Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “Come in.”

  The door swung wide open. “Hey, stranger. Where did you go last night?”

  Skylar had forgotten that Nick had compelled her to forget. When Kayla didn’t ask questions regarding the paranormal activities that happened after camping, she relaxed her shoulders and continued their conversation. “Mason took me out to dinner.”

  “And?”

  “Nothing happened. He didn’t kiss me, if you’re wondering.”

  Kayla plopped herself on the bed. “I didn’t ask,” she smirked. “Don’t want to kiss and tell? That’s fine.”

  “No,” Skylar shook her head. “I wanted to. Trust me, I would tell you.” Wondering how much of the last couple of days Nick made her forget, she asked about camping. “Would you go camping again?”

  “Hell, no. I didn’t like it at all. Why do people go camping? It’s awful. The ground is hard. There’s no bathroom. The only good part was spending the night with Nick. And nothing happened, if you’re wondering.”

  Skylar arched her brow to show she wasn’t buying Kayla’s story.

  “I would tell you. He was actually a perfect gentleman. I was quite surprised. Maybe he isn’t such a bad boy type after all. You know, some boys are all talk, but they’re actually sweet and sensitive.”

  “Just be careful,” Skylar mumbled, thinking she needed to take her own advice.

  Suddenly, Kayla looked serious. “You know what? I just realized we only have one more week together. It means summer is almost over. What do you want to do before you leave?”

  “Not much. Let’s just hang out.”

  “Maybe we can double date.” Kayla’s eyes lifted up with a sly grin. “Anyway, we better get ready for work. Looks like my mom is still sleeping. I’ll fix breakfast.” Then she was out the door.

  ***

  “Hey, girls,” Jack greeted, standing in the back of the kitchen in his usual spot.

  “Hey, Jack,” the girls returned.

  “Mona has the day off today, so it’s just you girls. Oh, and the new girl starts today. She’ll be here after lunch for the dinner rush.”

  “Okay. No problem. Mom already told me about it. I’m supposed to train her,” Kayla muttered, heading to the storage room, and then she paused and locked eyes with Skylar. “I’ll get your apron and your hair tie.”

  “Thanks.”

  The sound of Skylar’s text message jingle rang. Thinking it was Kayla fooling around, she clicked to check. Surprisingly, it was Mason.

  Hello Echo.

  Skylar let out a short chuckle.

  Hi.

  Are you at work?

  Yes.

  I won’t be there today. We have business to attend to.

  Okay.

  Remember to stay safe.

  I will.

  Till then.

  The text from him made her stomach flutter with warmth, but she was disappointed that he could not come to see her. That was one less day to spend time together. He knew her visit was almost over. Didn’t he care?

  “Pretty slow for a Monday, don’t you think?” Kayla said.

  Skylar jumped from the sound of Kayla’s voice. “Uhhh, yeah … slow.”

  “Okay, what happened?” She tossed the hair tie and the apron at her.

  “Nothing. It’s Mason. He won’t be coming to the restaurant today.”

  “I just got a text from Nick. He says he won’t be coming today either. Business, he said. I wonder what they’re up to.” Kayla’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. “Why don’t we do something tonight? Let’s go out to dinner.”

  “Sure,” Skylar agreed, tying her hair up and the apron behind her. Then she went behind the cash register and became absolutely still when she turned. Trying not to make it obvious she was staring, she peered from her peripheral vision. Kayla took the dirty blond guy and his friend to the table and came back to stand beside her.

  “What’s wrong?” Kayla asked, noticing Skylar’s tense body.

  “Nothing,” she said quickly. Skylar had never mentioned them to Kayla. This was a small town. They were likely to bump into each other, she guessed, but there were other times she thought she had seen them, like at Starla, but she wasn’t sure. One thing for sure, she didn’t like the way they looked at her, or how they seemed to be around unexpectedly.

  Her thoughts of them were disrupted when the door chimed and Amanda walked in. Without a smile, she greeted them politely. “Hi. We need to talk.”

  Not knowing which one she meant, Skylar assumed it was her and followed Amanda out the door. Scooting to the side of the diner, she scanned the perimeter with Amanda.

