Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  I scooted to create room for him. Since the incision on my head was behind my right ear, I spent most of the time on my left side. He curled behind me in the narrow bed, his hand resting around my waist. “Let me know if anywhere hurts.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “I do.” His thumb touched my lips as though to stop me from speaking, but the effect on me was instant. My lips tingled. “I want to kiss you, but I’m afraid of hurting you.”

  I wanted to kiss him, too. “You could never hurt me. Not with a kiss.”

  He chuckled. “I’ll not want to stop, so let’s not try it. Go to sleep, Freckles.”

  The next morning, I opened my eyes and looked into his beautiful eyes. It was still dark outside, and it sounded like the nurses were changing rotations. He cupped my face and gently stroked my cheek. Only one rune glowed on his forehead. He had an amazing ability to control them, I’d noticed.

  “I’ll be back later with breakfast,” he whispered.

  For the rest of the week, Eirik and Cora stopped by in crazy Spirit Week outfits. Eirik came during lunch and sat with me. In the evenings, he stayed after Cora left, did his homework, and even watched a little TV. Torin left whenever Eirik appeared, but he hated it. I saw it in his eyes, yet I couldn’t bring myself to tell Eirik the truth yet.

  Night was my time with Torin. We spent every night together. I didn’t know if he used runes to stay invisible or if he enchanted my room so the nurses saw only what he wanted them to see. I didn’t care. I loved sleeping in his arms.

  While he was at school, I tried to stay active by walking around. My doctor encouraged it. Often, I crossed from Surgical to the Women’s Center to see the newborns. It was as though a force I couldn’t explain pulled me there.

  “Is one of them yours?” a man asked me.

  I laughed at the thought of me with a child. “No. I’m only seventeen.”

  “What happened to you?” he asked, his gaze on the bandage around my head.

  “I fell from a tree and injured my ribs and head. Which one is yours?”

  He grinned with pride and pointed to a puny baby in an incubator. “His name is Jeffrey. He came out early, but he’s a fighter.”

  Tears rushed to my eyes. The pride in his voice made me think of my father. “I was a preemie, too,” I whispered. “My father said I fought to live, but holding and massaging me helped a lot. They say human contact is good for preemies.”

  “Is that so?” The man thanked me and walked away.

  On Friday, I got enough courage to approach the nurses’ station at the Women’s Center and asked for Nurse Guillaume.

  The nurse behind the desk frowned. “Who?”

  “Gabby Guillaume. I just wanted to say hi.”

  The nurse shook her head. “You must be mistaken, honey. We don’t have a nurse by that name working at this center.”

  I frowned. “Are you sure? My friend and I were here a week ago and talked to her. She was behind the counter and … and her aunt worked here seventeen years ago, too.”

  “It’s okay. Calm down.” The nurse reached across the desk and patted my hand. “What floor are you from?”

  “Not the crazy ward,” I retorted and yanked my hand from under hers. I was annoyed and, to be honest, spooked. Had I imagined visiting the hospital with Cora and meeting with the Gabby Guillaume?

  “Just a second. Could you describe her?” the nurse called out.

  I debated whether to keep walking, but I needed answers. Someone was messing with my head. “Medium height, brown skin, and braids. I think she’s Creole. Her cousin goes to my school.”

  She quickly typed on her keyboard. “I’m sorry, but someone played a cruel joke on you, honey. We’ve never had the person you just described work here. Maybe she works at a different center.”

  “Even seventeen years ago?”

  “I can’t say for sure, but Records would have that information.” She gave me a smile filled with pity. Not only had the fake nurse lied to me, Marj had, too.

  Puzzled, I turned to leave and almost missed the father of the preemie I’d spoken to a few days ago. He was with his wife in one of the rooms and in his arms was little Jeffrey. Smiling, I left the center.

  That night, I told Torin what I’d learned about the fake nurse. “That means Marj lied to me.”

  “Marj? Who’s Marj?”

  “Marjorie LeBlanc. She, Jeannette, and Catie helped you with your party last Saturday.”

