Hidden Realms

by Dean Murray

  “You want to ride in style with me tomorrow night, too? Maybe go to dinner?”

  My foot scraped against a rock protruding out of the ground. I hadn’t seen it, with the trail not being lit, and stumbled. Or was it Alec’s question that had rendered my feet useless? I slanted my eyes to him, but I could only see the shadow of his outline beside me. Even if I couldn’t see his face, I had a crystal clear mental image of him trying not to laugh at me.

  “I don’t know if I should take your silence as a yes or a no,” he said.

  “Not a no.” I didn’t trust my voice to manage more than a whisper, and was surprised he heard me.

  I swore I heard him grin. “It’s a date, then.” He slipped an arm around my shoulders and hugged me to his side as we continued up the path.

  So...my first real date, aside from ridiculous group dates to dances with a mix of your boy and girl friends in someone’s mom’s minivan. This would be a real date, alone, with Alec. Hell, he’d already kissed me. I didn’t know what I was so nervous about, but I was.

  So much so that I didn’t notice the figure standing in the shadows at the end of the trail until Alec froze beside me. Blocking our path to the parking lot was the large ominous shape of a man. The dim lighting prevented me from seeing him clearly, but I would recognize him anywhere, just like I knew, without seeing them, that his eyes were blue.

  CHAPTER 4

  “Shit,” Alec muttered under his breath as his arm dropped from around my shoulders.

  It was him—my mystery guy, my secret, my whatever-he-was. He stepped forward, into the eerie glow cast by the parking lot’s lone street light, and I saw his face. In faded jeans, a grey long sleeved thermal shirt, and a tattered blue baseball cap, he didn’t appear threatening. Yet, he had Alec on edge...

  And me confused. Aside from his unexpected presence at the school a few weeks ago, that I still thought he hadn’t meant for me to know about, he only showed up when I was in some sort of trouble. Surely, he didn’t think I was in danger now.

  His eyes moved from me to Alec, shifted from curious to menacing. From the way he stared at Alec, and the way Alec glared in return, it almost seemed as if they knew each other. From the tension that radiated off both of them, it was clear they were not friends.

  “Hey, Kris,” Alec said without looking at me. “Why don’t you go wait in the car?”

  He held out his car keys to me, but I didn’t take them, hesitant to leave the two of them alone on a dark empty trail. It didn’t seem like a good idea with the way they were sizing each other up. Anyone with half a brain could have smelled the fight brewing.

  “She’s not going anywhere. I know your buddies are lurking around here somewhere.”

  “There’s no one else,” Alec returned.

  The guy snorted and, in a flash, lunged at Alec and pinned him against the rock wall as I watched with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. “What do you want with her?” he growled, and shoved Alec’s head against the hard earth wall.

  It looked like it hurt, a lot, but Alec barely seemed fazed. If anything, he looked annoyed. “So…you’re the one?”

  The one? It wasn’t possible. Alec couldn’t know my secret. Yet, he knew something...

  “I’m surprised you kept such a distance until now.” Alec’s gaze fell on me and, in that second, he didn’t look like the Alec I knew. He looked dark, dangerous even.

  My eyes flicked between the two. Both of them, both of whom I thought I knew, in different ways, at different times, were strangers to me.

  “You let me get so close...” Alec continued his icy taunt.

  “Long enough for me to realize you’re up to something.” The other guy slipped a hand under his shirt and produced a knife, which he pressed to Alec’s neck. Alec pushed against the wall, in an attempt to put distance between himself and the blade, but he had nowhere to go.

  It took me a stunned moment to register the appearance of the knife, and now that I saw it, I realized it didn’t look like any ordinary knife. Its sharply curved blade caught the faintest light, and seemed to sparkle with an unnatural radiance. It was actually a pretty knife. Aesthetics aside, it was deadly, and currently pressed to Alec’s neck.

  I stepped forward in Alec’s defense. Both sets of eyes turned to me, both looking as if they had forgotten I was there.

