Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “You’re in my room. On my bed,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “You told me to stay here last night.”

  “I did?” He paused, deep in thought as his brows angled crookedly.

  “Don’t you remember anything that happened last night? Your brother Everett tried to kill me in the woods.” Skylar was irritated. She didn’t want Mason to think she was trying to take advantage of him.

  “Okay … now I remember. Sorry. I just woke up and saw you here.”

  Would it be such a bad thing?

  “So, we should … you should … ,” he started to say.

  Skylar didn’t know what to say or do. She knew he was baffled and most likely still dazed from being drugged … or maybe he wasn’t. She didn’t care anymore. “I’m going to go back to my room. Obviously, I’m safer there than here.” At least her heart was.

  “Stop. Hold on a minute. I didn’t mean to offend you.” Mason tumbled out of bed. “I need to think. Please, keep your voice down. They may hear us.”

  Skylar’s hand was on the doorknob, already turning it. “They may hear us,” repeated in her mind. Did he not want the others to know she’d spent the night in his room? “You need to think? Think about what?”

  Mason chuckled lightly. “Here we go again, Echo.”

  “I’m not repeating your words,” she snapped. Or was she?

  “We should leave. I’ll take you to your room to pack,” Mason said, heading to the door. Skylar stepped aside for him, knowing she had no choice. As soon as Mason placed his hand on the knob, the door automatically thrashed open. He flew across the room as if he had been punched in the stomach, bounced off the bed from the impact, and tumbled to the floor. Stunned by what had just happened, Skylar hid behind the door. Unexpectedly, a claw gripped her shirt and yanked her out.

  ***

  Still on the floor, Mason shot his eyes up to find Skylar, but she was gone. Dashing out the door with lightning bolt speed, he saw her in the arms of a vulture as it sprinted down the stairs. She was desperately trying to fight him off, kicking and punching, but her size and strength was no match for the beast.

  Looking to the right, he saw Nick was a step ahead of him. He had already flung himself down to the first level near the front door, and gestured for Mason not to make a move. Knowing Nick was waiting for the vulture, he positioned himself, ready to jump. When Nick dashed forward, Mason made his move and landed behind the vulture.

  Nick tilted his head back and looked at his opponent with revulsion. “You’re one ugly, giant dude, and you stink like hell. What planet did you come from?”

  The vulture hissed loudly, reaching for the door, but Nick stood in the way.

  “Where do you think you’re going? I don’t think she’s your type, and you’re certainly not my type with those long nails.”

  The vulture growled, holding Skylar with one arm. It swung with the other and missed Nick by a hair’s breadth. Given the opportunity, Mason jumped on its back and grimaced from its body odor. It stunk with the smell of sewer and urine. Its’ cold, leather-like skin was hard to grip, and Mason’s hands were slipping.

  In anger, the vulture twisted its body, swatting its free hand to get Mason off its back. Ineffective, it weaved from side to side. With one wild twirl, Mason’s body knocked the tall vase over, sending it to the floor where it shattered into pieces.

  Losing his grip on the monster, Mason tumbled to the floor and struggled to get up. A broken piece of the vase had pierced his upper arm. He yanked it out to see scarlet liquid soaking through his T-shirt as it trickled down his arm. Though he was in throbbing pain, he could feel his arm slowly healing.

  Just before Mason got back to his feet, the vulture gripped his shirt and tossed him with one hand. The weight of the impact caused Mason to fall on top of Nick. Before Mason had time to adjust, the vulture picked him up and tossed him again.

  Everett and Amanda rushed out of their rooms at the same time to see Mason sliding across the floor. His body swept the broken vase pieces like a mop, leaving a clear path.

  “What are you two looking at? This isn’t a free show. We could use some help here,” Nick said aloud, ducking another blow. He saw two more men charging from the other side of the cabin, morphing into vultures right in front of him, advancing toward him. “What the hell? Where did they come from?”

  Everett stayed where he was with an impassive expression on his face. With elbows on the banister, he didn’t budge. As for Amanda, she ran to her room and came back with a sword in her hand. Looking eager, she flung herself over the rail and landed gracefully on her feet.