  “What’s going on?” Amanda’s tone was not friendly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Mason texted me and asked me to keep an eye on you. He even gave me your cell number. He said if something happens to you, I’m to blame. He’s not this demanding, well not usually.”

  Skylar fluttered her eyelashes, wondering what she was talking about. She had just spoken to Mason via text.

  “Okay, I take that back. He is demanding.”

  “I think he’s afraid the vultures will come back,” Skylar spoke with hesitation. How much to say, she didn’t know.

  “The question is why? Why are the vultures after you? I know you’re half-blood, but what is it that you and Mason are not telling me?”

  Skylar wasn’t good at lying, but for her sake, she had to. Mason had told her not to tell anyone she had evil blood. “We’re not hiding anything,” she said with conviction. “I need to go back inside.”

  “Fine, but know that I’m here for business and not pleasure. You’re stuck with me until the boss tells me to unleash you.”

  Skylar rolled her eyes. “Nice words, Amanda.”

  Amanda turned Skylar around when she headed for the door, gripping tightly around her arm. “Look, I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I care about Mason. He doesn’t care for people easily. Ever since his mom passed away, he’s built a wall around himself. He hasn’t been the same. He’s been afraid to … care.” Amanda paused with an “oops” look on her face, as if she had shared a bit too much information about Mason. “I don’t understand his sudden interest in you. Whatever it is you’re hiding, you should tell me right now.”

  Skylar had had enough. She wanted to be nice, but she could only take so much. It suddenly dawned on her that Amanda might have a crush on Mason. Wanting so much to say something to sting Amanda back, she bit down on her lip, but anger was rising inside her. She had promised Mason she wouldn’t tell Amanda that she knew they weren’t cousins, so she stood there, taking the heat, and letting Amanda speak her mind.

  When enough was enough, she yanked her arm back and focused her eyes on Amanda’s. “Don’t touch me. Even if I was hiding something, which I’m not, I wouldn’t tell you. Like you said to Everett, be a little human, will ya?” Skylar turned and walked into the diner.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Amanda had come to the diner for four days, making sure Skylar was safe. Their conversation was minimal and so was their eye contact. Amanda came, ate, hung around, went out for a bit, came back, and left when Skylar went home.

  There were no visits or texts from Mason, or even from Nick. Thinking Nick had broken up with her, Kayla moped around at the diner and at home. Skylar wanted to tell her that it wasn’t the case, but she had no way to explain how she knew. Besides, she couldn’t help sulking too. Between the restless nights and worrying about Nick and Mason, she hardly slept at all. It was the first time Skylar and Kayla had stayed home.

  Everett and Amanda went back to the Oracle, searching for Nick and Mason since there was no word from either of them. Though they weren’t sure, they guessed the guys went there to ask more questions. Amanda promised to keep Skylar informed, but now there was no word from her either.

  Skylar had already said her goodbyes to Mona, Jack, and Auntie Kelly on her last day of work. She promised to visit when she had the chance. Thrilled by
her first real job, Skylar wanted to come back and work again during her summers. It was definitely more than enough to pay for gas.

  Saying goodbye to Kayla was difficult this time around. Leaving her cousin was bad enough, but leaving her broken hearted was tormenting. She had no choice, since she would start the local university soon and needed to attend orientation.

  She was frightfully worried for Mason and Nick, but she couldn’t wait to see her mom. Calling and texting to let her know she was fine was one thing, but being apart from her mom for the past three weeks was long enough, though she had been gone this long every summer. Knowing her mom was home alone, the guilt always consumed her, but now it wasn’t quite as bad, knowing she had her fiancÉ to keep her company.

  The drive back home was lonely and long, since Skylar’s mind was occupied with thoughts of Nick and Mason. If they did go back to the Oracle, wouldn’t they have been back by now? What if the Oracle had harmed them?

  Being that it was Saturday, Skylar’s mom was home waiting for her arrival. After the hugs and kisses, they chatted about what Skylar did at Kayla’s house. Of course, Skylar left out a lot of the details. She told her mom that it was just as much fun as the other times. Skylar also asked tons of questions regarding her mom and dad’s family tree and their ancestors. Disappointed, she didn’t find the answer she was looking for. Either all was hopeless, or her mom was not telling her the truth.

