Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “Raine.”

  I stiffened, recognizing Jess’ voice. Please, don’t let Torin be with her … don’t let Torin be with her … I turned.

  She was with her friends and four other guys, two from the swim team and two I’d seen hang around her and her friends. None had shaggy black hair and sapphire eyes or the smile with a punch. I sighed with relief.

  “You look amazing,” she said.

  Jess being nice was, I don’t know, disturbing. “Thank you.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “It’s the Homecoming Dance,” I said politely, trying not to be rude.

  “I mean you were hospitalized with brain injury. Are you sure you should be at a dance?”

  Her concern blindsided me because it seemed genuine. “Yeah, the doctor said I should stay active. It’s good for my brain.” Despite her niceness, I couldn’t bring myself to ask her if she’d seen Torin. “Uh, have fun, Jess.”

  I left the gym through one of the side doors and headed outside. The Sports Complex housing the basketball court, the pool, and exercise room was separated from the school’s main building by a large patio with a waist-length wall and a parking lot. The crowd on the patio was even larger, but the chaperones were everywhere, so students didn’t disappear in their cars to make out.

  I shivered, wishing I’d worn my coat instead of leaving it inside. It was cooler outside than inside the gym. Then a prickly feeling I often associated with being watched washed over me, and I turned.

  Ingrid floated toward me. She wore a white, vintage dress, the hem touching the ground as she moved. Her blue eye shadow matched her eyes, and her blonde hair was piled up, wisps near the ears framing her face.

  “He wants to see you,” she said.

  I frowned. “Who?”

  “Torin.”

  My heart fluttered. “Where is he?”

  “This way.” She headed back inside the Sports Complex, using a door that led into the broad hallway that cut across the building. We walked past the inner entrance to the gym and kept going. Two chaperones—a teacher and unfamiliar woman who was probably a parent—stared at us, but didn’t try to stop us. I started to worry. Ingrid had never done anything to show that she hated me, so there was no need for me to be afraid. Still, I wasn’t sure about going anywhere. Maybe I should find Eirik and Cora first or text them.

  “Do you have a phone?” I asked.

  Ingrid chuckled. “We have no need for modern technology, Raine.”

  “I should tell my friends where we’re going,” I said.

  She stopped. “Listen, you can either come or not. I don’t care. But you should know that he’s leaving.”

  My stomach dropped. “Leaving? What do you mean?”

  Ingrid shook her head and continued down the hallway. “Did you think he’d stay here forever? He has a job, you know. He does it, like all of us, then moves on to the next one.” She turned a corner.

  I hurried after her, my heart pounding. Torin wouldn’t leave me. Wherever his job took him, he’d come back to be with me. I followed Ingrid into one of the girls’ restrooms.

  “What are we doing in here?” I asked.

  She ignored me and checked the stalls to make sure they were all empty. One wasn’t. She rattled on the door. “Move it. This bathroom is being closed. Use the ones closer to the gym.” A girl dashed out of the stall. Ingrid indicated the exit. “Go!” Then she locked the door behind her.

  I stared at Ingrid with wide eyes, fear slowly beginning to trickle through me. “What’s going on?”

  She ignored my question again and lifted the hem of her dress to reveal a black, leather thigh-strap with pouches. She pulled a rune dagger from one of them. This one was different from the one Maliina had used to draw runes on her skin. Ingrid stepped in front of the full-length mirror and started sketching. The dagger was some kind of sketching tool. The runes blended with the mirror. She stepped back, her eyes glowing.

  “What are you do …?” My voice trailed off when the mirror moved and shimmered, until it no longer showed our reflection. The surface became less grainy. It rippled like the surface of water. Panic slithered up my spine. “What is that?”

  “A portal,” she said. “It is how we move from place to place. Come on.”

  I took a step back. “No, I’m not going in there. I’ll get a ride … home.” My gaze was transfixed on the portal. The watery surface peeled back to reveal a short hallway. The walls and the floor now had that weird watery look, and at the end was a room that looked vaguely familiar.

  “Don’t you recognize the room?” Ingrid asked.