  The one with the knife looked irritated. “Stay out of this,” he said.

  “Like hell I will.”

  Before I could take another step, I was shoved to the side, and fell to the ground several feet away. Sounds of a struggle reached my ears as I got to my feet. Apparently, after my mystery guy had pushed me out of the way, Alec had tackled him. The two toppled over in a deadly wrestle for control—fists flying and connecting. The occasional flash of the blade caught the light.

  Someone was going to get killed.

  I looked around helplessly. It was just the three of us, alone on the trail, and they and the knife were blocking my way to the beach, to others who could help. I turned for the parking lot. For what, I wasn’t sure. It was one of those I-would-know-when-I-saw-it kind of things, but when I got there, I knew I wouldn’t find anything helpful.

  No one was there to help. It was just me. Or was it?

  A streaking dark shadow moved in my periphery, near the back of the lot. I zoned in on it and thought I glimpsed someone slipping between two cars, before moving behind the cover of a large black truck. I focused on the area, straining my eyes as I looked for more movement, while trying to convince myself I had imagined it. A second shadow moved nearby, closer, and I backed up into the cover of the dark trail.

  Whoever was there wasn’t someone that would help. My eyes scanned the parking lot suspiciously. What had my mystery-guy said about Alec having buddies nearby? Alec had denied it, but there was definitely something menacing going on in the parking lot.

  It was too quiet. Only the grunts of fighting behind me reached my ears. I didn’t look back, fearful of what I might see. Besides, I was more alarmed by the formation of additional furtively moving shadows around us. Real or not, they freaked me out.

  I started to retreat another step when an arm hooked my waist and pushed me forward, into the parking lot.

  “Go, hurry.” It wasn’t Alec, and I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved or worried. “There!” He pointed at a familiar black Jeep, and pushed me toward it. Weakened by confusion and fear, I didn’t protest.

  “Get in,” he ordered.

  That was when I planted my feet. A shadow darted to my right, scarily close, but I held firm. Somewhere out there, Alec had been left. Was he okay? Was he hurt? Was I safer with him, or with the one that stood in front of me—this guy, who I really didn’t know after all?

  He had never meant me any harm before. He had also never attacked a boy I liked and trusted. He had been downright scary on the trail, and was currently visibly annoyed with my defiance. He responded with brute force, by opening the passenger door and shoving me in. Considering he was nearly twice my size, the end result was not in my favor. My face planted ungraciously into the center console. I sat up and rubbed my forehead as he climbed into the driver’s seat. He didn’t bother to look at me as he started the engine, and missed the glare I threw him.

  He pealed out of the parking space as three shadows raced toward us. The Jeep’s headlights swept over them, and illuminated the eyes that fixated on me. Those eyes, that seemed capable of peering into my soul, sent a shiver down my spine. The sight of their faces, filled with rage, would forever find a place in my nightmares.

  Looking over my shoulder as we turned out of the parking lot, I saw them disperse. They were gone, but where to? And where was Alec?

  “Who were those...” I trailed off, not sure of the appropriate word. There had been something not right about their eyes. Normal people’s eyes didn’t look like that, didn’t...gleam like that.

  Even if I had managed to ask, I doubt I would have gotten an answer. My new companion’s attention was f
ocused elsewhere—not saying that was a bad thing, considering how fast he was driving. He maneuvered the Jeep efficiently, turning onto one road after another as fast as the vehicle was capable. His eyes flicked between the road and the rearview mirror. From what I could see, no headlights followed. Not yet.

  I watched him, watched as his eyes took everything in, and was filled with a sense of security. I had no idea who he was or what he did—aside from rescuing me—but whatever it was, I got the impression he was good at it. For a moment, I stared at him in awe. He was the greatest mystery of my life, and he was right there, close enough to touch. The opportunity I had been waiting my whole life for was here. I had my chance to get the answers I wanted.

  And my tongue was tied. All I could manage was to stare and wonder for the hundredth time who he was.