  Torin sat up and came around the bed so I could see his face. “What are you talking about?”

  “When Cora and I came back from shopping, Marj and her friends were helping you get groceries from an SUV.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “I think your memories are a little off, Freckles. I used a catering company to help with the party. They sent three women, and if I recall correctly, not one of them was called Marj or Marjorie, and I don’t recall the names of the other two.”

  “I talked to Marj, Torin,” I insisted, trying not to panic. “She’s on the swim team. The three of them are. They also helped Eirik with my birthday party at the club.” A foreboding feeling washed over me. What if all my memories were false and things I thought had happened never did?

  Torin frowned. The next second, he was pacing room. He paused and said, “Describe them.”

  “Marj is brown-skinned, Creole, I think, with dark-brown eyes. Catie has black hair, hazel eyes, and tan skin, and Jeannette has blonde hair and gray eyes. They’re about the same height, five-seven or eight, neither skinny nor fat. They all transferred to our school last year and became fast friends. I’ve never asked them, but I always assumed they knew each other before they came to our school.”

  “Norns,” he whispered.

  “What?”

  He paused and looked undecided, then came back and sat on the edge of my bed. “I’m sorry there’re things I cannot share with you yet, but I promise to tell you everything once I know whether we’re dealing with good or bad ones.”

  “Did you say norms?”

  His frown deepened. “No, Norns. Don’t bother looking for the three nurses who took care of you when you were born, because you won’t find them. If we’re dealing with Norns, it might explain their presence.”

  ***

  Armed with a list of instructions from my doctor, Mom checked me out of the hospital on Saturday. Eirik stood outside my house with flowers, ‘Welcome Home’ balloons, and a broad smile. My gaze went to Torin’s, but his garage was closed, which meant he wasn’t home. Had he found anything on the Norns—whatever they were?

  The first thing I did when I got to my room was shower. Even though I’d showered at the hospital, using my own shampoo and soap made me feel a lot better. I studied the already healing wound on my head. The bumps of titanium plates and screws holding the bone together under my skin felt a little weird. At least the area was perfectly hidden by my hair and no one would notice it unless I put my hair up in a ponytail.

  Standing naked in front of the mirror, I studied the yellowish bruises on my chest. It still hurt whenever I took deep breaths. Unfortunately, I had to take deep breaths as part of my daily exercise to prevent my lungs from collapsing.

  Eirik was waiting in my room when I finished in the bathroom. Just like old times, he’d pulled out the spare bed from under mine and was lying on it. The thought of breaking off our relationship and hurting him made me feel terrible. I lay on my left side and tried to see his face as we talked.

  “I want to ask you something,” I said as soon as I settled on my bed.

  He cocked his eyebrows. “Okay. Shoot.”

  “I know this is going to sound strange, but it’s a test to see if my memories are intact or not.”

  He wore a skeptical look. “You remembered Homecoming week themes.”

  “I’m serious, Eirik. The doctor said people tend to have short-term memory loss after a brain trauma. Homecoming is an old memory.”

  He sobered up fast and sat up. “Oka
y.”

  “Who helped you with my birthday at the club?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, frowning.

  “You gave me a surprise birthday party, right?”

  He nodded. “At L.A. Connection. Cora and I planned it.”

  “Who else helped you organize it?”

  “Some woman in charge of parties at the club. We worked with her and her friends.”

  “What about Marj, Jeannette, and Catie?”

  He frowned. “Who?”

  “Marjorie LeBlanc, Jeannette Wilkes, and Catie Vivanco. They’re on our swim team.”

  Eirik scrubbed his face. “Raine, there’s no one on the swim team called Marjorie LeBlanc, or Jeannette Wilkes, or Catie Vivanco.”

  I swallowed panic. How could I remember them so clearly when everyone else couldn’t? Either I was going crazy or Torin was right. Norns, whoever they were, were messing with my head.

  “Hey,” Eirik said, gripping my hand. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. I thought we had three new girls on the team.” I described them and explained their arrival last year, but Eirik kept shaking his head. Two down. If Cora didn’t know who they were either, then I’d know for sure something was wrong with me. “I have a friend called Cora though, right?”

