Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  Before she could finish her words, Remus ripped opened Mason’s T-shirt, exposing her bra. He picked her up like a rag doll and threw her on the bed. At that moment Skylar knew what he wanted, and the human need to survive kicked in.

  Remus’s strong hands gripped both of her wrists, pinning them to the bed. She wiggled and pushed with all her human strength, but to no avail. His tongue ran down from her face, to her neck, to the base of her breast. Feeling violated, Skylar screamed as tears poured down her face. “Get off me!” she yelled.

  Remus continued to take pleasure in his actions, disregarding her shouts. In order to keep her quiet, he covered her lips with his, taking her in, and started to pull down her sweat pants. Though her body throbbed in pain, she wasn’t going to let him have her. Pinned beneath his weight, she did the best thing she could think of. She bit down hard on his lips, so hard that his blood seeped out of his mouth, but he still continued, as if it had no effect on him. Unintentionally, she swallowed his blood, so cold and sour, and she was sure he swallowed hers.

  “Don’t bother fighting back. You can’t hurt me. I heal fast,” he gritted through his teeth with a malicious tone, seeming to enjoy the control he held over her.

  Skylar didn’t care what he said. Just when she was ready to bite him again, without warning, he jolted upright like a puppet pulled by its strings and looked like he was having a seizure.

  “You … you … what did you do?” he murmured under his breath as he continued to convulse. His eyes were wide with disbelief. Stumbling backward, he coiled to the floor as if all his energy was being drawn out of him. His hair and tanned skin were now as white as the sheets. What looked like thick spider veins began forming on his face, and like poison, started spreading to the rest of his body at an incredible speed.

  Skylar covered her ears to block the loud cry that escaped from Remus’s mouth. Was he in pain or frightened by the change? As she stood there and watched the transformation, she wanted to help. But then again, he deserved whatever was happening to him. Regardless, she didn’t want him to die. After all, he was Mason’s half-brother, and that was the only reason she needed to help, but how?

  Afraid Remus would attack her again, she backed away. She wasn’t sure if he was going to change into a monster. She couldn’t believe she was thinking this way. It wasn’t normal to have such thoughts, let alone see what was happening in front of her.

  Remus kept staring at Skylar with a look of revulsion, as if she was to blame for what was happening. Finally, his body curled into a fetal position and became still, like a statue. When he stopped moving, she advanced toward him to get a closer look, to see if he was all right. Without thinking, she peered lower to his face. He looked unidentifiable—hideous, like some kind of ugly creature.

  “Remus,” she whimpered.

  When there was no answer and he didn’t show any indication he was alive, she tapped him and jerked back just in case he reached out to grab her. Instead of seeing a movement from him, he crumbled into ashes.

  Remus was simply gone. He turned into dust right in front of her eyes. She covered her face with the palms of her hands and frantically paced around the room.

  “This was a dream. This isn’t real.” She tried to calm herself, but it wasn’t working. How could this have happened? She had no weapon. In fact, he’d attacked her. All she could think about was what Mason would say when he came home. Not only that, she had taken a life. Why should he believe her words when his brother was dead?

  Tears welled up and her heart thumped out of control. What to do? She had no other choice but to run. It would be much too far to walk or run to her house. Suddenly, she remembered Remus had flung his car keys on the table. She was sure he had an expensive car that would undoubtedly have a navigator to help her find her way. Closing the bedroom door behind her, she ran downstairs. With the car keys in hand and her arms crossed to cover Mason’s ripped shirt, she went out the front door.

  FOURTEEN

  Skylar parked Remus’s car around the corner, where it was out of sight, and trudged her aching body the rest of the way home. What she really wanted to do was run, run as fast and as far as she could from all this madness. It was insane to even imagine what she had been through, and without anyone to talk to, she felt so alone. She couldn’t confide in her mom or even in Kayla. They would think she was crazy. Perhaps they would even get her some psychiatric help. But what would happen when Mason found out his brother was in ashes, dead in his room, knowing she was the last one who saw him?