  His eyes turned to mine and, oddly, he seemed to be pondering the same thing about me. He looked at me like he didn’t recognize me, like he didn’t know who I was, and he was bothered by it.

  Something about that rubbed me the wrong way. So, after years of thinking about what I would say to him—of all the things I should have said—I let my attitude get the best of me, and spit out a haughty, “What?”

  He blinked and turned his attention to the road. He didn’t look at me again.

  “Does your little friend know where you live?”

  The accusatory tone of his voice put me on the defensive. I squinted at him, wondering what his problem was. None of my previous interactions with him had been like this, filled with this much hostility. He wasn’t exactly the amazing hero I had built him up to be my whole life. I certainly wouldn’t expect a guardian angel to threaten people with knives.

  He was not my guardian angel. That had been somewhat acceptable to believe when I was three. Not anymore, especially not now. It was sad, really, that my childhood fantasy was shattered after only a few minutes with this guy.

  “Does he know where you live?” he shouted, interrupting my train of thought.

  “Yes, he knows,” I answered quietly. Boy, was he intimidating. Not to mention, short tempered.

  He muttered a few choice words under his breath and sped up, negotiating the narrow streets heading into town faster than anyone safely should. As an afterthought, I strapped on my seatbelt, shut my eyes, and tried not to remember the last time I had been in a car going this fast.

  A soft ringing pulled me from my reverie. When I peeked at him, I saw that he had his cell propped between his cheek and shoulder. He took a sharp turn skillfully, the phone not affecting his ability to handle the Jeep at all.

  “Come on…come on…” he muttered to himself as the ringing continued.

  I jumped a moment later, when he hurled the phone into the center console, and spit out a string of curse words. Apparently, he hadn’t gotten an answer.

  He took another hard turn, ignoring a stop sign, and I was glad I had thought to put on my seatbelt. If anything, it kept me from being tossed into his lap. He screeched around a second turn, and I grabbed the dashboard to keep myself from flying into the door. I shot him a nasty look. From the familiar houses I saw passing by his head in a blur, I determined we were headed for my house. I stared at the road in front of us as he turned into the development without slowing down, and the white split-level appeared in the headlights. I pictured Gran sitting inside, working on one of her knits or watching David Letterman.

  He brought the Jeep to a sudden stop in front of the house. My seat belt caught, and kept my head from slamming against the dash. He was already out, coming around to my side, and opened the door as I unhooked my seatbelt.

  “Come on,” he ordered, and started up the walkway without bothering to wait for me.

  He acted like he owned the place. I slammed the door behind me, and scurried to catch up to him. I froze half way across the yard when he opened the front door and strode on in exactly like he owned the place.

  Oh, Gran was going to love this. I couldn’t help but grin as I ran the rest of the way. I didn’t want to miss the look on his face when Gran got ahold of him. I couldn’t imagine what she would do, but I didn’t want to miss it.

  The last thing I expected was for her to rise from her chair with a smile.

  “Nathan,” she breathed as she rushed forward to greet him.

  I hadn’t seen Gran move that fast, well, ever. So she knew him. And his name was Nathan? I made a face. That didn’t sound like such a bad ass name. For some reason, I had expected something tougher sounding.

  As she pulled him in for a hug right in front of me, I realized I was the oddball in the room. And I had no idea what kind of screwed up world I had been living in all along.

  They dove into a rapid discussion with words I had never heard of before. Stunned from the start, I had a hard time following. One thing was for certain. I had not been randomly dropped off with Gran six years ago. He had chosen her, and Gran had known about him all along. I looked back and forth between them as they talked around me, and tried to make sense of something. Anything. Nothing clicked into place.

  He asked Gran about “the boy” I was with for the third time and that did it.

  “His name is Alec,” I snapped, “and he didn’t do anything. You pulled a knife on him.”

  They both turned to me. His eyes looked capable of cutting through steel. Gran’s were as soft as always. She offered me a sad smile before she returned her attention to him.