  I nodded. “Eirik’s parents’ bedroom had the same wallpaper and carpet.”

  “It’s the same room and you know it’s in Torin’s house. See, I’m not trying to hurt you. My sister might have, but she was under the influence of forces we’ve never dealt with before.” Ingrid extended a hand toward me. I still hesitated.

  Runes appeared on her arms. The next second, she’d grabbed my arm and was moving toward the portal. I closed my eyes, expecting the worst, but instead, there was a gentle brush of cool air on my skin, and my feet landed on a solid surface. The coolness disappeared, and we stopped moving.

  Ingrid chuckled. “You can open your eyes now.”

  I did, slowly. Behind me, the portal closed, the watery surface shifting and remolding into a floor-to-ceiling mirror, which I recognized immediately. It used to be in Eirik’s parents’ bedroom when they’d lived next door. They must have left it behind. Were they part of Torin’s world?

  Heart pounding, I swallowed. “Do you use only mirrors as portals?”

  “Any surface where we can draw runes can do, but we prefer mirrors. They’re more efficient.”

  She walked to the door and unlocked it. During the party, the door to this particular room had been locked. Was the portal the reason? The door to Torin’s bedroom was ajar. There was no furniture, no sign that he’d ever slept there.

  My insides tightened with dread. He wouldn’t leave without me. My stomach churned at the thought and nausea rose to my throat. I followed Ingrid downstairs, almost tripping in my haste. Downstairs, the furniture he’d used for the party was gone. The emptiness closed around me like suffocating fumes.

  “Where is he?” I asked in a voice I didn’t recognize, fear constricting my throat. “Torin!”

  “He’s not here,” a familiar voice said, and I whipped around. Andris closed the fridge and faced me. He carried a bottle with a clear liquid, his eyes glazed and his silver hair disheveled as though he’d run his fingers through it.

  “Where is he?” I asked.

  “Gone. Maliina, too, and they’re never coming back,” he said, his words slurring.

  Air left my lungs, and dizziness washed over me. I gripped the rail. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Look around you, sweetheart,” he snarled, making the endearment sound like an insult. “Do you see any furniture? Does this look like a place he plans to return to? No, he’s gone, and he took my mate with him.”

  His anger was like a slap on the face. The last time we talked, he’d been polite, nice. “Where did he go?”

  “Hel’s disease-ridden realm or worse.”

  Torin hated Hel’s Mist. I swallowed past a knot of panic. “What could possibly be worse than Hel’s world?”

  “Being indebted to evil Norns put in charge of death and mayhem while you slowly become like them … cold, cruel, dead inside. No one challenges Norns without paying a price, yet he decided to do it for you, Lorraine Cooper. Once a destiny has been set, no one messes with it. Torin changed yours. He broke the ultimate law.” He twisted the lid off the bottle, threw it, and watched it bounce off the wall, then guzzled some of the drink. He swallowed, made a face, and shook his head. “You,” he pointed the bottle at me, “my lovely, should have died at the park. That was your destiny. He did the unthinkable. He saved your life and changed it. Then on your birthday, he intervened again. Sa
ving you and changing your destiny meant saving the others and changing theirs. Then at his house last weekend, he intervened again.”

  “But these were accidents started by Maliina—”

  “Who was being used by evil Norns,” he snarled, his eyes glistening. “Bitter old hags. If I’d known, I would have saved her.” He rubbed his eyes, and for one brief moment, I thought he was crying. “There’s a reason why we don’t interact with Norns, Raine. They screw with people’s heads. Mortals, Immortals, gods, it doesn’t matter. They control all destinies. Now my mate is gone because of them, because of you. Something about you drove her insane with jealousy.”

  He hadn’t minded Maliina’s jealousy last weekend during Torin’s party. Not sure what he wanted now, I stepped back and glanced at Ingrid. She wore an unreadable expression, but she blocked my path to the front door and huge boxes blocked the back door. There was no escape.

  “I don’t understand what my dying has to do with your job.”

