“Here you go, eat up,” Sarah says, placing a Danish pastry in front of me. I take it and eat slowly. I’m too busy watching the surrounding people. The room is full of at least a thousand others, maybe more. There are far too many for me to count, many I’ve never met nor seen until today. They don’t seem to mind me being here. They ignore me and talk amongst themselves, laughing and joking.
“Kris,” Tyler says, sitting down next to me. I jump. I was concentrating on everyone else and not the ones sitting at my table. He places his hand on my thigh. “You okay?”
“Just a lot to take in,” I say, taking another bite of food. “Where are we?”
“Arrowhead Headquarters,” Sarah says.
“What is the purpose of having a headquarters?” I ask, sitting down the half of the Danish I didn’t eat.
“I told you there was a lot to explain,” Tyler says, putting his arm around my shoulders. “I think it’s best if we get some sleep before we dive in too much deeper.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Sarah says, with a wink.
Tyler and I walk down a long hallway with doors lining the walls on both sides. They are metal and silver. Though we are underground, the deeper we go, the more modern the appearance. The walls are no longer rock but are covered by smooth metal. I want to ask questions, but I don’t know if he would answer right now. A door on the right at the end of the hall is painted with a paw print.
His grandfather had put the same mark on Tyler’s chest over his heart when he was fighting a fever from an infection after being stabbed by Jason. During that horrible moment, I thought it was over. I remember how Tyler screamed and called out my name during a dream. Sarah explained to me it was because of the fever. He thrashed about on the bed franticly. The image is forever embedded in my memory. I had thought it was over. I thought I had lost Tyler forever.
“Here’s my room.” Tyler opens the door.
There’s a bed, dresser, full-length mirror, and a chair but no other furniture. A small sink stands in a corner, but there is no toilet. I touch the wood frame of the bed. It’s smooth. He must have made it. When I first saw his house, I learned he had built it himself and all the furniture in it.
“Are you tired?” he asks.
“A little,” I say, sitting down on the bed. I’m beyond tired and I know he is too, but if he wants to talk I don’t want to shut it down. Tyler kneels down and slips off my boots and pulls the covers back on the bed. I lay down and watch him remove his boots and shirt. He slides in beside me, putting his arm around me. I rest my head on his shoulder. I feel safe and warm. I close my eyes and let sleep take over me.
Chapter 4
I awake with a jolt. My bad dreams seem to follow me wherever I go. They haven’t left me since my last encounter with Jason. I sit up and feel myself drenched in sweat. I check on Tyler, but he didn’t notice. He’s still sleeping. I don’t know what time it is or how long I’ve been asleep. It’s hard to tell what time it could be without a window or a clock in his room. I wipe the sweat from my face with the back of my hand and slide out of bed slowly, hoping not to wake Tyler. He needs his rest.
I tiptoe to the door of his room and slip out. The floor is cold on my bare feet, but it feels good. I start around the corner down a hallway I haven’t yet explored, searching for a bathroom so I can cool myself off. Sarah walks around the far corner of the hall and spots me. A smile stretched across her face. The closer she gets to me, the more concerned her expression becomes. I hope she won’t ask too many questions. Like why I am all wet, for instance. Maybe she will just think Tyler and I have a crazy love life and will leave it at that.
“Hey, Kris. What are you doing?” she asks. “Where are your shoes?”
“Oh, well, I woke up and needed to go to the bathroom really bad and forgot to slip them on. I’ve been in search of it.” I lie, hoping she doesn’t ask about my sweaty clothes.
“It’s just around the corner there.” She points down the hall. “Where I came from.” The unsure look on her face tells me doesn’t believe my story. “Get some more sleep. Your eyes are puffy and they must hurt.”
“I will.” I give her a thumbs up and hurry on down the hall before she can ask any more questions.
I turn the corner and enter the bathroom. It’s all white. There is metal on the walls, ceiling, stalls, and sinks. I shield my eyes with my hand and enter. I squint, trying to get my eyes used to the brightness. “What is it with these people and these bright lights?” I said the same thing when I was at the inn in Illinois this past summer. It had windows that lined the entire front of the building. Every morning I would go down the stairs to the main lobby and I felt like I was being blinded by the sun.
I go to the sink and run cold water onto my hands. I splash it on my face. The sudden coolness makes me shiver. Sarah is right. My eyes are puffy with bags under them. My hair still feels like straw from all the dirt and grime of the gravel road we traveled on. I need a shower.
I turn on the water in one of the shower stalls to warm while I remove my clothes. I untie my hair from the ponytail and laugh at it, still standing where it was with the tie around it. I get into the shower and stand still, letting the hot water run over me. It’s calming and helps relieve some of my stress. I dispense soap into my hand and wash up. The soap smells of cucumber and honey. It sits in containers secured to the tile wall of the shower. I press the button and dispense more into my hands for my hair. I rinse off and dry. I open the curtain to the shower and in the stall above my dirty clothes on the floor lie black pants and a black tank top. Sarah must’ve put them there. I’m going to guess that Tyler told Sarah I didn’t bring clothes with me through their mind-reading ability. She could’ve also noticed I didn’t have a bag when we got here. Either way, I’m happy she found some clothes for me. I usually only wear black when I’m paint balling with my brothers, back home in Kentucky, but at this point, I’m happy to have a change of clean clothes. I slip them on and gather up my dirty clothes to take back to Tyler’s room. I leave my hair down. It feels good to just let it hang.
