Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “No, no, no. Don’t look down.” Mason had reached the top, but they had to stop pulling. The rope was unthreading itself from the weight. “Skylar, look at me. Give me your hand.”

  Skylar hesitated, knowing the length of her arm wasn’t long enough. To make matters worse, the loose rope dropped her lower with a jerk. Skylar screamed as the rope unraveled even more, thread by thread; there was no hope. At this point, she knew she had to accept that death was imminent. When she looked up to say her good-byes, she saw Mason drop to her and clutch her wrist just as the single thread of rope snapped.

  “I got you,” Mason heaved. Everett and Nick pulled Mason up by his feet, bringing Skylar up to safety. Releasing a relieved breath of air, Mason held her tightly. Her body trembled as she panted from being out of breath, and tears streamed down her face. Continuing to embrace her, the tension in his shoulders relaxed. As his hand laced through her hair, he caressed his cheek to hers.

  Mason pulled back, gazed into her eyes, and ran his hands over her face, arms, and hands, looking for wounds. “You’re safe.” He wiped her tears. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

  Skylar shook her head, unable to speak. From her peripheral vision, she could see Kayla sobbing, waiting for her turn. When Skylar was stable enough to stand, Mason gestured for Kayla to come.

  Skylar clung to her cousin tightly. Their bodies shook from crying. There was no need for words. She had just escaped death, and holding onto Kayla comforted her beyond words.

  “Thanks,” Mason said to his brothers, taking in deep breaths. “That was a close call.”

  “You know we’ve got your back, bro,” Nick smiled, patting his back.

  “What happened back there? This didn’t happen the last time we were here,” Mason commented.

  “I’m telling you and I keep telling you, it’s because of Skylar, but you won’t believe me,” Everett whispered. “Whatever that was, it wanted her dead. If she wasn’t here with us, we would’ve been fine. The bridge would still exist.”

  “I kind of agree with Everett,” Nick said. “Something is different about her, but I don’t think she’s dangerous.”

  “That’s why we’re going to see the Oracle,” Mason murmured.

  “We should get going. Like now,” Everett snipped. “We’ve lost time. It’s getting dark on the other side.”

  “Chill,” Amanda said calmly. “She almost dropped to her death. Think like a human for a bit, will ya?”

  After Skylar and Kayla composed themselves, they headed out again behind the boys. After a few yards, they stopped.

  “Are you ready?” Mason looked sternly at his brothers and Amanda. “This is it. There’s no turning back.”

  “Ready for what?” Kayla asked, but they just ignored her. “What’s going on Nick?”

  “Hold my hand.” Nick grabbed Kayla’s hand while her other arm was still linked to Skylar. As they took a step forward, like magic, another world materialized in front of them.

  TWENTY-ONE

  “What the … where are we?” Kayla asked, looking around. She looked over her shoulder as if she could see the world she’d left behind a second ago, but she couldn’t. “How is this possible?”

  It was like a world within a world. At the campsite, Skylar had stood in reality, and now she was somewhere else. Though she should be just as stunned as Kayla, she wasn’t. In some ways, she had expected it. It was not quite the picture she had imagined when Mason told her about the swamp. Regardless, she was mesmerized, and wondered how it could possibly exist just by taking that step—surreal.

  The sun was setting, and it was getting darker and colder, just as Mason had said it would. From a distance, a blanket of thick fog stirred, gliding toward them. Just the sight of it gave Skylar a chill. Though they were standing on solid ground, it was mushy and wet. The air was humid, and mist trickled on Skylar’s arms and face. Surprisingly, she was calm, but Kayla was still questioning.

  “Am I dreaming? How in the world? How?” Kayla pinched herself. “Ouch.”

  “I’ll explain later, but right now, you need to keep your voice down.” Nick pulled Kayla closer and to Skylar’s surprise, Mason held her hand.

  Stunned to have her hand in his, she looked at him, wondering about his sudden change to niceness. Nevertheless, she welcomed it. Almost losing her life today, she didn’t want to have angry thoughts toward him. After all, he did save her life, and she was grateful.

