Kayla checked the time while her ’pod maneuvered for landing. Only five minutes late. But, it seemed, so was everyone else. While Kayla waited for her ’pod to berth, she studied the other gamers, exchanging a mixture of complicated handshakes, rib-crushing hugs, and animated greetings. Here goes nothing, she thought, stepping from the ’pod.
“Kayla, great to see you!” Jaden’s voice cut through the hubbub.
Relieved, she smiled and returned the greeting, aware the others had all turned to face her.
Jaden introduced her. “Everyone, this is Kayla. Kayla, this is everyone.”
Kayla rolled her eyes, and Jaden laughed, taking the hint and introducing her to the individual members. The faces passed in a blur. Her first impression was how welcoming they all were. None of the standoffishness she encountered when meeting a group who knew each another well. She felt even more at home a few minutes later when Jaden went inside ahead of her, and Bree took her by the arm, whispering conspiratorially, “Let me show you the house.”
Kayla grinned. Only another girl would understand the need to explore new surroundings. Happily, she allowed Bree to tow her inside.
In keeping with modern homes, the living and eating quarters were directly below the landing deck. The home was spacious and tastefully decorated, the rooms flowing into one another. Kayla’s creative side came alive, stimulated by the aesthetically pleasing surroundings. They had almost finished their tour of the main floor, with only the kitchen remaining, when Bree shrieked and took off.
“What?” Kayla ran after Bree.
“My cake’s about to burn!” Bree wailed, rushing into the kitchen.
Kayla stopped short, stunned. The kitchen was ultra-modern, airy, and gorgeous. Silver glinted off sleek, stainless steel appliances. Grey-veined white marble countertops gleamed under delicate wrought-iron overhead lights, while custom cabinets in heavy black teak lent depth and character to the room. In a kitchen like this, anyone could be a cook.
Smiling, Bree yanked the oven door open, understanding Kayla’s awe. “Yeah, amazing, isn’t it? I cook here every opportunity I get.” She set the scented cake on the heat mats laid out on the counter and shut the oven door. “Want to help me with the frosting?”
“Love to. What kind of cake is that? It smells divine.”
Bree grinned. “My variation of a spice cake. The frosting’s also a unique addition. And yes, before you ask, my talent is culinary art.”
Kayla laughed. “I never would’ve guessed,” she said in mock surprise. “What would you like me to do?”
They chatted between Bree’s instructions. Kayla couldn’t believe how normal Bree was. She almost laughed out loud when she remembered how nervous she’d been. But from the moment Bree pulled her into the house, Kayla had relaxed. As she and Bree finished mixing the frosting and cleared the few dirty dishes, Kayla realized her initial fears had dissolved. She felt right at home.
“We’ll frost the cake just before we serve it,” Bree said, covering the bowl and setting it aside. “Now, it’s time to go kick some booty. Let’s go gaming!”
Giggling, Kayla following Bree down the stairs to the basement. Raucous laughter greeted them halfway down. Entering the gaming room, it didn’t surprise Kayla to find the boys assembled there already honing their skills, now that they had programmed the gaming projectors and interactive consoles.
Bree glanced around the room. “Where’s Tarise?”
“Called to say she’s running late,” Markov answered, avoiding a falling obstacle. “She said to start without her if possible. I told her the schedule could accommodate that, so we’re good to go.” The game ended, and he set aside his virtual lenses, bounding over to a display screen. “Speaking of the schedule, here it is. Kayla, are you familiar with these games?”
Stepping closer, Kayla studied the list. Impressive. Markov’s organized, she thought, aware of how close he was. She turned and stared into arresting gray eyes, rimmed by lashes too long and dark to belong to a boy. He is, without a doubt, very easy on the eye. But he isn’t Jaden. And what made me go there? Annoyed by the tangent her mind had taken, Kayla cleared her throat. “Yup, I know them.”
“Fantastic! Get your game on! The first event is winter sports. Jaden, you and Stovan are our starters.” Markov nudged Kayla. “This should be entertaining.”
