Hidden (Her Immortal Guardians Book 1)

by Bella Edwards

  Erin picked up the large bowl and began a soft chant, eyes closed. Her words were unfamiliar, in a language Lorelei had never heard. Pausing, Erin looking up at them with freakish eyes. Lorelei unconsciously moved towards Gabe.

  "You need to cut her hand and let her blood mingle with this," Erin said, proffering the bowl to Gabe.

  Hesitantly Gabe took hold of it as Erin's chanting continued. The runes in the floor around the circle glowed brightly; white chalk became luminous. Hand shaking, she lifted her palm outwards to Gabe. Lorelei winced, refusing to show fear. As the knife slit her palm, the blood slid into the bowl. Trance-like, Erin continued her ritual in the strange language, noise filling the room as if a hundred people chanted, not only Erin.

  Gabe's fingers folded over her injured palm, and she jolted as if he plunged the knife into her heart. Images streamed into her head—flickering images of her old house when she was a small child. A barrage of images from the last two days. Lying on the floor outside the Gasworks, standing at the party, asleep on the sofa at the cottage, in the hospital. These weren't flashbacks—these were images of her seen through other eyes. As she gazed upwards into Gabe's face, she saw the pain in his eyes. They were his thoughts. His memories.

  In response, Gabe closed his eyes tightly, peeling her fingers from where they curled around his hand, pulling her off him. A gasp escaped her lips as a final image crossed her mind—an image of her in his arms, his mouth on hers, their bodies entwined. She opened her mouth to say his name, but the hateful blackness took her.

  Part Two

  Chapter Seventeen

  Books kept the thoughts at bay. Studying stopped the encroaching thoughts and occupied Lorelei's mind so the nightmares couldn't follow her from her bedroom. The library became her second home where, lost in the comforting, musty smell of old books, she was calm and safe. Summer faded, the evenings grew darker, and she stayed later and later, avoiding home.

  Lorelei wasn't the only one who stayed late studying. Other faces who sat at the partitioned wooden desks became familiar as the weeks passed. People traded polite smiles amongst the quiet of the library. One person in particular said hello every day, but she didn't notice him as much as he noticed her.

  The final summer weeks before she left for university had been a blur to Lorelei. The dreams returned with a breath-taking vengeance. Nightmares of blood and fear and demons pursuing her. Every night she woke in the stillness, heart thumping against her chest, looking for Gabe. He was never there. Some nights the demons were at bay and she would dream of him, her subconscious mind replaying the final images of the day she last saw him. The images of Gabe and her entwined.

  The day in the magic shop ended with her passing out, and when she opened her eyes again, Gabe had gone. Lorelei expected to feel different now her supernatural connection was broken, but the only difference was the pain in her hand and new ache as if her soul knew a part had been cut away.

  Erin assured her she’d be safe, but it took several weeks before Lorelei’s constant vigilance began to fade. Every noise, every movement in the corner of her eye, launched panic. Gradually the familiarity of her surroundings dampened down this fear, and she again focused on her future.

  Her exam results arrived and secretly pleased how high her grades were she kept a modest reaction for those who congratulated her. She'd waited years for this—finally the freedom from Grangeton she'd longed for.

  Or as free as she would ever feel now.

  Lorelei and Scarlet moved to a small flat in walking distance of the university, an old Victorian terraced house with three floors split into separate flats, sparsely furnished and rented to students. They lived on the second floor. Lorelei scrubbed the kitchen repeatedly but stains the flat collected over the years wouldn’t go. She pinned art prints to her wall to cover the marks left by previous occupants, but the space never felt like her own.

  Scarlet threw herself hedonistically into student life. Freshers Week saw an endless stream of people through the flat and Lorelei would awake to comatose students sprawled across the small lounge room. When this continued past Freshers and into term time she gave up and spent more time at the library—studying in the flat became impossible with all the interruptions.