  Wanting to go inside, she realized she didn’t have her purse. Without the house keys, she had no way to get inside Kayla’s house. All the lights were off and nobody was home. Kayla must still be out with Nick—that no good Nick, who would end up breaking her cousin’s heart. And Auntie Kelly was still at the diner. Then she remembered Kayla telling her about the spare key under a rock by the front door.

  There were many rocks. Which one? She lifted each one frantically until she found the key. Relieved, she opened the door and placed the spare key back under the rock. Shutting the door behind her, she went upstairs, straight to the bathroom.

  Looking at her cut lip, strangely, it wasn’t as bad as it felt, as she winced from the pain. It was more on the inside than out, but she was sure it had been bigger from the amount of blood that had swirled inside her mouth. Wanting to forget about tonight, she took a shower and changed into her sleepwear. Afterward, she scrubbed her teeth vigorously, as if she could wash away the fact that Remus had stuck his tongue in her mouth. Then she took out a plastic bag that was underneath the sink cabinet and placed Mason’s T-shirt inside it.

  Exhausted, she tucked herself into bed, thinking about what she could have done differently, but there was no answer. It didn’t make sense. Maybe he’d had a stroke, but that didn’t explain why he’d turned into ashes, unless that was just how they died? Skylar’s thoughts were broken when she heard Kayla’s steps on the stairs.

  “Skylar, are you up?”

  Skylar was relieved it was nighttime. The dim, small lamp on the nightstand was still on. Hopefully Kayla wouldn’t notice her lip, or at least she could try to hide it by purposely cascading her hair down toward it. Then she wiped away any evidence she had been crying. “Come in.”

  Kayla peered in. Happily, she walked through the door, placed Skylar’s purse down, then plopped herself on the edge of the bed. “Where did you and Mason run off too?”

  “Tell me about what you did first,” Skylar asked, trying to move the topic away from her.

  “We watched the movie. Well, we were in the back. There was hardly anyone around. So … you can say we saw some parts of the movie.” Kayla giggled. “Then we went out for some ice cream.” She giggled again, her eyes beaming blissfully.

  “Sounds like you had fun.” Skylar tried to sound cheerful. Though she was glad for Kayla, she couldn’t help but recall Mason telling her how they were the types of guys that didn’t take relationships seriously. Not only that, if Kayla decided to give all of herself to Nick, then she would be touched by a god. Her life could be in danger, but only if she got pregnant. She had to do or say something. “Are you serious about him?”

  Kayla gave her a side-glance, most likely wondering why she had asked such a question. “I don’t know. It’s summer. I’m just having fun.”

  “That’s good. You should think like that. I don’t want you to think that this relationship could go anywhere. I mean, just don’t rush into things, okay?”

  “And why not?” Kayla’s tone sounded defensive. “Maybe I will be the one who dumps him.” She paused, frowned, and exhaled a deep sigh. “Most likely not. Why? Do you know something I don’t know? Did Mason tell you anything?”

  “Yes … I mean, no.” This was way too complicated. Kayla was a virgin, just like her. They had made a pact they would wait until they fell deeply in love. “Just remember our promise, okay?”

  Kayla looked like she was thinking, most likely trying to figure
out which promise Skylar was referring to. There were so many—a promise not to do drugs, a promise to be each other’s maid of honor, and many more.

  Skylar just needed to say one word. “Sex. Remember?”

  Kayla turned red, giving her a giddy smile. “Oh, yeah.”

  “You didn’t, did you?” Skylar raised her tone.

  “No.” Kayla squinted her eyes, giving her a “why are you raising your voice” look.

  “Just promise me that you won’t, okay? Just wait. Give the relationship some time.”

  “Don’t worry. Nick has been perfect. He hasn’t tried to. He knows I’m ’V’, okay? So, you never told me how your date went.”

  “We—” Skylar started to say, but they were interrupted by loud knocking on the front door.

  Skylar’s heart leapt out of her chest. At this point any sound made her jumpy.

  “Who’s banging at my door after midnight?” Kayla bounced off the bed.

