Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  Looking offended by Skylar’s words, Alena inhaled a deep, agitated breath and let air out to calm herself. “Oh, but I do need her. I can’t touch your blood. Besides, she’s human. So actually, I need you both.”

  “What are you planning to do?”

  “If I tell you, then I’ll have to kill her because humans can’t know of us. Oops! She knows now, so I’ll have to kill her anyway. Now I can tell you.” Alena stood on the other side of Emily. “Cooperate, or I won’t hesitate to kill her. I can always manipulate another biology smarty pants student.”

  “Hurry up and get it over with.”

  “Emily, draw her blood with this needle.”

  Emily looked at Skylar.

  “It’s okay. Everything will be okay. Just do what she says.”

  “But I don’t know how,” Emily mumbled, trying to stay composed. Her eyes were watery again. “Just because I’m a biology major doesn’t mean I know how to draw blood.”

  “I don’t care!” Alena shouted. “Just do it.”

  While Emily’s hands shook, she picked up the syringe, and carefully inserted the needle in Skylar’s arm. Skylar cringed when she missed her vein. Emily tried again … and again. Finally, she punctured her vein and drew blood.

  With a loud bang on the table, Alena produced a cell phone, a revolver, and empty bullets. Skylar jumped, steadily backing away as she protectively placed her body in front of Emily.

  “Nice phone, Emily. It was sure fun texting with you, Skylar. Now, Emily, unscrew the bullets, squirt a drop of her blood inside each, and screw them back up. Hurry!”

  Emily flinched from Alena’s sharp tone. While her hands trembled, she did as told. One by one, Emily put the bullets in the chamber while Alena held the revolver with both hands. Alena snatched the last one and slid it in herself, then cocked the gun. “There, now I’m loaded with a deadly weapon.”

  “You have what you want. Erase her memory of what just happened here and let her go,” Skylar demanded. “You have me.”

  “I wish I could, but I don’t have the power to erase memories like the Grand brothers. So I’m going to have to kill her. It’s a shame. We were biology lab partners. You didn’t know I went to the same college, did ya?” Alena aimed for Skylar’s head. “I was told to keep you alive, but now that I have what I want, accidents do happen. How ironic … killed by your own blood bullet.”

  Unexpectedly, an intense bright light radiated, outlining the door. Then, the door flew across the room, slamming against the wall. The three Grand brothers and Amanda stood where the door should have been. Without hesitation, Alena started shooting. The loud banging noises jolted Skylar, putting her in an alert and protective mode. She pushed Emily to safety and made a courageous effort to knock Alena down, but to no avail. Instead, thankfully, it made Alena miss her targets.

  The Grand brothers and Amanda hid behind the tables, dodging the bullets. Knowing Alena would try to escape, Skylar gripped her shirt. Pointing the revolver at Skylar’s heart, Alena pulled the trigger, but just before the gun discharged, Mason yanked Alena’s body. The bullet penetrate Skylar’s arm instead.

  With the hit, Skylar’s body whipped back, causing her to bump her head hard on the corner of the lab table and fall to the floor. Blood streamed down her arm, soaking into her sweater. As several drops of blood painted the white floor, she cradled her wounded arm. Pain burned through her whole body as she watched Alena escape Mason’s hold and dash out through the other exit door.

  “Don’t go after her,” Mason said to his family. “She may lead us into a trap. Remember what she said before. She takes orders from someone else. It’s too dangerous. We’ll get her next time. I think I know where she lives. I found her loitering around the diner a week ago and I’ve been following her.”

  The others did as Mason had said, and the four of them huddled around Skylar.

  Seeing Mason’s face and watching him bend low to help, made her feel a sense of relief. Unable to move from the tremendous pain, she slumped over, supported by the table behind her. “Don’t touch me,” Skylar said softly, afraid she would kill him. “How did you know?”

  “You didn’t answer my text. I told you if you didn’t answer it, I would know something was wrong and that I would come for you.”