  “We can take that boat,” Everett pointed to the left side of a dock. A massive body of murky water blocked them from heading forward. “Hurry, but don’t use the flashlights, not just yet.” He led the way.

  One by one, they got in. The wooden rowboat was just big enough for the six of them. Everett and Nick each grabbed an oar and pushed through the water. The eerie fog had completely surrounded them, and their vision was limited to nothing but white.

  “Do you camp like this all the time, and is this your idea of fun?” Kayla whispered.

  Everyone snapped their heads, narrowing their eyes at her, except for Skylar. Kayla shrugged her shoulders sheepishly, looking like a child who had been scolded.

  “Don’t talk. I’ll explain later,” Nick murmured, flexing his muscles, synchronizing the pulling and pushing with Everett.

  The ride was calm, somewhat soothing. The soft, cool breeze brushed against Skylar’s face. Nothing but the swooshing sounds of the oars moving in and out of the water was audible as they paddled cautiously, trying not to make too much noise. Swoosh-silence-swoosh-silence. Moving further, the fog finally lifted, giving them a better view of the path ahead, but it was dark. Flashlights were turned on, providing some light.

  Though Skylar would rather be anywhere else but there, it wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, except when she looked at the trees along the bank; they looked peculiar. Oddly, the trees were black. What was even creepier were the bare branches—thin and long, like spider legs. With multiple hollow dents on the trunks looking like eyes, they gave her a chilling sting down her spine. She could’ve sworn the “eyes” popped open when viewed with her peripheral vision, but when she turned to look, they were just creepy trees.

  Suddenly, anxiety crawled through her and her pulse raced the way it did when she watched a scary movie, anticipating something dreadful. Though she had no explanation for what she was feeling, she sensed that something was following them below the water’s surface. At first, she thought she was imagining things, but then Amanda’s erratic movements confirmed her fears.

  Amanda suddenly turned to the left, then to the right, focusing her eyes on the water. “Can you feel them?” Amanda whispered, shuddering. “They’re all around us.” She huddled closer to Everett.

  “Don’t worry. They won’t touch the boat as long as a human is with us,” Everett said, looking at Kayla. “They can try to manipulate around it, but they won’t appear in their true form.”

  “Human?” Kayla asked, but she didn’t pursue her question any further. She looked upset and worried.

  Abruptly, Skylar heard a low hum. She zoomed her eyes in front, behind, to the left, and to the right, to see if some kind of bug or anything else was buzzing around her—nothing. When the low hum turned into whispers, she knew it was in her mind. At first, it didn’t bother her, but when it got louder, she started freaking out.

  She placed her hands over her ears, hoping it would go away, but it rambled faster, overwhelming her and becoming more irritating by the second. In pain from the intensity of the voices, she curled herself in.

  “What’s wrong Skylar?” Mason asked worriedly when she broke out of his protective hold. His hand gripped her shoulders to calm her, but it wasn’t working.

  “They’re … everywhere. The sounds. In my head. Make them go away.”

  “Hurry up!” Mason shouted to his brothers, reaching for her again.

  Skylar didn’t answer Kayla. In fact, she couldn’t hear anyone else. It seemed as though the sounds were projecting from the water, as if the wa
ter creatures were communicating with her, but she didn’t know what they were trying to tell her. Perhaps it was a warning. Soon it didn’t matter. The sounds disappeared as quickly as they had started. What had just happened? Stiffly, she waited for the whispers to come back, but when they didn’t, she felt more at ease.

  Sitting upright, shoulders relaxed, she turned to Mason to let him know she was fine. Wondering why everyone else was focused on the water, she looked too. Waves rocked the water surrounding them, as bubbles formed around the boat. Their intensity and size grew larger by the second, like boiling water in a pot. Then the bubbles shot out, shaped in the form of human hands, reaching for the boat’s occupants, but unable to touch them.

  “I thought they wouldn’t come near us when a human is around,” Amanda sputtered.

  “This is nothing,” Nick bellowed. “You want to see their true form?”

  “Everyone hold onto something,” Everett warned. “They’re trying to tip the boat.”

  Kayla screamed, holding onto Nick.

  “Will you shut her up?” Everett said with a harsh tone.