  “If it’s Mason, can you tell him I’m not home?” Skylar said impassively. She wanted to disappear now that Kayla knew something went wrong.

  “I want details. First, I’m going to tell him off. I’ll be right back.”

  Before Skylar could tell her not to, Kayla stomped downstairs and opened the door.

  ***

  “Yeeesss.” She narrowed her eyes on Mason with a look of disapproval. Letting him know he wasn’t welcome, she opened the door one third of the way.

  “Could I speak to Skylar?”

  “Do you know what time it is, Mason?” Kayla placed her hands on her hips and tried to look upset, but when she looked into his eyes, her rage softened.

  “I know it’s late, but it’s important or else I wouldn’t be here.”

  “Skylar isn’t home right now.”

  “Really? I wonder where she could be this late at night?” he asked sarcastically, letting her know he wasn’t buying her story. “Her bedroom light is on.” Mason pointed upward.

  “That’s … that’s because I was just in there looking for something.”

  Mason shot his eyes to the floor and then back up again. “Could you please tell her I was here, and that we need to talk? It’s very important.”

  “Sure. But whatever you did, I hope you’re sorry. My cousin is one of the sweetest, most wonderful people I know, and I know a lot of people. You mess with her, then you’re messing with me. I hope you know that she deserves the best.” Kayla slammed the door, not giving Mason an opportunity to defend himself, and stormed back upstairs to Skylar’s room.

  “Did he say why he came?” Skylar asked. She had been eavesdropping on their conversation, but quickly tucked back into bed when she heard Kayla approaching. She’d heard Kayla’s voice clearly, but it was difficult to hear what Mason was saying.

  “He said he needed to talk to you. He seemed really sorry. What did he do?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it right now. Could we talk tomorrow? I’m so tired.”

  “Okay, but I want details. I’m tired too. We have work tomorrow. See? This is the reason why I don’t like to work during the summer.”

  “Okay, I kind of agree with you there.”

  “Want me to turn your lamp off?”

  “No. I’ll turn it off later.” In a way, the light was comforting. After tonight’s trauma, she knew she would have a hard time falling asleep.

  “Alright, see you in the morning.” Kayla closed the door behind her and headed to her room.

  After Kayla left, Skylar nestled into her pillow, but not for long. She was startled by a humming sound from her phone. Letting out a heavy, irritable sigh, she reached into her purse and took it out. There was a text message.

  It’s me, Mason. We need to talk.

  Staring at it, she read it three times just to make sure she’d read the name correctly. How did he get her number? Before, it would have been a thrill to get a text from him, but not tonight, when she knew the reason why. And right now, she just wanted to be left alone.

  Skylar started to text back, but then she deleted it. What could she say? After pondering if she should reply, she decided to go to sleep instead. Placing the phone on the floor, she snuggled back, only to find herself unable to sleep, tossing and turning. A brush of air swept over her, and suddenly she got a strange feeling, as if someone was watching her. Surely she was imagining it. She was just feeling antsy from today’s crazy, astonishing incidents. After all, she had closed the window earlier.

  Lights flickered in front of her closed eyelids. Wondering what it could be, she turned away from the wall and jerked back from fright. Seeing a body in front of her, her heart skipped a beat. Her scream for help could not penetrate the hand that covered her mouth.

  “Shhh … it’s me, Mason. Don’t scream.” He released her after she nodded to comply.

  Skylar was irate, but a part of her couldn’t help feeling a bit happy to see him. “What are you doing here, and how did you get in?” she whispered, trying to sound mad, but it was almost impossible when he looked so irresistible. He found a way to see her, even if he wasn’t invited. And knowing who he was, she guessed anything was possible.

  “I had to see you.”

  Sweet words to Skylar’s ears, if only it was for the reason she hoped for, but she was sure it wasn’t. Assuming she knew why he was there, before he had a chance to ask, she confessed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did. Remus kept saying I was the keeper of death, and he hit me.” Her tone was low, trying to explain everything that happened while whispering, afraid Kayla would hear. “Then he tried to … .” Skylar got up, ran to the bathroom, and came back, holding up Mason’s ripped shirt. “He tore this when it was on me.”