I slide into bed next to Tyler. I can’t exactly snuggle with him. He’s sprawled out on his stomach. Still, I watch his every breath. The tattoo on his left shoulder, done in black ink, is a sun with an eagle flying in the middle. I remember the first time I saw it. He was outside his house, splitting firewood. However, my attention got diverted from the tattoo to his muscles that were rippling muscles with his every swing. This time I’m more interested in what the tattoo might mean. I had noticed the same tattoo on the back of Sarah’s shoulder when we first met. I didn’t feel it was right for me to pry about it, then I had kept the questions to myself.
I pull the blankets up by my chin and lay on my side with my arms around me, hugging myself. I close my eyes and hope my bad dreams don’t come back. I could use some good sleep.
◆◆◆
“Kris! Kris! Where are you?” Tyler’s worried scream wakes me. I turn to him and see his eyes are still closed. His chest and forehead glisten with sweat. His hands shake with fear of not being able to find me. Just as they did when he had the nightmare the first time. I grab ahold of one of his hands and put my other hand on his chest.
“I’m here. Tyler, open your eyes. It’s just a dream!” I say, trying to comfort him. Instead of overpowering me as he did when he was recovering from his stab wounds, he opens his eyes. They are wide with fear. It makes me feel uneasy.
Tyler squeezes my hand and pulls me closer to him with the other. I lay my head on his shoulder and watch as his breathing slows. The relief of knowing I am okay must calm him. “I’m sorry I woke you.” He sighs, “This dream has been haunting me.”
“I’m okay, Tyler. I’m right here by your side.” I look up at him and try to give a reassuring smile, “It’s just a bad dream.” The tears in his eyes threaten to escape, but he holds them back. I don’t know if this dream has a meaning or if it is just something that has resurfaced from the stress he has been
under. It makes me uncomfortable, but I know he won’t talk to me about it. At least not right now. I draw invisible lines along his collarbone and down his chest. Repeatedly until I hear him begin to snore. I stay still to be sure he has fallen back to sleep. I do my best to calm my mind again. The warmth from Tyler being beside me and the rhythm of his breathing lull me to sleep.
◆◆◆
I awake to Tyler playing with my hair and raise up to face him. He’s bright-eyed and looks to be well-rested. He smiles. “Sleep well?”
“Mostly,” I say, rubbing sleep from my eyes. “How often do you have that dream?” Tyler’s face tightens.
“I’ve had it off and on since the incident with Jason.” He shrugs his shoulders, “It will go away eventually, just as all bad dreams do.” I feel unsure about the dream. I know it truly bothers him, but I don’t understand why it keeps coming back. Then again, I’m no dream expert. I can’t even get my bad dream to go away.
“I see you got up,” Tyler says, running his fingers through my smooth, wavy hair once more. I know he is just looking to change the subject.
“I needed to take a shower.” I scoot closer to him, putting my head on his chest. “What time is it?” I decide to not press him more about the dream. He clearly isn’t wanting to talk about it.
“I’m not sure, but it’s morning,” he says, pressing his lips to mine. I kiss him back, but I don’t have the same feeling I usually do when I kiss him. My mind is on other things. I push on his chest slightly and he backs off. Tyler rubs my arm with an understanding grin. I know he had other things in mind, but he doesn’t push me.
“When were you going to tell me about this place?” I ask, sitting up. I pull my knees to my chest.
“I wasn’t going to unless I needed to. I’m a part of this and have been since I was sixteen.” He sits up and turns to face me. I see the scars from the last time he tried protecting me. My ex, Jason, did a good job of trying to kill him. I’ve caused Tyler so much pain and yet he still wants to be around me. “Stop thinking that.” Tyler lifts my chin up to meet his eyes. “You didn’t cause this. I told you that already.” He knows me too well. He can’t read my mind but, I guess I’m not all that hard to figure out because he always seems to know what is on my mind, anyway.
“Didn’t I, though? If I hadn’t got involved with you, then you wouldn’t have gotten hurt,” I argue. My voice catches and my sight blurs from tears. I cover my eyes with my hands to hide the evidence.
He puts his arm around me and I lay my head on his shoulder. “Kris. It wouldn’t have made a difference. There’s no way to know for sure if I would’ve been attacked or not.” His voice is understanding but has a hint of frustration in it. I know he wants me to let it go, but I can’t. He can’t protect me from everything, no matter how much he wants to. I know this and so does he, but I keep my thoughts to myself. I don’t want to fight with him.
“There are some things you’re going to have to learn.” He entwines his fingers in mine. “Such as defending yourself. You’re strong-minded, which will serve you well, but you’ll need to learn how to react in face-to-face combat.”