  Mason grabbed a long broken piece of vase off the floor and stabbed it into the back of the vulture who was still swatting at Nick. It screeched in pain and lost its hold on Skylar. Pulling Skylar out of the way and heading to the corner, Mason stood in front of her protectively.

  “Amanda, go back upstairs. Nick and I’ve got this handled,” he demanded, moving from side to side, contemplating what the vulture would do next.

  “And let the boys have all the fun? No way.” Amanda twirled her sword and missed. She leapt to the left, swung, and missed again. “Dang, they’re fast for being so chubby.” She rapidly flipped over the vulture in front of her, confusing it, but it caught onto what she was doing and turned.

  When Amanda jolted back, she scraped her sword across its chest. Black fluid squirted out. The wounded vulture turned away from her. “Where do you think you’re going?” Amanda huffed and chased after it.

  The other vultures continued to make ear piercing, horrendous sounds, as they angrily fought back. Mason knew that one way to end the beasts’ lives was to use his power, but their swift movements made it difficult. He could have easily bolted deadly light out of his hand, but he would be taking a risk if he missed. Not only that, he worried about what Skylar would think of him.

  An opportunity finally arose when Nick knocked one to the floor. Mason gripped its shoulders and zapped it with volts of electricity that flowed out from within him. Bright light emanated from Mason’s body as if he, himself, was lightning. Then the vulture’s body seared and fizzled, looking like a barbecue gone wrong.

  The beast bellowed in pain, burning from the inside, before turning back into human form. Suddenly, as if it was a torch, fire blasted out of it and it flailed its arms in a fanning motion. As black smoke circulated through the air like a magic trick, it emitted a giant puff of smoke and crumbled into ashes.

  “Well, that was very toasty,” Mason said, turning around to see Nick zap his power into the other vulture. Wondering where the third beast was, he turned to Skylar to make sure she was safe.

  Skylar was shivering in the corner where he had left her, bent down with her back flat against the wall. Black ooze mixed with red liquid was seeping out of her hands. Looking as pale as the white wall behind her, she looked frightened and fragile.

  At the sight of her, Mason’s heart dropped. His emotions were filled with empathy and a feeling he couldn’t quite understand tugged at his heart. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t let her in. Had she been peeling away a layer at a time and unknowingly found her way in?

  Sure, he flirted with her, big time, but what guy in his right mind wouldn’t? She was attractive, but there was more to her than a pretty face. He had never met anyone like her before—innocent, strong willed, spunky, and her heart beat purely.

  It was getting more difficult to fight the feeling he had been trying to conceal since the day he first met her. All he could think at this moment was to take her away from all this madness. He wanted to comfort her, and a part of him wanted to kiss her. Wait … what was he thinking? He had to wipe that thought from his mind. He had told himself many times over he wouldn’t let her in. He had to remain strong.

  Peeling his eyes away from her, he saw the motionless beast flat on its stomach. Oddly, it hadn’t turned back into human form, which they always did before they died. Decapitated, a long sharp piece from the shatte
red vase was sticking out from its back. Next to it was Amanda, holding up her sword dripping with black liquid. With one foot on the vultures back, she looked proud and victorious.

  Soon after, the vulture turned into stone, just like Skylar had said Remus had done, and transformed into ash. Amanda, Nick, and Mason were alarmed to see the transformation. It had turned into stone, which was not normal, before it burst into ashes, which was. The other two flashed their eyes to Mason with questioning looks.

  “Not a word. I don’t want to hear it,” Mason stated, then turned to Skylar. “Skylar,” Mason said softly, disregarding the ashes on the floor. “You’re bleeding. Let me clean that up.”

  Seeing that she was unable to move, Mason swept her off her feet and took her to the kitchen. There, he ran her hands under the water at the sink. The wounds were not as deep as he had thought, but there were long gashes across both of her palms. It was most likely not the cause of her bleeding that much. The black fluid indicated that she had the vulture’s blood on her hands as well.