  After another afternoon working hard under the artificial lights, Lorelei didn't notice the evening encroaching. Only when she returned a book to one of the shelves by the window did she realise. Rain poured again, a now familiar scene in her new city. Evenings came on so fast here—only a few days ago it would still have been twilight at this time. Why didn’t she pay more attention and avoid anxiety over staying late?

  Gathering up her books and laptop, Lorelei packed her rucksack and headed downstairs to the library lobby. Through the glass doors, water puddled on the pathways outside. She paused—her flimsy coat was definitely not waterproof enough for the deluge.

  Alex waited for his opportunity to talk to the beautiful girl with secrets behind her eyes. A week or two ago, he'd seen her in the library for the first time. With a thesis due this year, he spent a lot of time there too—him and the lonely die-hard students at weekends and evenings. The same people every week over the summer, so it was strange, he'd not seen her before.

  Alex noticed the girl straightaway—who wouldn't? At first, she didn't appear aware of anyone around her, wrapped up in a distant world. Dark rings circled her eyes, and she hid behind a curtain of blonde hair. The first time her eyes absent-mindedly met his what he saw shocked him. What happened to turn a beautiful girl with vibrant eyes into a quiet ghost?

  As the weeks passed, he noticed colour return to her face and life in her green eyes. She started to greet the other library regulars, and the smile she gave him when she said ‘hello’ lit up his evening. Now, he looked for her every day.

  Who was she? He knew most post-grad students but had never seen her. It seemed unlikely she was a new student—spending time at the library wasn't something they did.

  Tonight, the rain poured onto the campus, and as Alex saw her hesitate at the library door in her short summer dress, he took his chance. He could find out more about her.

  "Not the best weather for walking home in, I'd wait until the rain clears a bit if I were you."

  Lorelei looked around to a familiar face. Wasn't he often around the same section of the library as her? Always chatting to someone and infecting them with his laughter. The guy was a little older than her, tall with unruly brown hair and his deep brown eyes shone with genuine warmth. He wore a short waterproof blue coat with a laptop bag slung across his shoulder—obviously more used to the local climate.

  "I'm Alex." He smiled, extending a hand towards her.

  She took his hand, warm against the coolness of hers. "Lorelei," she mumbled.

  "Lorelei...I've never met a Lorelei."

  "Few have. My parents like unusual names."

  "Well, I'd ask 'do you come here often?' but I noticed you're in the library most days. I thought only us post-grad students were chained to this place."

  She mirrored his smile, as the open, friendly manner pierced her armour. "I only started uni a few weeks ago, and I want to get ahead."

  "A first year!" he gasped, laughing. "I didn't think anybody found the library until two days before their first exams."

  "I expect I'll be here a lot. I came to study not party." She gripped the handle of her backpack, not looking at him, eyeing the weather instead.

  "And how do you like the weather?" The rain flowed from the sky, now a wall of water in the uninviting dark.

  "Not great for those of us stupid enough to forget raincoats."

  "Would you like a lift home?" Her eyes widened, and the grip on her bag tightened. "I know you don't know me, but the librarian can vouch for my non-serial killer status." He pulled his wallet out of his pocket. "I can show you my ID?"

  Lorelei hitched her bag further onto her shoulder, glancing at the sliding glass doors. The evening was darker than usual, black rain clouds covering
the sky. Who was this person? She'd noticed him amongst the regulars over the last few weeks. Lorelei inhaled. Don't let the demons back in. Be normal.

  She nodded at him. "Thank you."

  Alex's car was parked behind the library, a short sprint through the downpour. Large puddles seeped across the pavements, and Lorelei jumped into Alex’s car, pulling her bag onto her knee and hugging it.

  The car had seen better days—the seats tattered, and she needed to move books out of the footwell to make room for herself. It took a while for the noisy engine to blow warm air through the car. Lorelei tried wiping herself with her hands as the rain soaked through her clothes. Alex leaned across her to reach the seat behind, and she shrunk away from him. He paused, frowning, then grabbed a towel from the back seat.

  "Here you go," he said passing it to her. Her fingers were icy cold when they touched his.

  "Thanks." She wiped her face. "Do you take showers in your car?" She waved the towel at him.