  Eirik scowled. “That’s not funny.”

  I grabbed his hand when he plopped back on the pullout bed. “I mean it. Do I have a friend called Cora?”

  “Yes. In fact, I’m going to call her right now, so you can talk to her. I’m happy you remembered me.” He pulled out his cellphone and punched in numbers.

  How many people and incidents had I forgotten or imagined? “You’re going to the Homecoming Dance, right?”

  He shook his head. “Wrong. The whole point of going in the first place was for you to show me off. You can’t do that when you just came back from the hospital and your memories are messed up.”

  “You can go without me,” I begged him.

  “Not interested.” He brought the phone to his ear. “I’m going to pick up your favorite movies and something to eat. Then we’ll hang out. Here, talk to Cora.” He gave me a brief kiss, then left. I had a feeling that seeing me so confused and vulnerable bothered him too much.

  As he walked away, part of me knew I wasn’t being fair to him. I still wasn’t sure how to tell him it was over between us. He loved me and just wanted to spend time with me, while I wanted him out of the way, so I could spend my first night at home with Torin.

  I finished with Cora, who said she’d stop by later. Then I sat by my window, booted my laptop, and waited for Torin to come home. He didn’t. Not worried, I went online and started researching Norns. Mom kept interrupting me, wanting to know my opinion on one thing or the other. I saw through her excuses. She was still worried about me and was checking on me on the sly. In between her visits, I managed to do some reading.

  Norns were Norse female deities in charge of the destiny of Mortals. They were like Fates in Greek mythology, only more powerful. They even decided the fates of the gods. The more I read about them, the more I could see why Torin had freaked out. While there were only three Fates, Norns were many but tended to work in groups of threes. They often appeared when a person was born to determine their future. The good ones were kind and protective, while the evil ones were behind tragic events.

  We had to be dealing with evil Norns—Marj, Catie, and Jeannette. It explained why they were always there before something bad happened. The night of my party, they’d helped Eirik and we’d had a blackout. The night I got hurt, they’d helped Torin with his party. What if they were at the Homecoming Dance tonight?

  Trying not to panic, I went back to reading.

  Of the three Norns that appeared when someone was born, one was in charge of the past, the second one was concerned with the present, and the third was in charge of the future. If Marj and her friends were Norns, they might have messed with everyone else’s memories and left mine intact. It might explain why I remembered them when no one else did. They might also have been there when I was born. Had they saved my life or tried to kill me then? Everything was so confusing. If only Torin was around to give me some answers.

  Cora pulled up before Eirik returned. She wasn’t dressed for the dance and didn’t carry her garment bag or makeup tote either. Weird. In a few minutes, I heard her voice and Mom’s outside my door.

  “Look who’s here to see you, honey,” Mom said in a cheerful voice. “Eirik called. He’s running late, but he’ll be here with dinner. In the meantime, if you girls need anything, let me know.”

  “Thanks, Mom. Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the dance?” I asked as soon as Mom left.

  Cora snorted and slumped on the window seat. “Like I’d go without you? So how are you feeling?”

  “Fine. What about Keith? Isn’t he expecting you to go with him?”

  “He wasn’t too thrilled when I told him I couldn’t, but he understood.”

  My friends were annoyingly loyal. Sighing, I walked to the closet and removed the green dress I’d bought for the Homecoming Dance.

  “What are you doing?” Cora asked, standing up.

  “Getting ready for the dance. Did Marj swim this week?”

  “Marj? Who’s Marj?”

  “Never mind.” Three down, confirming I was the only one who could remember them, which meant I was the only one who could stop them from causing more mayhem. I chose a pair of shoes from my closet.

  “Seriously, what are you doing?” Cora demanded.

  “If you and Eirik insist on hanging out with me, we might as well do it at the dance. It’ll do me good to be up and about.” She stared at me as though I’d gone crazy. “Go get your outfit, Cora Jemison. Homecoming Dance, here we come. You can do my hair and makeup.”

