and cryptic shapes like half-moons cradling stars. A repeating spiral reappeared like a fingerprint, carved with uncanny precision. Some figures had eyes formed from inset crystals—sapphire, garnet, even what looked like black opal—catching the light with eerie clarity, as though they had been watching for centuries.

Among them, stick figures danced in eerie procession—some with outstretched arms, others kneeling before towering, winged forms. Beneath the carvings, a curving script—not quite runes, not quite pictographs. Ruby couldn’t read them, but they stirred something in her bones, like a half-remembered dream.

Sandy stepped closer, her fingers grazing the textured stone. Far out. It’s a story. I’ve read about stuff like this in National Geographic—ancient tribes recording their myths.Her flashlight lingered on a sequence of symbols: a radiant orb, a cascade of falling stars, and a figure with a haloed head wielding a blade. This feels…cosmic.

Ruby swept her flashlight across the room, her beam halting on a massive figure carved into the far corner. At least eight feet tall, it loomed over the chamber. Its form was humanoid but otherworldly, clad in what looked like a fitted suit with segmented plates. A blue glow faintly pulsed as tiny, rune-like patterns etched each plate. A domed helmet framed its featureless face, and a faint halo of etched lines radiated behind its head. Yet its hands held no tools—only embedded orbs that mirrored the spiraling symbols on the walls.

Man, is that a freaking astronaut? Ruby’s voice echoed.

Sandy tilted her head.Could be a halo, not a helmet. Maybe it’s a deity… or an angel?

That’s some spooky vibes. Anna bumped into Ruby, her flashlight jittering. Sorry, Ruby, it’s hard to see in here. Did you know nomadic hunters lived in these caves during the Stone Age? They believed in an afterlife and high gods. This could be a tribute to their ‘sky lords.’

You’re such a geek, but I love you, Sandy teased.

Ruby’s skin crawled. I’ve got a weird feeling someone’s watching us. We should leave.

Weirdo. Sandy grinned, but Ruby stayed silent, her eyes scanning the shadows.

Hey, um, ah—there’s a light coming from over here. Ruby handed her flashlight to Sandy and dropped to her knees. A faint blue glow pulsed from a crevice in the wall. She reached inside, her fingers closing around a cool object.

Pulling it free, she gasped. It was a crystal sculpture of a face with piercing sapphire eyes that emitted an eerie, throbbing light. The surface was flawless, like polished glass, its features sharp yet serene—an echo of the towering figure in the corner. No matter how Ruby turned it, those sapphire eyes seemed to follow them, unblinking.

Ruby swallowed hard. It’s… watching us.

Sandy snatched it from her. It’s just a smaller version of the big guy. She passed it to Anna, who turned it over, her fingers trembling.

My fingertips are tingling, Sandy said. Do you hear that?

No, Ruby and Anna said in unison.

Someone is whispering we’re in danger. We need to leave now! Sandy snatched the sculpture from Anna and shoved it into the crevice.

Ruby’s heart pounded. The ground beneath her vibrated, a low hum rising from the stone. The cave’s shifting. Let’s rock before we’re trapped!

They clambered back across the boulder, skidding on gravel and slick moss-covered stone, their flashlights bouncing wildly. Bursting out of the cave, they collapsed on a rock ledge, sunlight filtering through thick foliage. They sat, breathless, speechless.

Oh, my gosh. We almost got buried alive, Anna finally wheezed.

No, seriously, Ruby said, rubbing her arms. "That cave didn’t just move—it breathed. I swear it felt alive."

Sandy sat bolt upright, her hands trembling. You guys, that was not a normal statue. That was an angel in there. Or an alien. Or both. My brain’s exploding.

Anna scoffed, half-heartedly. Angels don’t wear space suits. And technically, stone is alive, maybe not like humans. They’ve carried energy for eons.

Maybe in heaven they do wear suits, Sandy said. "I’m telling you, I heard him. He was talking in my head. He said we’re chosen."

Ruby asked, Chosen for what? To die in a cave-in?

No, like… chosen, chosen. Sandy’s voice dropped to a whisper. You know, like to protect the stones or something. It is baffling.

Ruby opened her mouth to respond, but something about the look in Sandy’s eyes made her pause.

Anna turned to Sandy, brow furrowed. What stones? What are you talking about?

Sandy pointed back toward the cave, her hand trembling. The angel. Different colors, gemstones designated for us. We need to look for them.

Ruby stared. Like a scavenger hunt?

I’m serious! Sandy snapped, her voice cracking. "He said they chose us. The stones carry pieces of something ancient—something that remembers. They’re part of us now."

Anna blinked. Where would they even be? And who chose us exactly?

I don’t know—just help me look!

The girls scrambled to their feet and began checking their gear.

