The Unseen Trilogy

by Stephanie Erickson

  15.

  It was after ten when I got home, but I called Maddie anyway. She answered on the first ring.

  “Hey stranger! How was your first week?”

  We’d been texting all week, but I had been exhausted by the time I got back to my apartment each night, so I hadn’t taken the time to call her.

  “Pretty good actually. Apparently, I’m some kind of prodigy. I blew through a month’s worth of training in a week.”

  “Whoa, really? That’s awesome!”

  “Yeah, my trainer said today she’s worried she might not have much to teach me soon.”

  “Good?” She said it like a question.

  “Yeah, I don’t know what to think either. But she did say I could be an amazing asset to the company if I keep progressing like this.” I left out the deadly part. I didn’t know what to make of it. There was no need to give fuel to Maddie’s very active imagination.

  “Man, Mac, that’s amazing. Are you feeling pretty good about your decision?”

  Tracy’s comment kept cycling through my head. “You know, I still feel like there’s something huge they’re not telling me. It’s making it hard for me to settle in completely.”

  “Oh, really? What makes you say that?”

  I scrambled for a half-truth. “I don’t know for sure. It’s just a feeling I have.”

  “Your Spidey sense going crazy again?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Well, it’s never been wrong before, at least as far as I can remember. But maybe it’s nothing. A dumb company policy, like KFC’s secret recipe or something. Just because it’s a secret doesn’t automatically make it bad.”

  “No, you’re right. I should stop assuming the worst. It was a great week, so I should expect great things moving forward.”

  “Absolutely.” She paused. “How’s the hot guy?”

  “I’m surprised you waited this long to ask me about him.”

  “Oh my God, it was complete torture.”

  I laughed. “Owen is great. He’s taking me on a date tomorrow.”

  “A date!” She squealed. “How exciting!”

  “But what if this ruins everything? You know how much success I’ve had with dating.”

  “Then he wasn’t the right guy for you, and you haven’t wasted any time on him.” She said it so matter-of-factly, like I wouldn’t be losing anything if he wasn’t the right guy for me. Certainly not my entire world or the air in my lungs, yet the mere thought of it made it difficult to breathe. “Honestly though,” Maddie said, “I’d be surprised if that happened.”

  Oh, good, I thought. She’s throwing me a bone.

  “You haven’t said much about him, but I can tell you’re enamored with him. That’s never happened before! Besides, not everyone’s dates crash and burn on day one, you know.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” I said. “I just don’t want to wreck it.”

  “So don’t.”

  “You’re always so helpful, Maddie.”

  “Hey, I do what I can. Listen, the bottom line is to have fun, maybe learn a thing or two about him. Just enjoy yourself!” She paused for a moment, and I knew what was coming next.

  “What are you going to wear?” She plowed into the normal rundown, not missing a beat. But for the first time ever, I actually cared. What was I going to wear? I wasn’t sure what I should be more worried about, the fact that I actually wanted to look good for Owen, or the fact that Maddie knew it.

  After another thirty minutes of frantic discussion, we settled on a flowy skirt paired with a white blouse and white sandals, with a white headband, beaded earrings, and a pearl necklace for accessories. I would do my makeup meticulously, and then send her a picture for approval.

  Our planning session complete, the only thing left for me to do was go on the actual date.

  Owen knocked on my door promptly at noon. I wondered if he’d been standing out there for a few minutes just so he could be right on time.

  When I opened the door he said, “I wasn’t.”

  “Well, you’re very punctual then.”

  He looked me up and down. “You should change.”

  I had spent much longer than I usually did on my appearance, so his comment was devastating. “Why?” was all I could choke out.

  “Because we’re going swimming and hiking. I wouldn’t want you to ruin that pretty skirt.”

  Nice save, I thought.

  “Thank you.” He tipped his head to me, and I rolled my eyes.

  “Well, if you’d provided me with an itinerary, I would’ve dressed appropriately.”

  He shrugged. “I like an element of surprise. It’s romantic.”

  “Romantic, stressful, whichever.”

  He laughed. “Hurry up and change, or we’ll miss the next tour.”

  I invited him in to sit on the couch while I changed. “Tour? What tour?” I called out from behind the closed bedroom door while I frantically searched for a swimsuit that wasn’t totally threadbare and appropriate hiking clothes. A swimsuit? Seriously? On our first date? This is a nightmare. I don’t want to be half naked in front of him already! My heart skipped a beat. Okay, maybe I do a little bit.

  “Just FYI, the door provides little-to-no soundproofing for your thoughts.”

  I sank to the floor and covered my head with a shirt I was about to cast aside. “Good to know,” I called from underneath it. You knew that. If he were a normal person, you’d be able to hear him almost through the whole damn apartment because it’s so small. Use your head.

  After a few minutes of wallowing in humiliation, I tucked in my bottom lip, gathered my things, and opened the door. I was dressed in a T-shirt, shorts, and trainers, with my nicest bikini underneath.

  “Better?”

  “For what we’re doing today? Yes.”

  “A very diplomatic answer.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said as he stood and walked with me to the door.