As Jaden and Stovan took their places, elbowing one another for positional advantage in the virtual movement quarter, the rest of the group strolled over to the chairs lining the gaming square and settled in to watch.
Well, watch isn’t exactly the right word, Kayla reflected, as the game began accompanied by loud cheers and taunts from the spectators. Startled, Kayla sat in bewildered silence, listening to the insults flying fast and furious. Before long, however, she joined in, as rowdy as the rest.
When the round finished, Kayla knew she had found friends, and not just any friends. Instinctively, she knew these would be friends she could count on, no matter what. She could’ve hugged herself. Only that would’ve looked weird.
Bree, Kayla reflected, is an absolute honey. Her spiky blonde hair, dyed neon pink at the tips, professional makeup, and impeccable—although wacky—taste in clothing, suited her gregarious personality to the last inch of her manicured nails. Stovan, short and broad instead of tall and slender like Jaden, was the casual, fit-in-with-everyone kind of person. Although you wouldn’t have guessed if you stereotyped people with red hair and green eyes. Perhaps that’s why he has that cute dusting of freckles. Jaden was the jokester when he wasn’t trouncing everyone on anything tech related, while Markov, despite his devastatingly good looks, was just as down to earth and nice as the rest of them.
As Bree and Markov began the second round, Tarise arrived. Slim and pretty in an unusual way, with long raven hair and enormous pale blue eyes, Kayla noticed her more reserved demeanor. Whether this was the distrust Kayla expected from strangers or shyness, she wasn’t sure. The latter proved true. Tarise warmed up to her as they became better acquainted during the round. So much so, that, when they had to face each other in the third round, Kayla jostled Tarise for the better position, much like the boys had done earlier.
It was soon clear gaming wasn’t Tarise’s strong suit. Reluctant to trash their tenuous link, Kayla reduced her skill level to be more in line with Tarise’s. But when an unexpected lucky jump on the last slope gave Tarise the win, Kayla was irritated—until she saw how ecstatic Tarise was. She could only smile and congratulate the jubilant victor after that.
They continued switching off opponents, playing out the rest of the winter sports event. More settled, Kayla began a more pointed assessment of the abilities of the other players, arriving at the predictable conclusion that Tarise was the weakest. Subtly, Kayla increased her skill level each time she played, becoming more competitive without making it obvious she had tanked the game with Tarise.
By the end of the first event, Jaden was in the lead—normal, considering the commentary Kayla received about Jaden’s gaming proficiency. The group took a break for Bree’s exceptional spice cake paired with milk and fruit juice, before gaming again in shoot-‘em-up style gunfights.
Chapter Thirteen
The day zipped past. Lunch was a scrumptious affair, courtesy of Bree. Her culinary ingenuity showed no signs of slacking off when she arrayed more fabulous snacks on the counter after lunch for the group to munch on during their afternoon breaks. But the highlight of the day for Kayla was the camaraderie as they plowed their way through more games.
Kayla couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun. They all taunted each other throughout the day, especially when Bree beat Jaden at racing—again. It seemed this was the one game Jaden couldn’t outshine someone in, and the others were quick to pounce, teasing Jaden without mercy. To his credit, he only grinned, taking it in stride.
Reaching the last event of the competition late in the afternoon, Kayla came up against Jaden in “Dance Wars.” Knowing she excelle
d, Kayla coveted the slim hope she might win. They had run through four routines and were at an impasse when the music started for the final routine. Kayla jumped to it. Her necklace, hidden under her shirt until this time, flew out as she bent forward while executing a hip-hop step. Jaden glanced over and froze, mid-move.
Kayla smirked. “Giving up so soon?”
Looking rattled, Jaden resumed dancing, but the two-second delay cost him. Kayla was ten points ahead. They duked it out for another three minutes. Jaden tried to catch up, but he had lost too much ground. When the routine ended, Kayla emerged victorious.
“Way to go, girl!” Bree enthused, giving Kayla a high five.
“What’s happening, dude? You’re losing to girls,” Markov teased, winking at Kayla.