  “I’m sorry.” She looked up to see Amanda, Everett, and Nick. “I forgot I had it on silent. I guess it was a good thing?” Skylar shrugged her shoulders sheepishly, feeling bad for not answering her text. The movement caused her to yelp softly, biting her lip from the sharp pain. She was waiting for it to heal on its own, but it wasn’t. After the pain subsided, she asked another question. “How did you know I was here, at the bio lab?”

  “When I lost her tracks, I had a bad feeling. We were already on our way to pay you a visit. I … um had put a tracer on your phone. It’s connected to mine, so I know exactly where you are.” He sounded nervous, most likely thinking he should’ve asked for her permission.

  “Oh,” Skylar said, thinking she liked his protective side, but at the same time she didn’t know if she liked the fact that he would know where she was at all times—just in case.

  Too busy dodging Alena’s bullets, they hadn’t noticed Emily, but now they heard whimpering sounds underneath the lab table behind Skylar. “It’s Emily, my roommate. Can you please help her?” In too much pain and unable to move, Skylar didn’t have the strength to look over at her.

  As Mason continued to squat next to Skylar, Amanda and Nick pulled Emily from under the table.

  “Here she is,” Nick said sweetly, as if he’d just rescued a cute little puppy.

  Emily was still shivering. Her eyes grew wide and more terrified when she saw Skylar’s blood.

  “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry,” Skylar assured her, having a difficult time getting her words out. “Don’t forget your cell phone.”

  Emily nodded her head.

  “Why don’t we take her home and help her forget all about today?” Nick winked.

  “Sounds like a good plan. Why don’t you take Everett and Amanda with you?” Mason suggested.

  “Sure, see you back at the house.”

  “Don’t be too long,” Amanda urged.

  “Be careful,” Everett spoke for the first time since he’d arrived.

  After they left, Mason examined Skylar’s arm. “I’ll have to take the bullet out. Thankfully, it’s not lodged in too deep.”

  “Okay.” Skylar inhaled and exhaled uneven breaths. The combination of the pain and the blood loss made her feel like the room was spinning, and the feeling of nausea was rising to the surface.

  His eyes looking mad as hell underneath those thick eyelashes, he spoke with a scolding tone. “I told you not to be brave. Look what happened to you. What if … what if,” he faltered.

  “I wasn’t trying to be brave. I thought you didn’t care,” she said wearily.

  “I don’t.” His tone was sharp and cold, but Skylar knew why. He was upset with her for making him worry and for putting her life in danger. “And you definitely need time out in a naughty corner for not listening to me.”

  Skylar furrowed her brows, but despite her arguments, she knew he was right. She deserved to be in a “naughty corner,” or worse. This all could have been avoided if she had accepted the reality she’d been ignoring, but her reality was like a bad dream. Though she knew she was in constant danger, it was difficult to grasp. Everything had happened so fast that it was all a blur. There was no time to breathe, no time to understand what was happening around her and to her.

  Perhaps thinking danger couldn’t touch her was her way of coping with it all, pretending that it wasn’t real, even though fear had overcome her. She had reacted the same way when her dad left. Pretending to feel nothing was better than feeling the agonizing pain. Pretending that these new terrors couldn’t happen was a way to cope, to shut out the world around her. Perhaps Mason was doing the same thing, but tonight she had woken up from the dream into her reality. Not only was h
er life in danger, but now Emily’s was as well. This couldn’t happen, ever again. Who knew? The next time it could be her mom, or her aunt, or even Kayla. She had to be careful, be more aware, and completely trust that Mason knew what he was doing. Most of all, she had to accept who she really was.

  Mason released a relieved sigh and his eyes became soft. “I’ll be right back.” He stood up and looked around while opening cabinets, and came back with some tools—rubber gloves, tweezers, scissors, cotton balls, and a bottle of alcohol. “It’s going to hurt, but afterward, when you start to heal, you’ll feel better. Squeeze any part of me if you need to.”

  With a nod from Skylar, Mason put on the rubber gloves, squatted down, and cut Skylar’s blood-soaked sweater and shirt with the scissors, just enough to be able to see the wound clearly. Then he soaked the cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and dabbed it on the open cut. Skylar yelped in pain.