  "Ha ha, no. It’s to wipe the condensation—the weather isn't great, and I hate hanging around in car parks waiting for the windows to clear."

  Alex leaned back in his seat as they drove along, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he listened to the radio. Lorelei spent the journey looking out of the window, counting the orange streetlights as they passed. Alex struck up a stilted conversation, asking what she thought of the city so far. Lorelei answered briefly, relieved he didn’t ask anything about her past life.

  She discovered Alex studied at the university for seven years, now in the final year of his PhD in Psychology, which stirred her interest. He tutored some first and second-year subjects, so it seemed likely she'd see him around the department. She loosened the grip on her bag as her focus moved away from the car window to the man sitting in the car beside her. Some normality in her world again.

  The car pulled up outside the flat, water spraying against the wall. The weather hadn't improved on the journey, and the windscreen wipers continued to squeak as they flicked across the windscreen. Through the rain-streaked window, she couldn't see any lights on in her flat.

  Alex detected her hesitation. "I won't leave until I see you go into the building if you like?"

  Lorelei smiled but and when she put her hand on the door handle, it shook. "Scarlet is normally home—she must have left early. Or not home after class."

  "Do you want me to come up with you? Just to the doorway—I won't come in. I know it can take a little while to feel safe in a new place."

  She turned and looked at him, her dark smudged eyes wide. The fear wasn't directed at him, he thought, but a distant worry, linked to the darkness. Maybe she was one of those new students who got freaked out living away from home.

  "Okay. Thanks," she said.

  "Here. An umbrella. Of sorts.” He passed her the towel. Opening her door, she ran to the steep stone steps, fumbling in her bag for the keys. Her hands trembled again as she turned one in the lock.

  Lorelei stepped into the tiled hallway, and Alex remained under the porch, hunched over with his hands in his coat pockets, watching her with a look of curiosity on his face. She studied him comparing how much of a threat he’d be if she invited him into the dark empty flat. Scarlet would be home soon.

  "Do you want to come upstairs? The least I can do is make you a warm drink to say thank you for helping me out."

  His deep brown eyes shone. "Sure thing."

  Chapter Eighteen

  Time with Alex felt like spending time with Jamie—with the same laid-back, charm which radiated to everyone around them. Relaxed and happy in his company, Lorelei spent more time with Alex as the term progressed. It amazed her how they could sit and talk for hours, about everything from the serious to the ludicrous, and not notice time pass.

  Scarlet teased her about the time she spent with Alex, which annoyed Lorelei. Just because Scarlet found a serious boyfriend in five minutes didn't mean Lorelei should too.

  One day Lorelei came home to find Scarlet with a new piercing in her lip. Ben's influence—he had more piercings than Lorelei could count and black hair which stood up all over his head. And it was Lorelei who cleaned the black mess out of the sink when Scarlet dyed hers to match.

  Scarlet and Ben met in the second week of term, and he'd become a permanent fixture in Scarlet's life ever since. Lorelei broached the subject of how small their flat was and the amount of time Ben spent there, but a defensive Scarlet retaliated by accusing Lorelei of leading Alex on and confusing him. The situation led to a day where neither girl spoke to the other. After then the conflict was never mentioned—Lorelei tolerated Ben, and Scarlet never accused Lorelei of misleading Alex again.

  Lorelei wasn't sure if Scarlet said something to Ben about their fight because shortly afterwards, he cooked a meal for them several nights a week. At first, Lorelei reluctantly shared with the pair—they were an overly demonstrative couple who liked the whole world to know they were in love.

  In the end, she decided it would be easier to share with them than cook too and make twice as much mess. Plus, Ben's cooking was gourmet compared to the two-minute noodles which were Scarlet's speciality when her turn to cook.

  Alex would come over for dinner some nights too, and tonight Lorelei waited for him as Ben finished cooking. Scarlet sat by the gas heater covered with a blanket and complained about the weather.

  "Wait until it gets really cold." Alex laughed at the sight of Scarlet as he walked through the door.