“Comforting,” I sigh. “What is the purpose of Arrowhead Headquarters?”
“I’ll give you a shortened version of the story. Our head president, Angela Frost, has been watching the government’s movements lately. For over a hundred years there’s been talk about a foreign government that has been planning a war on us, the United States. They’ve been creating something that will help them destroy many of us. Many will die. Leaving only a quarter of the whole U.S. population. With that quarter of the population, the foreign government plans to alter their minds to control them. In reality, the victims wouldn’t be human anymore. They would be more like robots.” Tyler rubs his head with his free hand. “As for you, I knew I had to get you out while I could. They’ve been watching you. Jason was just one of their informers. He’d do whatever they asked. He was the perfect person for the job. He knew you well and didn’t have an issue with deceiving you. With him dead, they had no one else they trusted, so they started watching from afar. Angela told me to go get you and bring you back here. She strongly believes you are our key, our key to saving many people.”
“I wish I knew what they know. I don’t feel as though I possess any such power,” I say, standing in front of him. “When do we start?”
“Soon,” he says. “After breakfast.”
Tyler slips on a white t-shirt, his tattoo glows through the back of it. I don’t ask about it. If he wants me to know, he will bring it up. I braid my hair to the side and slip on my combat boots. They are standard issue here at Arrowhead Headquarters or so it appears. All the members I’ve seen have them. I follow him down to the dining hall. The lights aren’t bothering me so much now. I don’t have to shield my eyes. I sit at the table we sat at yesterday. Beau, Neiamiah, Sarah, Sam, Alex, and Kyle are already there eating oatmeal sprinkled with brown sugar accompanied by coffee.
Eyeing my best friend from childhood, I run to embrace Kyle. He smiles. I take my seat between him and Tyler. My two protectors. I know Kyle loves me as a sister and maybe a little more. He tried to tell me once, but I don’t look at him that way. He just let it go after that and is a firm believer in my relationship with Tyler. I don’t know what I would do without either of these guys in my life.
Kyle is a shapeshifter just like Tyler and Sarah. He stayed with my family after his father kicked him out for being different. I didn’t know what he had meant until last summer when I got slapped with the reality my best friend was a shapeshifter, as well. He kept it a secret from everyone for years. I can’t imagine keeping that big of a secret for so long.
“I see you found the clothes I left for you,” Sarah says, taking a sip of coffee.
“I’m glad you had some to give me. I wasn’t able to get anything before I left.” I scrape the side of my bowl of oatmeal with my spoon. “Where are my parents?”
“They are in a secure room for now,” Sam says, looking at Alex. Their expression makes me nervous.
“A secure room? Why?” I ask.
“We have reason to suspect them of not being completely honest about things,” Sarah says, looking above my head at someone. I turn to find a tall, thin, muscular woman with short brown hair spiked up. “Angela, this is-” Angela raises her hand.
“I know who she is. Kristina. I’m Angela.” She holds out her hand and I shake it. Her grasp is firm. I feel like my hand may be crushed. “I’m so glad you could join us. I hope you will find your time here useful and worthwhile.” She releases her grip, but her spiteful voice holds my attention. “We will be watching you.” My eyes follow her as she walks out of the room.
I rub my hand. “She seems nice,” I say, returning to my bowl of oatmeal.
“What she says goes,” Neiamiah says, covering a scar on his arm that stretches from his elbow to his wrist. The tension at our table continues to elevate. I’m beginning to wonder about this place.
“Anyone up to fight Kris?” Tyler asks, trying to lighten the mood.
“Wouldn’t take much to knock me out,” I say.
“I’ll do it.” A voice comes from the table to the right of us. My stomach drops when I see who my competitor is. He’s taller than I am and covered with tattoos. His black hair is shaved close to his head. I thought this was a joke. I didn’t really believe I would fight someone.
“No thanks, Jack. I think you’re a little advanced,” Tyler says, waving him off.
“She will have to learn sometime. Better now than later. The more pain she experiences, the faster she will learn,” Angela’s voice echoes in the now quiet room. “She’ll fight Jack. In an hour.” Great. So I can tell what kind of teacher Angela is. Pain is her secret to fast learners, which means I’m about to endure a lot.
Chapter 5
I follow Tyler and Beau to the gym. I’m happy it’s only the three of us. I don’t need an audience to tell me I don’t know what I’m doing. I a
lready know that. The room is about the same size as a football field. The walls are smooth and appear rock solid. The lights shine brightly from the ceiling. I close my eyes and direct my attention to the task at hand. My body shakes as my nerves try to get the better of me. I’ve wrestled with my brothers but never had to actually defend myself. I’m not built for it. I stood up to Jason, but he always overpowered me. I know I won’t be killed, at least not today. I can’t stop thinking about the amount of pain I’m going to have to endure. Jack doesn’t have the kindest eyes which leads me to believe his heart is hard as stone.
Fighting Secrets: Unbreakable Series, Book 2 Page 3