  “Sorry,” Mason said, looking distraught.

  Skylar wanted to faint, and the room became dim and blurry. Her whole body burned as if she had been tossed in a fire. The intensity of the pain grew, and the rubbing alcohol didn’t help, but she knew why it was needed. She turned her head, trying to think of anything but what Mason needed to do. When he reached in with the tweezers, her breathing became heavy and jagged, and the pain that had started to ease up, erupted again, pinching every nerve and muscle. At last, he pulled the bullet out.

  “It’s done.” Mason took the towel and cleaned the surrounding area. Then he tore a section of his shirt and wrapped it around the wound. With the gloves still on, he cleaned the mess on the floor and tossed everything in the trash can.

  “Thank you,” Skylar whispered, looking half-asleep. Her eyes felt heavy, fluttering desperately as she tried to keep them open. She gazed at Mason, looking at him with admiration, thinking what an incredible being he was. She silently thanked him for being there, for caring enough, though he denied it. The pain had already started to subside, which was a good sign. It meant she was healing.

  “Sky?” Mason kneeled in front of her. “Is the pain any better?”

  “Yes, mmm, tired.” Uncontrollably her eyes shut, and she could hardly get any words out.

  “Now you owe me two shirts.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m going to take you home with me. I’ll feel better if you’re with me while you heal.”

  “Mmm … don’t stare.” She let out a small, faint giggle.

  “You took my words. And I’m not staring,” he snorted.

  “You’re. Still. Staring.”

  Her body had just been through so much stress, and she lost the fight to stay awake. Just before she fell asleep, though she wasn’t absolutely sure, she heard what sounded like a whisper that tugged her heart. “I’ll always stare at you, Sky.”

  THIRTY-ONE

  By the time they reached Mason’s house, Skylar was feeling much better. Though the pain still lingered, and the wound had not quite healed all the way, it was bearable. The nap she took in the car gave her a second wind, so she was wide-awake when Mason drove up the driveway.

  “I’m feeling much better. I guess I should have asked you to take me back to my dorm,” Skylar said.

  Mason turned off the ignition. “It’s close to midnight. I think it’s safer for you to stay here for tonight. Your roommate is fine. She won’t remember a thing when she wakes up in the morning. You’ve been through so much lately. I don’t know how you’ve managed to stay calm.”

  “I’m really not calm. I’m actually terrified. I have something those evil beings want.” Then it dawned on her. She hadn’t thought about the night the vultures ransacked Kayla’s house for a while, but now the answer was clear. “Mason … the vultures were looking for me the night they broke into Kayla’s house. They weren’t looking for something tangible. They were looking for me. After they knew I lived there, the robberies stopped.”

  “I know. I didn’t know it at the time, but I realized it later when Alena explained about who you were.”

  “Oh.” It was all she could say, and she started to shiver. Having the heater turned off, it got cold in the car.

  “Let’s get inside the house. Plus, we’re fogging up the windows. If they see us out here, they’ll think we’re making out.”

  Skylar felt her cheeks heat up by his words.

  “Nick texted me several times to make sure we were on our way. He must be worried. I didn’t respond.”

  “Why didn’t you text him back?”

  “I was driving. Remember what I said to you about texting and driving?”

  Skylar rolled her eyes. How could she ever forget the hot cop that pulled her over and told her texting while driving was illegal? “Yes.”

  “Well, Ms. Rome. Shall we go in?”

  With a nod, they got out of the car and walked into the house. Seeing a dim light coming from the kitchen, Mason led Skylar in that direction. Amanda, Nick, and Everett were sitting at the rectangular oak dining table with mugs in front of them. Seeing steam rising from their mugs, Skylar assumed they were drinking something warm. She wanted to do the same.

  “Where the hell were you?” Nick asked, looking annoyed.

  “Obviously, I was in the car and on my way here” Mason responded calmly.

  “Man, you are a demigod. You can still text me back and not crash your stupid car. Next time you don’t answer my text, especially since Alena is something to worry about; I’m going to obliterate you myself. Got that?”