  Andris smirked. “You were on our list, Raine, and everyone on our list leaves with us. Torin changed that because he couldn’t resist you. He crossed you out and, by doing that, sealed his fate.” He walked toward me, guzzling his drink, his face twisted with anger. No, not just anger. Grief, too. He really loved Maliina. “The worst part of this is you have no idea what’s going on. You’re just a Mortal girl who thinks she’s in love, or in lust, or whatever you think you feel for Torin. From what I remember, Mortals’ love never lasts. It comes and goes on a whim.”

  “That’s not true,” I protested. “I love Torin.”

  “Really? What about your love-struck boyfriend? Does he know you don’t love him, or were you stringing him along in case Torin left?”

  My chest squeezed. “Is that what Torin thinks? That I don’t love him?”

  Andris shook his head. “I have eyes and ears. I stopped by the hospital several times and watched him eat his heart out while you laughed with that love-struck idiot. Do you know how amazing it is he let you get away with so much? For centuries, he did everything by the book. He got the job done without losing sleep or caring about anyone on his list, never letting anyone get close. Women were just a means to an end. Then he met you.” Andris walked around me, his gaze assessing. “I can see why any guy might find you irresistible. You have a timeless beauty. You’re graceful, smart, loyal, funny, but for him, it went beyond the physical. Something about you pierced his cold, hard exterior. He should have done what he always does—seduced you and moved on, but he wanted more. Maybe your protection runes and ability to see us started it. I don’t know. When you were hurt, I begged him to heal you and start your transformation into an Immortal, but he refused. Do you know why?”

  I shook my head, his words and accusations piercing my heart.

  “He gave you his word. What kind of crazy ass argument is that? You could have had a century or two together, and he would have made it up to you a thousand times. But no, a few centuries weren’t good enough. The worst part of it is he doesn’t even trust Mortal doctors, yet he refused to heal you and left you in their hands.” Andris slammed the empty bottle on the counter. “Stubborn fool.”

  I stared at him with wide eyes. He seemed to alternate between anger toward Torin and bitterness at me. I wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted. Did he plan to take me with him? Kill me?

  “Please, tell me what to do to fix this,” I said in a tiny voice.

  Andris’ eyes glowed eerily. “Short of dying, nothing. The funniest thing is I begged him to let you die. At least then he would have escorted your soul home, visited you every time he took new ones, but I guess that wasn’t good enough either. I still don’t understand why saving your life was so important when it stopped him from having what he wanted. You.”

  Escorted my soul? “What are you?”

  He laughed bitterly. “For such a smart girl, you’re a little slow.”

  “Torin told me you recruit athletes for your secret organization,” I protested weakly.

  Andris chuckled. “He does have a way with words, doesn’t he?” He reached inside the fridge, removed another bottle, and twisted the lid. “No, Raine. We don’t recruit athletes. That’s the saddest part of this situation. Torin is willing to sacrifice everything so you can live your pitiful Mortal life and you don’t even know what he is. Had you died when you were supposed to, you would have known and all this explanation would be unnecessary.”

  “Just tell me what you are,” I begged.

  “We’re reapers, Raine. Soul collectors. We find strong, athletic men and women, wait for them to die, then whisk them to Valhalla and Falkvang to train for the final battle between good and evil, the destruction of the gods and your world, the beginning of a new one, yada, yada, yada.”

  I stared at him with round eyes. I’d read enough about Norse mythology to guess at their identity. “You can’t be Valkyries,” I whispered. “Valkyries are women.”

  He shook his head. “Mortal books are always behind the times. Originally all Valkyries were women. Men went to battle while their women stayed at home, so it was only logical to have female Valkyries collecting slain soldiers from battle fields. In death, as in life, opposites attract. Women soldiers are likely to follow a handsome male Valkyrie. Teens follow teen Valkyries. As more women joined combat, Valkyries started recruiting men, the younger and more handsome the better.” He spread his arms as though to indicate himself. “The world changed, and we changed with it. Soldiers are no longer found in fields. We get them at sporting event, arenas, swimming pools, and anywhere an athlete meets his or her untimely death.”