  Nick didn’t say anything. Everyone was holding on for dear life. Just when Skylar thought the boat would tip, she was jerked hard. Mason’s hold on her kept her rooted to the boat or she would have been flung out, like Amanda.

  “Are you okay?” Nick asked, standing up to see his cousin on dry land.

  “Why am I the only one off the boat?” Amanda got up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. The boat had collided with a huge boulder that was oddly set, preventing the boat from advancing. Thankfully, it was also what had prevented them from being tipped over.

  Extending his long legs, Everett took a step to Amanda. He examined her body from head to toe with his eyes and the flashlight. “You’ll live. Let’s go.”

  “Whatever, Mr. Insensitive.” Amanda rolled her eyes.

  Mason got off the boat second to last and extended his hand to Skylar. “Jump. I’ll catch you.”

  Skylar wanted to, but her legs wouldn’t listen. Still weak, they were shaky and unstable. It was difficult to see, but she knew water separated her from Mason. Managing to stand on the edge of the boat, she could see Mason and his flashlight, so she jumped, and flew into Mason’s arms.

  Without a glance from him, he held her hand in silence, lagging behind the others. After several steps, he stopped. “What happened back there in the boat?”

  “There were loud whispers in my ears, like they were trying to tell me something, but it was overwhelming. Why is this happening to me?”

  “I’m not sure. That’s why we are going through all this trouble to find the Oracle. Supposedly, they have answers to everything.”

  “Have you seen them before?”

  “No. We tried, but they didn’t show themselves to us. I guess our question wasn’t worth their time.”

  “What was your question?”

  “Before Nick’s mother died, she said that our father told her there was a prophecy foretold by the Oracle that something evil would enter the human world that could possibly end the lives of all the gods’ children and Hades’ evil creations. Being curious idiots, we decided to risk our lives to find the answer.

  “We came here before, though our journey wasn’t as rough. We saw the swamp monsters the last time we were here. They looked ugly as hell, like the vultures, but they left us alone. Anyway, the prophecy states that the keeper of death will destroy us all. Hades’ monsters were bad enough. We needed to know what this something evil was. We still don’t know to this day.”

  Hearing Mason’s words gave Skylar goose bumps, making her suddenly cold. She recalled Remus and Everett asking her if she was the keeper of death.

  “Do you think that’s what I am?” Skylar asked hesitantly, afraid of what he might say.

  “No. Why would you think such thoughts?” Surprisingly, Mason tucked strands of Skylar’s hair behind her ear so he could see her eyes after a sudden breeze ruffled them.

  Skylar’s heart fluttered. Timidly, she answered. “Remus asked me if I was.”

  “Remus was weird, and malicious. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was one. Don’t think of him. Besides, I’m sure the keeper of death would look hideous, and you don’t. I mean, you’re more pleasant to look … I mean … you’re not.”

  Shyly, she shot her eyes down. She knew what he was trying to say. In a way, she wanted to think that it was a compliment. Then she remembered she never thanked him for saving her life again. Though she was humbled that he would go out of his way to help her, she knew he was doing it for himself too, especially since she’d killed Remus, or at least he thought she did. He needed answers.

  “Thanks for saving my life back there. I thought … well … I thought that was it.”

  Mason’s eyes were fixated on hers, as his lips parted to speak. He looked as though he had so much to say. Apparently changing his mind, he closed his mouth and nodded with a grin. Skylar smiled back.

  “You should smile more often. I like your smile, Echo.” He grabbed her hand and started walking.

  They finally caught up to the rest of the gang, but they all stopped when they couldn’t go any further. Strangely, dark had turned to light. It was as if they had stepped into another dimension without knowing it. In front of them was an old structure, looking almost like a castle. Vines and branches with dead leaves cascaded downward, covering a dark, narrow entrance and other parts of what was once a marvelous edifice.

  “You want to go in there?” Kayla murmured, grimacing, looking terrified and annoyed at the same time. “Why? For the love of God, why?”

  “If only humans continued to believe in the gods, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Amanda commented.

  “Why do you all keep saying ‘humans’?” Kayla scoffed. “Of course we believe in God. And what mess are you talking about?”