  Mason stuck his hands inside his front jean’s pockets, stood there listening, and let Nick have his say. “Are you done now?”

  “No,” Nick snapped, and then turned to Skylar. “I’m glad you’re doing better. You look great for someone who got shot. I’m not used to thinking you’re somewhat like us, kind of … I guess.” He shook his head, thinking he should just keep his mouth shut.

  Mason pulled out a chair for Skylar, gesturing for her to sit. He sauntered out of the kitchen and came back after a few minutes with a light blanket. After tossing the blanket around her shoulders, he went to the stove and came back with two mugs of hot tea, placing one in front of Skylar.

  “Thank you.” Skylar cupped the mug with both of her hands, taking in the heat, and then took a sip. It was green tea, just what she needed at that moment. Warmth traveled from her head to her toes, soothing and calming her. Gazing upon her friends, she noticed that they were fidgeting, shifting their bodies from side to side. Sometimes their lips parted to speak, but instead, they kept their mouths shut.

  “What are we going to do about Alena?” Everett finally spoke, breaking the silence.

  “You said you followed her. Why didn’t you tell us?” Amanda leaned over the table as if she could draw the answer out of him. “Mason, you’ve got to stop taking matters into your own hands. You’re too worried about our lives. Have you thought about how we would feel if we lost you?”

  Dead silence.

  Mason was just about to take a sip. His mug was to his lips, but he didn’t drink. Instead, he placed it back on the table. “This isn’t about my mother.”

  “Oh, the hell it isn’t, and you know it.” Amanda’s tone was angrier. “You can’t blame her death on yourself. You didn’t know who you were. We’ve all lost loved ones. So stop sacrificing your life to wash away that guilt.”

  “Amanda is right, Mason. We’ve all lost our parents. I had also wished that I could have done something, but I know now that I was overwhelmed with all the weird and unbelievable craziness. We’ve lived together for many years, but like roommates. It’s time that we start acting like brothers and work as a team,” Everett urged. “Maybe, if things were better between us, Remus would have been different. I don’t think he was all bad. I know he had a temper and was crazy at times, but maybe that was his way of coping.”

  Guilt wrapped around Skylar’s heart. Hearing about Remus, sorrow consumed her again, especially after hearing Everett’s speech about how it might have been Remus’s
coping mechanism. She was astounded that those words even came out of Everett’s mouth. Though she disliked him, she was seeing a different side of him. Perhaps she had been wrong about him. Knowing how they had lived during the past years, she became sympathetic. Truly, she had no idea what they’d had to endure.

  It must have been beyond difficult for them to lose their loved ones and then find out their father was a descendant of Zeus, who’d had numerous affairs just to keep his family line going. Not only did they deal with the loss of their parents at an early age, they were forced to accept who they were, and the powers that were bestowed upon them.

  While it must have been frightening, perhaps equally terrifying was having to constantly look over their shoulders for Hades’ creatures. It was certainly not a vision of an ideal life, but they seemed to have adjusted and accepted who they were. Skylar gave them each a lot of credit for their inner strength, for the ability to move forward, and for their courage. Even with all she realized, she also admitted to herself that it did not forgive Remus’s actions toward her.

  “So, now that we’ve all said our peace, what do we do about Alena?” Nick brought the subject up again as he traced the rim of the mug with his fingertip. Wiggling his fingers, he pointed his index finger into the mug and a light flashed.

  Startled by the sudden burst of light, everyone’s eyes zoomed to Nick with alarm.

  “Sorry, my tea was cold. Too lazy to get a refill.” Nick shrugged his shoulders.

  “Thanks a lot. You just blinded me.” Amanda blinked rapidly, adjusting her vision. “I say we hunt her down and get rid of her, once and for all.” A furious look shot out from her eyes as she got up to pour more tea for herself and sat back down.

  “I don’t think that would be a good idea. She did say she takes orders from someone else. We’ve got to find the leader,” Mason suggested.

  Everett scooted his chair back, crossing his legs to relax. “She could be anywhere, or show up anytime. How do we find her?”