  Mason looked livid when his eyes set on his T-shirt. His brows angled inward, creating a pinch at the center. He looked tense, his shoulders raised, and his whole body tightened as if any minute now, he was going to explode out of whatever was holding him together.

  Seeing Mason’s facial expression and holding the T-shirt brought back the memories, and she lost it. Tears poured down her checks as she remembered how scared she was. With her back against the wall, she slid down and curled her knees into her chest. With her hands covering her face, she sat there and wept.

  “I believe you,” Mason said, holding out his hands at first, but instead of reaching for her, they went straight down. As Skylar continued to sob, he lowered himself to her and copied her position. “Skylar, I just want to know what happened. I’m not blaming you. I don’t think you could hurt a fly.”

  Skylar finally managed to lift her head. She wasn’t sure if she heard Mason correctly from the sobbing sounds she was making. But the fact that he wasn’t mad at her, and the fact that he believed her, helped her to calm down. After several gasps and the lingering tears subsided, she breathed with ease and told him the whole story. She didn’t leave any details for the imagination.

  “I’m sorry for what happened to you. Though Remus was my half-brother, I have no emotional attachment to him. I’ve never really liked him. What puzzled me the most was how he died.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe it wasn’t me? Maybe it was a coincidence?” Skylar hoped. “I’ve never hurt anyone before. I didn’t do anything. He … he … just turned to stone and then he transformed into ashes right in front of my eyes. This isn’t normal. Things like this don’t happen.”

  “I don’t know if you knew, but his ashes disappeared too. I knew it was Remus because of the leftover residue. But don’t worry, I cleaned it up. That’s what happens to gods and half-bloods when they die. It’s as if they never existed. I’m not going to tell Everett or Nick about this, and you shouldn’t say a word to anyone. Pretend like it never happened. It wasn’t your fault, but I’m going to look into it. I should’ve never left you. I didn’t know he would or could do this. I’m sorry.”

  Mason’s voice was sweet and caring. It was this side of him that made Skylar forget about his rude self. She always knew there was a wonderful side to him. She
could just feel it when she first looked into his soulful eyes. “What will you say to them? Won’t they be looking for him?”

  “I’ll figure something out. But that is not the reason I came here. I came to make sure you were okay, and since you weren’t answering your text, I thought … actually, I didn’t know what to think. I knew Remus went out and when he does, he’s out pretty late. I’m actually appalled. I never thought he could … well, he did have anger issues, but that’s not an excuse for what he did. I didn’t want you to think I left you there so Remus could do what he did, even though I had no idea what he did at first. You didn’t think that, did you?”

  Skylar couldn’t remember if that ever crossed her mind, and since she didn’t want to make him feel bad, she shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Good, because even though you may think I’m what you would call a ‘bad boy,’ I would never hurt you physically. I’m not that bad.”

  Skylar gave a short smile and almost giggled, but stopped when his finger traced the cut on her lower lip.

  “Remus did this to you, didn’t he?” For a brief moment, he closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath, as if he was trying to suppress the anger that seemed to have crept up on him. Delicately, he brushed it again. “I’m sorry.”

  The small gesture of his simple touch drove Skylar into a whirlwind of heated emotions. He was already sitting way too close, and every time she turned her head to speak, all she could do was think impure thoughts. In order to avoid something she might regret doing, she nodded to answer and pulled back, making Mason drop his hand.

  “You should smile more often. It makes me smile,” he said unexpectedly.

  Blushing like she’d never blushed before, she looked away shyly.

  “How did you get back home? You didn’t fly, did you?”

  “Nooo.” Skylar took in his teasing. “I … well, I kind of … borrowed Remus’s car.”

  “Borrowed, huh? I think it’s more like stealing.”

  Unsure if Mason was joking again by his tone, she tensed up. “I—”

  “I think I need to call the cops. Maybe I should call Doug. What do you think, Ms. Rome?” Mason chuckled.