  Opening a cabinet to his right, he pulled out an emergency bag. With cotton balls, he dabbed the cuts with antibacterial ointment, then wrapped them with bandages for extra protection. “It’s not too bad,” Mason said, cradling Skylar’s hands as if they were wounded doves.

  ***

  Skylar couldn’t take in air. Mason was standing too close. When she caught his eyes, they stared back at her. Then he blinked and looked away. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Mason was so sweet, taking care of her, but she was so awed by watching him use his powers, that she was completely speechless and couldn’t stop gawking at him.

  “Don’t stare at me,” he said, making sure the swathe wouldn’t come undone.

  “I … I … .” Skylar couldn’t muster up a sentence. It was caught in her throat.

  “What happened?” he asked, peering up under his thick eyelashes to catch her eyes.

  “You … your hands … they … the monsters turned into ashes by your hands,” Skylar rambled. “I saw lights. I mean flashing, lightning lights, like the ones you see up in the sky. They came out of your hands, or fingertips, or somewhere … and your eyes too. And you move … you all move so fast … and how did you … oh my god! I can’t even believe I’m saying all this.” Flabbergasted, she was so caught up with what Mason was able to do, she didn’t answer his question.

  “You do remember me telling you that I can do things like that, right?”

  Skylar nodded, looking like she had seen God himself. She recalled being told, but hearing was one thing. Seeing lightning bolts flash out the palms of his hands, and seeing him move with such great speed, was a whole different story.

  “I’m still me, okay? You’re not afraid of me, are you?”

  Skylar shook her head. “No.”

  “Good. Now you’ve just seen some of the things I can do first hand.”

  “Why didn’t you fight them off when they were trashing Kayla’s house? If you could do what you just did, why did we run?”

  “I had just met you. You would’ve thought I was a freak and tried to run away from me too. It would also have been two against one, not that I couldn’t take them on my own, but I would be putting your life at risk. I’d rather hide and protect you than try to kill two of those. Enough about me. What happened?”

  Ignoring his question, she looked at him. “You’re hurt,” she said, looking at the patch of crimson on his torn white T-shirt. Starting from his right shoulder, it was ripped diagonally across. She stared at his exposed tattoo, remembering how it had lit up when the lights shot out of his fingertips. Slowly her hand reached out to touch it, but dropped it when Mason stiffened and retreated a step, seeming to anticipate what she was doing.

  “I’m fine. I’m healing. Now … what happened?” His tone was sharper, demanding, wanting his question answered.

  “The thing came at me. I picked up whatever was in front of me and jammed it through it, and Amanda chopped its head off. My hands … .” Skylar gazed at her hands. “I cut my hands when I jabbed the broken pieces into its back, but the thing turned and I accidentally touched the bleeding wound on its chest. It was already bleeding from whatever Amanda had done.”

  “So your bleeding hand touched its open wound?”

  “I guess. It happened so fast. That is how I think it happened. Why do you ask?”

  “Nothing. I’m just trying to figure out—”

  “How it turned to stone?” Skylar assumed what he was thinking.

  “No.” His eyes fell to her chest, looking surprised.

  Skylar followed his gaze and realized again that she was braless. Her face flushed with warmth. Too busy trying to survive, she had forgotten. When she crossed her arms, he looked away shyly and continued.

  “Don’t be so brave next time. You could’ve gotten killed,” he said in a scolding tone, changing the subject.

  Did he seriously say that to me? “What do you want me to do next time? Let it kill me instead of defending myself?”

  “No, of course not. Nick and I were there. You should’ve let us handle it.”

  “Amanda was right there. She—”

  “Doesn’t matter. Amanda thinks she can do anything.”

  Anger was boiling to the surface, but Skylar kept it at bay. After all, he was right. Her human speed and strength were not comparable to theirs, but his hot and cold personality infuriated her. First, he’s so sweet and tender, and then the next minute, he’s arrogant and back to himself.

  Just when things were getting awkward, Nick entered. “That was fun. Amanda and I cleaned up the mess. Breakfast anyone? I’m cooking.”