  Scarlet scowled. "I knew I should have studied overseas—somewhere warm."

  "You don't like the heat," said Lorelei, walking into the room with two mugs of tea. She looked at Alex, wrapped up in a long woollen coat. "I never heard you arrive, or I'd have made you a tea."

  Alex shrugged. "It's fine. I have beers."

  He placed a clinking carrier bag on the table. "What's on the menu tonight, Ben?"

  "Spaghetti." Ben appeared behind Lorelei with bowls of food, and Lorelei thought how odd he looked—the weird boy in an apron holding culinary delights.

  Ben sat beside Scarlet and hunched over his food as he ate, tapping his foot as Scarlet cuddled up him. Lorelei and Alex sat apart in the armchairs.

  "Isn't that the third one this month?" asked Scarlet, frowning.

  On the screen flickered a picture of a blonde girl, and then another screen showed three photographs—the girl and two others. All three disappeared from university campuses over the last few weeks with no trace of them found. The only connection between them was they were new to university—and they all had long blonde hair.

  "They look like you," observed Ben with a sideways glance at Lorelei.

  Lorelei's appetite waned as she watched. She was aware the girls resembled her and pushed her food around the plate, saying nothing. Alex put a hand on hers and squeezed it, making Lorelei jump.

  "I'm going to the bathroom," she said, putting her plate on the low coffee table.

  Approaching the bathroom door, she heard Scarlet and Alex talking.

  "Do you know what happened?" asked Alex in hushed tones. Scarlet's reply was inaudible. "I worry about her. She’s jumpy all the time and sometimes in her own world, as if she's not with me at all. She refuses to talk to me about it.”

  Scarlet’s low voice replied. “All I know is someone attacked her outside a nightclub, and then she disappeared for a couple of days. Lorelei never said where she'd been or who with. Anyway, she came back and never mentioned anything again. In the next few weeks, everything turned back to normal. All a mystery to me."

  There was a pause. "Whatever happened affected her though. Look at how she reacted to the news," said Alex.

  "It'd freak me out—people disappearing who looked exactly like me. I wonder where the next one will be? The disappearances are getting closer. Oxford, Birmingham Leeds..." Lorelei gritted her teeth at Ben's gleeful tone. The mysterious disappearances appealed to his macabre view of the world. Why would Scarlet talk about all this in front of him?

/>   "That's not helpful, Ben," said Alex.

  "Just saying. Someone attacks Lorelei, and now other blonde girls are missing. All seems a bit coincidental to me."

  Trembling, Lorelei walked into the bathroom. What if Ben was right? She ran the cold tap and splashed cool water across her face. In the mirror, the haunted girl looked back at her, and she grabbed a towel, rubbing at her face. This isn't how things were supposed to be. She needed to get a grip and move on from the summer.

  Erin assured her no creature—or Caleb—could get near enough to harm her. The disappearances had to be a bizarre coincidence.

  But a tiny voice in Lorelei's mind told her Erin's words might not be true.

  The weather grew cooler still as the weeks passed, and Lorelei retreated underneath a hat, scarf and shapeless coat. What a relief it wasn't summer; nobody would think her odd if she hid under a hat and wrapped a scarf around her face.

  Apart from Alex.

  Recently, he’d increased his efforts to get her to open up, but Lorelei wasn't ready to share, annoyed by the psychologist in him picking at her mind. Sometimes he'd slip things into conversations about the disappearances, trying to get her to bite so they could discuss it. Not going to happen. She was in this one alone.

  Ben liked to talk about the disappearances often, enjoying any chance to rile Lorelei—if a story came up on his news app, he'd read it aloud. He brought flyers home from the university about women's safety and how to protect themselves, leaving them lying around the flat. Lorelei ignored him.

  "Uh oh, number four," he greeted her with as she walked through the door one evening.

  "What?" she asked, peeling off her gloves and rubbing her hands together. Nobody else sat in the room but the shower ran nearby, and music filtered from Scarlet's room. Not alone. His phone lay on the kitchen counter, beside the empty tins from Ben's cooking.