  Everything fell into place. Torin might not have revealed his identity, but he’d given me clues. I just never connected the dots.

  “You weren’t just after me,” I whispered. “You were here for the swim team.”

  “Finally, you’re catching on. Just because we’re leaving doesn’t mean they’re safe. Torin just bought them time. They might have a day, a week, a month, but eventually, other Valkyries will come for them. They can’t escape death.”

  Anguish gripped my chest. “Is that why you brought me here? To tell me my friends are going to die? Torin said you’re not supposed to tell Mortals about your world.”

  Andris leaned toward me and smirked. Alcoholic fumes bathed my face. “No, we’re not. When we do tell or you notice us, we make sure you don’t remember a thing, but I think you deserve to know everything, Raine.”

  I blinked at the anger in his voice. “Why?”

  He rocked on his heels, his eyes glassy and watery. “Because of you, I’ve lost Maliina. Because of you, Torin is rotting in Hel’s Mist or turning evil. Knowing death is stalking your friends and you can’t do anything about it is a small burden to carry, don’t you think? So here’s to you, sweetheart.” He lifted his bottle and drained it, then threw the empty bottle. It smashed against the wall, shards of glass flying everywhere. “Come on, Ingrid.”

  Runes appeared on their skin. I could swear there was pity in Ingrid’s eyes as she turned away. Their blurry forms zipped upstairs, presumably to use the mirror portal. I watched them go, dizziness washing over me, my knees threatening to give out.

  I staggered backwards and gripped the banister. Torin was gone, and it was my fault. He’d sacrificed his existence, his soul, so I could live. Worse, my friends were in danger and there was not a thing I could do to change it.

  I didn’t know how I did it, but one second I was inside Torin’s empty house, the next I was outside my house, warm tears racing down my face. I opened the door.

  “Raine!” Mom ran toward me and yelled over her shoulder. “Cora … Eirik … she’s home. What happened? Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick.” She cupped my face. “You’re frozen, shaking … crying. What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

  Cora and Eirik ran from the kitchen.

  “Come on upstairs.” Mom put her arms around me. “Cora, run her a hot bath.”

  I forced myself to snap out
of the cloying numbness. “No. I need … need to lie down. My head hurts. I need to rest.”

  Mom helped me under the blankets and gave me some meds, but nothing could ease my pain. It was deep and vast, like someone had punched a hole inside me and filled it with nothingness. I curled under the blanket, wishing Torin was around to hold me, reassure me that everything would be okay.

  Mom must have sent Cora and Eirik away because soon it was just the two of us. She curled behind me and stroked my hair, but I wished she was Torin. I missed his arms. Missed his scent. I wanted him back. My chest hurt, and the thought that I’d never see him again filled me with such anguish I couldn’t breathe. Sobbing silently, warm tears raced down my face.

  ***

  Monday arrived too soon. I had shut everyone out, even Mom, and now I had to deal with school. I wished I didn’t have to go, wished I could stay in bed and never leave my room, but hiding wouldn’t bring Torin back.

  I ate without tasting the food while Mom watched me from across the table with a worried expression. “Are you sure about going to school today? You don’t look too good. Maybe we should go see the doctor first.”

  I shook my head and forced myself to smile. “I’d rather stay busy. Is Eirik coming to pick me up?”

  “No, I’ll drive you to school myself.”

  I couldn’t remember the last time she drove me to school. Kindergarten? In elementary school and junior high, Dad would give me rides whenever I needed, but I often used the school bus.

  Eirik and Cora were waiting for me outside the school. He carried my backpack. According to my doctor, I wasn’t allowed to carry anything heavier than a two-liter bottle of soda. Cora opened the door and held it for me. Seeing the runes on the entrance sent a rush of anguish through me. Would everything I saw remind me of Torin? The walk to my locker happened in a haze. It didn’t sink in that Torin was really gone until my math class started and he didn’t appear.

  “Do you need to see the nurse?” Mrs. Bates asked.

  I stared at her with unseeing eyes. “No.”