  “Hold up, crazy lady. You just came back from the hospital,” she protested. “You can’t just go to the dance. I won’t let you.”

  “I’m not going to dance. I’ll dance vicariously through you.” I grinned. She frowned. “Look, I’ve been staring at the walls for a whole week, and Mom is beginning to drive me nuts. She uses some lame reason to check on me every ten minutes. I need a break or I’ll go crazy.”

  Cora chewed on her lower lip. “She won’t go for it.”

  “Oh, she will. Doctor’s orders. Go get your stuff.” I shooed her with my hands. “Oh, text Eirik and tell him about our change of plans. I have no idea where my cell phone is. Wherever it is, the battery’s probably dead anyway.” I waited until she left then went to Mom’s bedroom. “Is it okay if I go out with Eirik and Cora for a few hours?”

  Mom frowned. She put down the book she’d been scribbling in and walked to where I stood. “Go where, honey?”

  “The Homecoming Dance. I promise not to push myself.”

  She sighed. “I don’t know.”

  “But the doctor said—”

  “That you shouldn’t sit for long periods of time, I know. I just hate the idea of you going anywhere right now.” She touched my cheek. “Every moment you’re out of my sight, I worry.”

  “Mom,” I said and sighed.

  “I know. I’m being everything I hate in a parent. Clingy and nagging.” She smiled then pressed a kiss on my temple. “Fine. Go, but if you feel dizzy or have any of the symptoms the doctor mentioned, you come straight home. No driving, no lifting anything, no alcohol, no—”

  I laughed and kissed her, then walked back to my bedroom to change. Hopefully, Torin would be back before we left.

  A CENTURY OR TWO

  “Wow, look at this place,” Cora said when we entered the gym. “The dÉcor’s better than last year’s.”

  I had no idea what the theme was last year, but the transformation was amazing. The room was done in Trojan colors—gold and crimson. From stretched arches for taking commemorative pictures and gold and crimson gossamer curtains flowing from floor to ceiling to strings of twinkly lights and oriental lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Gold and crimson balloon
s littered the floor, and tall, lighted luminescent columns covered in black with gold streamers were strategically positioned around the dance floor. I searched for Torin among the dancers.

  “That no good, lying, cheating bastard!” Cora snarled.

  I turned and followed her gaze. She was staring at Keith, who was making out with some girl on the dance floor.

  “He said he’d come alone, that he’d miss me. Yeah, groping another girl is the new missing me,” Cora continued with her rant.

  Eirik laughed then faked seriousness when she glared at him. “Do you want me to go punch him?”

  “Yes,” Cora said with glee, eyes flashing. She looked amazing in her blue dress, her hair teased and her makeup perfect. Eirik kept staring at her. “Go. Avenge my honor.”

  “No, go talk to him,” I said. “Keith might only be with her because you ditched him to stay with me.”

  “Oh, please. Don’t make excuses for him,” Cora snapped. “I should go over there and rip him a new one.”

  I pushed Eirik toward Cora. “Dance with her. I’ll talk to Keith.”

  Cora and Eirik eyed each other, but they didn’t make a move to join the dancers. I rolled my eyes as I walked toward Keith and his date and tapped on his shoulder.

  Keith turned around and frowned. “Raine? What are you doing he—oh crap,” he added, looking past me.

  “Yeah, she’s pissed, so you’d better have a really good explanation.” Cora looked ready to commit murder. Then she grabbed Eirik’s hand and dragged him to the dance floor. Keith scrubbed his face, glanced at his date apologetically, and looked at Cora and Eirik.

  “Good luck,” I whispered and walked away, continuing my search.

  Staying on the outskirts of the dance floor, I searched for Marj, Catie, and Jeannette among the dancers. They weren’t here. A few times I thought I felt a zing, the tingling feeling I always associated with Torin’s eyes on me, but when I turned around, he wasn’t there.

  The news about my accident must have spread because people turned to stare as I walked past. Usually too much attention bugged me, but this time I didn’t care. I couldn’t afford to feel self-conscious. Some members of the swim team and band even stopped me and asked how I was doing.