Kayla smiled, unsure if he was flirting. Either way, it didn’t matter. Her thoughts were focused on someone else. What is it about Jaden that draws me like a magnet?
Jaden smiled. “There’s no shame when you have a worthy opponent. Great game, Kayla! Seems you have a competitive spirit in more than just arrowball!”
“I was lucky,” Kayla conceded. “You lost it at one point there, giving me the advantage. What happened?”
Jaden shrugged. “Something distracted me for a moment, that’s all.”
“Dude, you, distracted?” Markov looked dubious.
Stovan chipped in. “Yeah, what did she do? I want to know so I can beat you too.”
“Must be some move.” Tarise giggled. “Care to add me to the teaching list?”
Kayla chuckled, enjoying the banter. Although was there an edge to Tarise’s tone? She didn’t miss the way Tarise angled her eyebrows at Jaden. Is there something between them I don’t know about? Jaden had given no hint of a relationship with her. Or anyone else. Maybe it’s all on Tarise’s side? Whatever the situation, I must be careful I don’t step on any toes.
Studying Jaden now, he was obviously preoccupied. Although he expressed amusement with the rest of them, he was distant. When the next session started and Jaden sidled closer, Kayla wasn’t surprised.
Leaning in, Jaden whispered, “Let’s grab a snack.”
Not a suggestion. Kayla nodded, and they snuck upstairs, leaving Tarise and Stovan dancing while Bree and Markov yelled insults.
“What’s up?” Kayla asked when they reached the sanctuary of the kitchen.
“Can I see your necklace?”
The unexpectedness of the question floored her. Kayla had been expecting some revelation about his relationship with Tarise. And now he’s asking about my necklace? Kayla had tucked it back inside her shirt almost the moment it had come flying out during their game. How did he see it? Saying nothing, Kayla held her necklace up for his inspection.
His face went taut. “Where did you get that?”
“Jaden, you’re making me nervous. What’s with all the questions about my necklace? And why the face?”
“Answer the question.”
His brusque manner and stubborn insistence shocked Kayla, and she gaped. This wasn’t the Jaden she thought she knew. But he was serious. Unless she answered his question, there would be no answer to her own. Deciding she could trust him, Kayla explained.
Throughout her monologue, Jaden’s face didn’t lose its intensity. Then he pushed his sleeve aside and removed something from his wrist wallet.
“I have one too.”
His words hung there. Her flesh prickled. Kayla scratched at her birthmark, staring in disbelief at the medallion in Jaden’s hand, identical to hers. How is this possible?
“Now you know what distracted me.” Jaden sighed. “It was all I could do to finish the game and not drag you away from the others to ask questions.”
“But how . . . when . . . where did you get yours?” Kayla stammered, too shattered to think.
Jaden told his own story about finding his medallion. “It seems we both believed we had something unique to our own family. What if these are the reason that thing is hounding us?”
Kayla had to sit down. “But how could that beast know we have these? We only found them yesterday!”
“I don’t know. But think about it. It’s the only logical explanation. As far as I know, we’re the only two who can see the monster that’s hell-bent on pursuing us. That we both have exactly the same antique family heirloom seems a little too coincidental to not be the common factor.”
Kayla nodded. Jaden’s reasoning was sound. “Now what?”
“How much do you know of your medallion’s history?”
“Not much more than I already told you. My mom was vague. And a funny thing—when I tried to look up the medallion on the ‘net, the search came up empty. Can you believe that?”
“No, that doesn’t seem right. Are you sure?”
“Yes, I ran the search twice. Once using the word medallion and then using the word coin. Both times, there were no results. I even added a holographic scan.”
Jaden’s head snapped up. “Wait—the medallion scanned with no issues?”
“Yes, the image was clear. Why?”
“Interesting. I would’ve expected that you couldn’t scan it.” When she raised an eyebrow, he elaborated. “Remember how I told you I couldn’t capture any images of the beast—how everything came up black?”
“Oh, I get what you’re saying. If they’re connected, the medallion shouldn’t have scanned either. Hmm, that puts a thorn in our theory.”
“Perhaps. But your search yielding no results lends weight back to them being linked.”