  “I never met him,” she said with a shake of her head. “I never thought...” She trailed off, visibly upset with herself.

  “I was watching. He’s not one of us,” Nathan muttered.

  I wanted to ask what Alec was then, but before I could turn the smart-ass-switch on, Nathan turned to me with another order. “Go pack a bag of some necessities, enough clothes for a few days.” He eyed my outfit critically. “You should probably change into something more practical, and comfortable shoes.”

  Other than to fold my arms over my chest, I didn’t budge. I was starting to hate this guy as much as I hated being talked down to by him. This was my hero? The guy I have, literally, dreamt of my whole life? He was kind of a jerk. I glanced at Gran, who smiled warmly at me. Why couldn’t some of her sweetness rub off on him?

  “Go on, honey. Pack quickly,” she said, and gave me a push in the direction of the stairs.

  I glared at Nathan as I passed to make sure he understood it was Gran, and not him, that I was minding. From the look he returned, I doubted he cared—and maybe even found my blatant defiance amusing.

  As I walked away, I heard Gran scold him for his behavior. As much as I wanted to hear his response—if he had one—I wanted a moment to myself more. I shut my bedroom door behind me to block out their voices.

  I surveyed my room, and wondered where it had all gone wrong. The night had started off so wonderful. Night out with Callie, my first since the accident. Alec. The kiss. Then creepy-looking guys with scary eyes and one terrifying car ride later, I was ordered to pack my bags. Not to mention my so-called hero ended up being an asshole.

  Yeah, the night had definitely taken an unexpected turn for the worse.

  Resolving to start somewhere before I was berated for taking too long, I picked my book bag off the floor and took out my books. My purple and yellow lily folder was the last to drop out. With a sad smile, I flipped it open to the inside cover, where in Alec’s choppy handwriting was scrawled the digits to his cell phone. He had written it there the day we met. “Need to make an emergency cracker run? Need a ride to school? Want someone to make you laugh? Anything. Call me. Anytime. I mean it,” he had told me with a wink. Never thought to add “crazy guy attacks us at knifepoint” to that list.

  I dialed his number. His voice mail picked up, but I didn’t leave a message. I didn’t know what to say. How could I when I didn’t have a clue as to what was going on?

  I moved fast after that to keep my mind off Alec. I changed into jeans, a t-shirt, and my gym shoes; threw the necessities—a few pan
ts, shirts, socks, and changes of underwear—into my book bag. I moved to the bathroom, and packed my toothbrush and toothpaste, but left the shampoo and body wash. Most hotels would have the little complimentary bottles, and it wasn’t like we would be gone for long.

  After all, I had school on Monday.

  CHAPTER 5

  The first clue that there was a problem was the sound of shattering glass downstairs. The second was the angry unfamiliar voices. I ignored the voice in my head that told me to stay put, and was half way down the steps before I realized what I had walked in to.

  In the kitchen, to my left, Nathan squared off with the three guys from the parking lot. In front of me, between the kitchen and the living room, Gran held off another two with a butcher knife in one hand, a fire poker in the other. I recognized them as two of the boys who had been with Alec at the party earlier. The ones he had told Callie and me to stay away from.

  He must have known something. But what? Who were they? And, more importantly—where was Alec?

  A flurry of activity in the kitchen reclaimed my attention. Two of the three that had Nathan cornered rushed him from opposing sides. Backed against the counter, he didn’t have many options. I was a heartbeat away from jumping in to help him, though I had no idea how I was going to accomplish that. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to realize my intervention was not necessary.

  Nathan leaned his arms onto the counter behind him, raised his legs, and landed a kick to the gut of the poor sucker to reach him first. The impact sent the guy feet over head on his way to the floor, where he landed with a resounding thud. Nathan stunned the second one with an uppercut to the jaw, dropped his shoulder, and flipped the guy UFC-style to the floor beside the first one. He kept coming, knife in hand, and speared the third one in the stomach.