  “Sure,” Skylar faked a smile.

  “No. We can’t stay,” Mason said, standing in front of Skylar, blocking Nick’s view, apparently covering Skylar with his body.

  “Where are you going?” Nick inquired. “And just so you know, Amanda told me everything.”

  “Whatever she said is wrong. You need to hear it from me,” Mason stated.

  “Whenever you’re ready.”

  Skylar turned red, wondering how Nick felt about Remus’s death. She tried to read his facial expression, but he had none. Either he was good at hiding them, or he didn’t care, like Mason. And how much did Amanda know?

  “I was going to tell you,” Mason said, looking sheepish. “I told Amanda parts, but not all.”

  “I know, and you don’t have to do this alone. Let me help you,” Nick muttered, standing in front of Mason, looking deeply into his eyes. “You can trust me.”

  Mason paused, inhaling a deep accepting breath. “Okay. But I don’t know where to start.”

  “My recommendation is to seek the Oracles.” Amanda entered the kitchen, talking as if she was already part of the conversation. She looked at Skylar with a quick smile, as if to apologize for what she had done the previous night.

  “Are you nuts?” Mason snapped. “We tried before, but they didn’t appear.”

  “Amanda is right,” Nick interrupted, walking toward the stove. “They would be the ones that could answer all our questions. They may appear this time, especially since we’ll be bringing an unknown along.”

  “The unknown has a name,” Mason snapped.

  “Mace … chill. I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “Okay, sorry. The road ahead could be dangerous. I don’t think we should take Skylar there.”

  “Why is it dangerous?” Skylar asked, wondering if she had any business butting into their conversation.

  “It somehow limits our powers,” Mason explained. “I won’t be able to protect you like I can here.”

  “I’ll have to agree with Mason. Going really could be dangerous,” Amanda seconded. “So, no problem. I’m coming with you guys. Someone has to protect you.”

  “No. You can’t go,” Mason protested.

  “And why not? Because I’m a girl? I can handle myself. There is strength in numbers. I’m going, Mason, and you can’t stop me.”

&nbs
p; Mason let out a heavy, defeated sigh. “Fine. When do we leave?”

  “After breakfast. I’m starving.” Nick took out a frying pan from the bottom cabinet and poured oil into it.

  “I’ll help.” Amanda opened the fridge, took out the eggs, and handed them to Nick.

  “What are you going to tell Kayla?” Mason asked.

  “She’ll have to come. I can’t just ditch her.”

  “You’re putting her at unnecessary risk,” Mason said.

  “Bringing a human may help. You know they won’t show themselves in front of humans,” Nick reminded, cracking the eggs into the frying pan.

  “True, but … alright,” Mason agreed.

  “Hey, it won’t be like the last time,” Nick said. “We know better.”

  “The last time we went for fun, and that was stupid.”

  “But it was fun,” Amanda giggled.

  Using the spatula as if it was an extension of his hand, Nick rattled it as he spoke. “Like I said, since we know what we’re up against this time, we know better.”

  Amanda clapped her hands once, breaking up their conversation. “Okay boys, don’t forget to bring camping gear. We need to pack lunch and dinner. This is going to be so much fun.”

  Skylar stood there, gaping back and forth between their conversations, having no idea what they were talking about. Just when she wondered where Kayla was, she entered, yawning and stretching.

  “Good morning,” she cheered, heading to Nick. “Did you put these ear plugs in my ears?” She held them out. “I slept like a baby. I need to get me some. It was the best sleep I’ve ever had.”

  Nick turned to Kayla, giving her a quick peck on her cheek, and then turned to Skylar with a wink. “I like to have them around just in case.”

  She bet he did, wondering how many girls he’d slept with. “Would you like some help?” Skylar offered, looking at her hands, then remembered she was braless and thought twice about what she’d said. Oddly, her wounds that were throbbing a minute ago were now painless.

  “Why don’t I help you pack instead?” Mason suggested, guiding her out the door. “You also need a few more layers on you.”