“An intriguing quandary.”
Hearing the other spectators making their way up the stairs, Jaden whispered, “The games are almost over. Do you want to come to my place afterward and we can run searches on some proprietary sites I have access to?”
Kayla’s eyes widened. “How do you have access to those?”
Jaden grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know? But that’s not important. Are you up for seeing where this trail leads?”
“You bet,” Kayla replied just as Markov and Bree entered the kitchen. “Bree, great snacks,” she said in a louder voice, helping herself to another cracker with Swiss cheese topped by some elaborate vegetable concoction.
Bree smiled. “Thanks. I’m even happier when people appreciate them.”
While they snacked, the four of them chatted, discussing the games and the annoying fact that Jaden was winning—again.
“He’s never lost?” Kayla asked.
“Nope, dude’s got nerves of steel and quicksilver reflexes. Don’t think any of us will ever win,” Markov moaned.
Giggling at Markov’s mournful face, Kayla could understand his appeal, which was more than she could say about the connection she felt to Jaden.
“Let’s get back down there and see how they’re doing,” Bree said.
They clattered downstairs in time to see Stovan beat Tarise. As he prepared for the final round against Stovan, cheers and jeers followed Jaden onto the virtual dance floor. Not that it would matter who won. Jaden was so far ahead on points, even if Stovan did somehow beat him, the end result would be the same.
Jaden donned his virtual lenses. He seemed unsettled, like a caged animal restless to escape its confines. Is that because his mind is already on the searches he wants to run? Jaden dropped the first two rounds. Distracted, he didn’t even notice the excited comments from the onlookers either.
By chance, he won the third game, which seemed to rekindle his desire to triumph. But under the surface . . . there was something. Like he just didn’t care about the game, or maybe he didn’t want to make it look like he had tossed it. Jaden’s pretense at battling it out with Stovan was confirmed when he took a wrong step at a crucial moment, throwing him out of the competition.
“Game Over,” the virtual screens blared.
Stovan looked stunned. “I won,” was all he could manage as he endured congratulatory back slaps from the rest of them.
Jaden accepted the jibes at his expense and even threw in a fe
w derogatory comments of his own. Kayla eyed him. She hadn’t known him for very long, but he didn’t seem himself. Astonishing none of his other friends noticed. Well, no one except Tarise. She was eyeing Jaden with the same speculative gaze.
Her suspicions revived, Kayla monitored Jaden and Tarise as they collected their scattered possessions, trying to discern anything that might show they were more than friends. But she found nothing to support the notion. He treated her just like the others. Absurdly relieved by this discovery, Kayla gathered her own things. It would’ve complicated spending time with Jaden had there been something between him and Tarise.
Timing her departure to coincide with Jaden’s, Kayla hoped he would figure out she needed his coordinates. When he snuck behind Tarise (helping Bree pack up the leftovers) and motioned for Kayla to call him, she understood he would give her his coordinates once they were away from Markov’s. Kayla sent him an almost imperceptible nod, which was his cue for hastening his exit.
Kayla began her own farewells. Stumbling into her ‘pod some time later, she commanded the call to Jaden.
“What took you so long?”
Although a demand, it was not unkind. “Sorry, I was getting everyone’s PAL links. It took longer than expected. They’re all so friendly. Thanks for thinking to invite me.”
“You’re welcome. I hope you’ll join us for more events.”
“I’d love to, thanks.” Sensing his impatience, Kayla got to the point. “What are your coordinates?”
Jaden obliged, then added, “Let me know when you arrive, and I’ll come up and fetch you.”
Twenty-five minutes later, Kayla sat beside him, introduced to his parents in the briefest manner possible and then rushed to his room so they could continue the searches Jaden had already initiated.
He pointed at the open screens lining one wall. “These are the sites I’ve already accessed, but I’ve found no results. I’m having trouble understanding how this is even possible. I should’ve found a dozen references by now. But there’s nothing. It’s like there’s some kind of shield against the search string I’m using or against that combination of words. I only have two more sites to try before we’re out of luck.”
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