  Disregarding her, everyone looked deep in thought.

  “Let’s go,” Everett snapped, heading in first, followed by Amanda.

  “Don’t worry. I got ya.” Nick winked at Kayla, wrapping his arms around her waist. “It might be fun in there.” He gave her a playful look.

  Taken in by his charisma, she giggled like a schoolgirl, and snuggled closer to him as they strode forward. Skylar stopped abruptly when Nick and Kayla seemed to bounce back upon attempting to enter. Kayla stumbled backward and almost fell, but Nick caught her just in time.

  “What just happened?” Nick huffed. Looking confused, he entered by himself without a hitch. Crooking his finger, he gestured for Kayla to come to him. As directed, she tried again, shuffling her feet cautiously. As if there was an invisible wall in front of her, she couldn’t take another step.

  “Nick,” she called, patting nothing but air. “What’s going on? Why can’t I go in?”

  Frustrated, Nick stepped next to Kayla, and then turned to Mason. As if they could read each other’s thoughts, Nick nodded. “I’m going to have to stay here with her, aren’t I?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  Hearing footsteps, they looked up as Everett and Amanda appeared. “What’s the hold up?” Amanda asked, crossing her arms.

  “It’s Kayla. She can’t enter,” Mason replied, sounding frustrated.

  “I told you not to bring her,” Everett sneered.

  “We knew this would happen. Somewhere along the journey, there would be a fine line where humans couldn’t enter, and this is it,” Nick murmured. “I just didn’t think it would be here.”

  “We’ve never brought a human along, so now we know,” Mason muttered.

  “Hello … I’m standing right here.” Kayla waved her hand. “What’s going on?”

  Narrowing her eyes at Kayla, Amanda spoke. “The Oracles are in there. Nick, you’re gonna have to stay here with her.”

  Nick heaved a long sigh, looking disappointed. “Damn. I wanted to see what they look like.”

  “We have no idea what we are doing. You should be glad you’re not going,” Amanda commented
.

  “We’re wasting time.” Everett pointed to his watch. “Hurry up. Figure it out and meet me inside.” He went back in.

  “Let’s go,” Mason said to Skylar.

  “Wait, wait, wait. What are you all saying? Why are we here? Who or what are these Oracles?” Kayla started rolling with her questions.

  “It’s okay. Everything is fine,” Nick explained, placing his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down.

  Kayla swatted his hands away. “You need to explain now, and Skylar isn’t going anywhere.” Kayla looked at Skylar to confirm. When she didn’t respond, Kayla spoke again. “Skylar, tell them you’re not going.”

  “I … I … ,” Skylar started to speak, feeling confused as to how to handle this situation.

  Kayla didn’t wait for her response. “No, you don’t have to go. You don’t even know what’s going on. We’re going back home.” Kayla reached for Skylar’s arm.

  Amanda raised her hands with annoyance. “Would you just put her to sleep? We don’t have time for this.”

  Nick swung Kayla around. “Listen. Everything is going to be okay. You need to trust me.”

  “I want to go home,” Kayla cried. “Nick, please take me home.”

  Nick softened from her plea. “Look at me Kayla.” She did as told. He rested all of his fingertips on her head and dim light seeped from them. “Sleep. You won’t have memories of today.” Nick’s dark eyes turned the color of silver and then turned back to their original color.

  At that moment, Skylar remembered Mason’s eyes turning the same color the night she was pulled over by him. Kayla closed her eyes and Nick caught her as she fell. “She’s asleep. I’ll meet you back at the cabin. I’ll find a way back. I have a human with me, so we’ll be okay.”

  “Be careful,” Mason nodded. Holding Skylar’s hand, he guided her toward the entrance, then dropped his hand to enter first and waited for her. “Just in case.”

  Skylar looked over her shoulder, seeing Kayla in Nick’s arms. She knew Kayla was safe. Nick had compelled her to sleep. Obviously, it worked on Kayla, but it had no effect on Skylar. Wondering if she would bounce back like Kayla, she swatted the vines blocking her way and dragged her feet. Taking baby steps, she entered without any problems. She knew for sure now that Mason was right about her.