  “Just how public is this place you’re taking me?” I asked him, feeling naked outside without my iLs.

  “Consider it a hidden gem of Florida. There will be people there, but I don’t expect it to be crowded. You should be able to manage. If you have trouble, I’m sure I can come up with something for you to focus on,” he said confidently.

  My snappy comeback caught in my throat when he stopped in front of a brand-new BMW. The only thing I knew about them was that they were expensive. Really expensive. I couldn’t even tell what model it was.

  “Jeez, this is a nice car,” I said.

  “Yeah, the Unseen has two of them. Lucky for me, one was available today.” He opened my door and I slipped inside, settling into the plush leather seat. Suddenly, I was glad I hadn’t taken too long getting changed. The leather was still cool from his drive over. “So, where are we going?”

  “That’s need-to-know information, and right now, you don’t need to know,” he said as he buckled his seat belt and started the car. After punching a classical music station on the radio, he hit the road.

  I raised my eyebrows. “Trying to make points?”

  “No, I like this.”

  “Oh, really? What is it?”

  “Gasbag de la noot,” he said confidently.

  If I’d had a drink, I would’ve spit it all over the dashboard laughing.

  I stared out the window, watching as the landscape changed from city to country. I’d never been out this way before. Suddenly, the need to ask him something that had been on my mind for a while became insurmountable. “Owen, can I ask you something?”

  “You just did. Clearly, you’re capable.”

  I glared at him, but he just looked straight ahead, feigning innocence.

  “Why do you like me?” I finally asked.

  “What kind of question is that?”

  “I don’t know. I’m used to being able to read the men I date. I know what their intentions are right from the beginning.” I looked out the window and lowered my voice. “Anyway,
I know why I’m attracted to you. And I’m pretty sure you know it too. But I have no idea why you’re interested in me.”

  He was silent for what seemed like miles. Good. I ruined everything before we even got to the date.

  He snorted. “You didn’t ruin anything. I was just trying to think of something intelligent to say because I don’t want ruin it.”

  “Oh, Lord. Then I’ll be waiting all day.”

  “That.”

  “What?”

  “That’s why I like you.”

  I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat. My snark? He likes me for my snark?

  “Exactly.” He smiled as he watched the road, seemingly content.

  Itching to know more about him, I thought I’d bait him. “You know, Maddie’s pretty snarky too. You’d like her. She’s like a sister to me. My only family, really. Are you close with your family?”

  It was subtle, but his expression tightened. “No.”

  Wondering if this was the reason for the darkness inside him, I probed a little more. “How come?”

  He stared straight ahead, his knuckles white from his tight grip on the steering wheel. “Because they’re dead.”

  “What do you know? Mine are too. That’s something we have in common,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. He didn’t respond. I lowered my voice. “What happened?”

  “Today is not the day for that story.” He didn’t take his eyes off the road as he said it.

  We were quiet for the rest of the ride. After just under an hour of driving, we pulled into a state park.

  By the time we arrived, Owen had visibly relaxed and I hoped his mood was improving.

  Florida Caverns, the sign read.

  All the years I’d lived in Tallahassee, I’d never heard of the place. “So it’s a state park?”

  “Yup! Only the coolest state park around. My parents brought my little brother and me here one summer. We had a great time,” he said, genuine excitement in his voice. He parked the car and got out. “Come on. Just wait till you see!”

  He led me to the main building. So far, it looked similar to most Florida state parks, complete with dense woods and ample parking. I was sure there was a watering hole somewhere too—there always was.

  A bell jingled overhead when we walked in the door. “Welcome to Florida Caverns,” the man behind the counter said. “What can I do for you?”

  “What time is the next tour?”

  “Starting in five minutes. You’ve got good timing.”

  “Perfect!” Owen looked over at me, mischief in his eyes. “Good thing you didn’t take any more time to wallow in your bedroom.”

  I hated him for bringing up that little gem of a moment. “Yes, well, give it time. You’re sure to do something worthy of wallowing before the day is out.”

  He chuckled. “You’re very confident about that.”

  “I know my audience.”

  “Do you?” Something about the way he said it made me pause.

  “No, I suppose I don’t,” I said quietly. “But that sure as hell isn’t my fault.” The anger in my voice surprised me.

  “You’re right,” he said, and turned to the smiling man behind the counter, who was obviously entertained by our exchange. “What time is the next tour?”

  “It’ll be at two.”

  “We’ll be back then.”

  I glanced at my watch—two o’clock was an hour away. “But we’re here now. Don’t you want to go on this one?”

  He took my hand and led me out of the building. “I want to do this more.”

  He found a secluded patch of grass in the shade, facing the crystal-clear water. It was beautiful. A staircase led down into the watering hole, where people of all ages swam and splashed. It called to me. Despite the shade, the Florida heat was gathering sweat between my breasts and dripping into my bra. I resisted the urge to dab at it with my shirt. That would only leave a big, ugly wet mark.

  We sat in silence, watching the swimmers for what felt like an eternity. Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer. “Care to go for a swim? I’m dying here.”

  “I know you deserve more than what I’ve given you.”

  His words caught me off guard, despite his snap decision to wait for the later

  tour. “That’s probably true,” I said, “but you’ll have to be more specific.”