Ruby unzipped her backpack—and froze. Nestled among her supplies, she found a palm-sized gemstone, as if it had always been there. It was amber, golden, and glowing faintly with a spider web suspended inside like a fossilized burst of lightning. It radiated heat through the fabric of her bag, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. Shut the front door, Ruby said, holding it out for Anna and Sandy to see it.

Anna dug into her jean pocket, suddenly wide-eyed. Oh, my gosh. She pulled out an amethyst the size of a walnut, its facets flickering with violet fire. I didn’t put this here. I swear I didn’t.

Almost frantically, Sandy dumped her pack, and found nothing until she unscrewed the lid of her thermos, and peered inside. Geez. She reached in and retrieved a luminous hiddenite, so green it looked unreal—like melted emerald glass. It’s real. He told me they’d find us.

Ruby stared at the stones in their hands, heart thudding like a drum. Who’s going to find us?

Sandy gripped Ruby’shand. Her skin was ice cold. There he is, the angel just inside the mouth of the cave. Do you see him? He looks familiar.

Ruby and Anna exchanged glances, shaking their heads.

I’m not kidding. You don’t see him? Hear him? Sandy’s voice quivered. He’s saying the gemstones are from the fifth heaven. They will trigger our supernatural powers at the appointed time. And we can’t tell anyone about what happened in the cave, the sculpture, or these stones. He says we are going to fight demons. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

Anna cradled Sandy’s head while Ruby splashed water on her face.

Sandy’s eyes fluttered open. Oh man, I want to go home. I want my Mama.

Ruby helped her to her feet. Let’s go.

They never spoke of the cave event, the crystal artifact, or the gemstones again—until years later.

Luc, Ruler of the Fallen

High in a gnarled oak overlooking the cave’s entrance, Luc perched, his satiny black wings folded tightly to conceal his presence. His sharp eyes tracked the girls as they stumbled down the ridge. Beside him, Caiojezeal knelt, his own wings—gray and tattered—twitching with unease. The divine aura from the cave pulsed faintly, a reminder of the guardian within.

Luc’s lip curled. I can’t believe those silly girls are a threat to me. Caiojezeal, you need to recheck your intel.

Caiojezeal’s voice was low, reverent. The redhead—Ruby—she’s a hybrid and doesn’t, my lord. Those gemstones…they’re shards from fifth heaven, torn from the celestial forge when the First War shattered the divine realms. Each stone holds a spark of creation capable of awakening dormant powers in mortals. The girls may seem weak now, but they’ll become formidable foes as adults.

Luc’s wings ruffled, a shadow of irritation crossing his flawless face. Once a radiant archangel, he fell because of pride, his heart burning with the ambition to rival the Creator. The fifth heaven’s stones were relics of his rebellion—a rebellion that had cost him everything. Now, they were in the hands of children.

A hybrid, he mused, his voice silk over steel. Her bloodline is useful.

Caiojezeal nodded, his own history as a lesser angel of the celestial guard. He followed Luc out of loyalty, not defiance, believing he could restore order to a fractured cosmos. But now, watching those children, a tremor of doubt flared in Luc’s chest.

The guardian in the cave—likely a sentinel of the fifth heaven—will protect the stones’ secrets. We must tread carefully. If the girls’ guardians sense our presence…

Luc’s eyes glinted, cold as starlight. Keep a team on them, but stay hidden. Get close to Ruby. Charm her, manipulate her—whatever it takes. We could turn her if she's a hybrid. The stones’ power could tip the balance in our favor. He spread his wings, the air crackling with his resolve.

The fifth heaven’s light will not burn me again.

Chapter 1

In the Summertime

1978 Everglade, Tennessee

Summer always brought a rush of tourists to the Everglade General Store, though locals like the Glenns stayed faithful year-round.

Ruby stacked the last row of hand-cut soaps and peach-scented lotions on the shelf by the window, her thoughts drifting to the dream from the night before. She had been walking through a grove of pink dogwoods, the petals trembling in a breeze that carried the scent of honeysuckle and something ancient, like candle smoke and cedar. Sunlight filtered through the blossoms in strange patterns, too golden to be real. The air shimmered, thick with presence.

She couldn’t see who walked beside her—only a sense of warmth, of safety. Like being known without having to speak. Her fingers brushed against the being, and her heart had leapt, unreasonably. There was no face, no name, just a pull as if part of her had been waiting.

Then the dream darkened. The dogwoods vanished, replaced by a window overlooking a city that could’ve been Nashville—but not. The skyline flickered like a mirage. Somewhere beyond the glass, a shadow stirred. It didn’t move, but it watched. It bled unease into the room, humming like static just below the threshold of hearing.

Ruby had turned to speak—to ask the presence beside her what it was—but the dream shattered