  He smiled with one corner of his mouth as he watched the swimmers. “I know it upsets you that you know basically nothing about me.” He turned and looked into my eyes. There was pain in his dark gaze, but he blinked and it was gone, replaced by resolve.

  Now that he’d raised the subject, I didn’t want to let him off the hook. “It does bother me. Frankly, if you want to have any kind of relationship with me, it should bother you too.”

  He nodded and looked back out at the swimmers. I followed his gaze. Everyone was having such a nice day. We should be enjoying ourselves too.

  “Time. I just need time,” he said, his voice little more than a whisper.

  “Time? We don’t have any time!” I shouted.

  He turned to look at me, eyes wide with surprise… and pain.

  I stood and grabbed his hands, pulling him to his feet. “This day is melting away, and we’re wasting it up here in the shade!” Relief washed over his face as I pulled him close to me, just barely holding on to both of his hands. I lowered my voice. “Take all the time you need.” I kissed him lightly on the lips. “You just better hope I’m still around when you’re ready.” I smiled devilishly at him and ran down to the water line.

  “If that’s the fastest you can run, I’ll be able to catch up to you anyway!” he called after me.

  We splashed and swam in the cold spring water for nearly an hour, almost missing the next tour. I was famished when we got out, so Owen bought us some snacks at the little store. We munched quickly, as no food or drinks were allowed in the caverns.

  My heartbeat quickened as I jammed the last chip into my mouth, tossed the bag into the trash can, and jogged to catch up to the back of the group heading for the caverns. I’d never known Florida had caverns. Our home state was so sandy; I sort of assumed anything underground would just collapse on itself.

  The entrance to the cavern was little more than a slit between two rocks. We squeezed through and were greeted by the most amazing formations I’d ever seen—the result of thousands of years of work by Mother Nature. I gasped as I took it all in—stalagmites and stalactites formed columns all around us. The park had even used special lighting in some areas to make the formations colorful. Bats clung to the ceiling, and we ducked low in some areas to avoid disturbing them.

  The temperature dropped markedly as we ventured further into the cave. The tour guide had embarked on a long monologue explaining the formations and the history of the caverns, but I wasn’t listening. I was too busy soaking it all in. In some spots, if you looked closely, you could almost see the faces of trolls in the ancient formations. I wondered if there were any folktales about them.

  Maybe you’d know the answer if you were listening to the tour guide, Owen chided from behind his smile.

  And you were listening to him because you’re the good one, right?

  No, your thoughts were too noisy. I couldn’t hear the guy.

  I cocked an eyebrow at him. Sounds like you need to spend a little more time with Tracy to learn how to tune unwanted voices out.

  Who said you were unwanted? He winked at me, and my knees went weak.

  Wanting to prove myself to Owen, I focused on the guide. I entered his mind easily, with much less effort than it took with other readers. With them, it was like an unlocked door stood in my way. All I had to do was open it. But with the guide, there wasn’t even a superficial barrier. I just waltzed right in.

  I scanned his mind, searching for the information I wanted. It took me a moment, since there was a plethora of information in there about his family, his job, and the games he was currently playing. Eventually, I r
eached his knowledge about the caverns, which was fairly extensive.

  Hmm. Nothing about trolls. But he does know a disturbing story about some kind of picnic shooting where a kid died in the eighteen hundreds.

  He didn’t answer me. When I looked over at him, he was staring at me.

  “What?”

  “You amaze me.”

  I beamed. “Don’t you forget it.”

  We spent the rest of the tour holding hands when we could. When we finally left the caverns behind, the sun seemed oppressively bright. I squinted and held my head up in a feeble attempt to shield myself from it.

  “Well, what now?” I said through my scrunched-up face.

  “Head home for dinner?”

  “Sounds good. I’m starving.” Then I looked down at myself. My clothes were stiff in places from dried sweat and my hair was a tangled mess from swimming. I imagined I didn’t smell all that great either, despite our dip in the cool spring. “Um. Where are we going?”

  “Don’t worry, I thought we’d order a pizza and watch a movie.”

  I sagged with relief. “Sounds perfect.” When we got back into the car, a wave of exhaustion washed over me from all the sun and fresh air. I was asleep before we hit the highway.

  I dreamed of Owen. He was holding me in his arms, and there was nothing but him and me… until Tracy’s voice seeped in. At first, it was quiet, nothing more than a whisper. A rather deadly asset. She said it over and over again, until Owen melted away and her words were the only thing that surrounded me. A rather deadly asset. A rather deadly asset. A rather—

  Owen woke me up with a start. “Sorry. We’re home.” He looked concerned.

  “Oh, thanks,” I said, trying to shake the dream.

  “Want to tell me what that was about?” he asked as we walked into my apartment.

  “You didn’t see?”

  “No. Dreams are different.”

  “Different how?” I asked, tossing my keys into the bowl on the coffee table.

  “I don’t remember many of the specifics. It’s been a while since I studied dreams, but the basic gist is the brain functions differently while you’re sleeping. When you dream, you sort of automatically protect yourself against readers.”