  The next day, Skylar went to orientation. A week later, she was living at the dorm. Missing her cousin and worried about how she was doing without a word from Nick, she texted her as soon as she got the chance.

  How’s college?

  Fine. How about yours?

  Good. You doin’ ok?

  Trying to get over Nick. Where could he be?

  Maybe on a business trip.

  Sure. I’ll keep thinking that.

  Some guys are not good at calling or texting when they’re away.

  Don’t be nice. He dumped me just like you said he would.

  He didn’t dump you. Just give him a chance.

  Skylar couldn’t believe what she was saying. She didn’t even know what was really going on. This conversation got her thinking. Maybe Mason had left her too. He knew her blood was evil. What if he stopped caring and just took off?

  Have you heard from Mason? You can tell me the truth.

  No.

  I guess we were just a summer fling for them. Heavy sigh. He told me he was bad. I should have heeded his warning.

  Me, too.

  Talk to you soon. Gotta go.

  Okay. Miss you.

  Miss you, too! Hugs!

  Hugs back!

  The university housing looked more like apartments. Skylar shared a two-bedroom residence with a roommate. It had the necessary amenities—a kitchen, dining area, and a living room. It was small, but just enough for two people. Since almost everything was paid for through her scholarship, there was no reason to complain. She was grateful.

  Skylar’s roommate Emily was a biology major. She was tall, blonde, and had the fairest complexion. It had already been a week, but Emily was hardly around, and when she was, her boyfriend was always with her.

  Seeing them together, all cozy, reminded her of Mason, and her heart stung. Though she tried to move on and forget about him, it was difficult. Skylar couldn’t believe how much he affected her emotionally. They hadn’t even kissed, and yet he’d stolen her heart in ways she’d never thought possible. They weren’t really seeing each other. They’d only had one date.

  On her way to literature class, the hairs on her arm pricked up. Sensing someone following her, she looked around carefully, but there were many students on campus. Who would she be looking for? Surely, no vultures would appear in the daylight, smack in the middle of a crowd. If they did appear in human form, she guessed they wouldn’t attack in front of all these people, at least she hoped not.

  Opening the glass double doors, she entered the classroom with hesitation. Besides her roommate, she didn’t know anyone else on campus, and she wasn’t even in any classes with her. Since almost all the seats were taken, she headed toward the back.

  After settling in, she took out her pen and a notebook. As the professor spoke, she was heavily engrossed in the lecture, taking notes as fast as her fingers allowed. Busy looking at the whiteboard, she was unaware the guy sitting next to her had placed an envelope with her name on it on her desk. Looking down to write again, she was surprised to see it.

  Skylar questioned the guy sitting next to her about it. He answered by pointing to the person next to him, who in turn pointed to the person next to her. Since there was no end to who had originally passed the note, she quickly looked around, hoping someone would wave to let her know who it was from, but nothing.

  Debating whether to open it now or after class, she couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer, so she opened it.

  I know what you are. Meet me at the mountains. The directions are on the back of this note. Be there at 10 p.m. If you don’t come, you’ll never see Mason again.

  At first, she was shaken beyond words, trying to process what she’d read. Was someone playing a prank on her? With Mason being gone so long and not a phone call or text from him, it didn’t seem like a joke. Who would present such a threat? A vulture? They couldn’t speak, at least not the ones that had attacked her. Surprisingly, she was calm, except she felt like she’d swallowed acid, and her blood pressure shot up so fast, she felt hot all over. Whether this was a trick or not, she had to go. There was no choice.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  As much as Skylar didn’t want to go, she needed to be sure Mason was safe. She didn’t want him to be in any danger, yet a small part of her hoped that the reason he hadn’t contacted her was because he couldn’t. When the lecture was over, she didn’t bother to attend her other classes. Giving herself a head start, not wanting to be late—especially since she didn’t know how to get there besides the directions that she’d been given—she left early.

  Skylar couldn’t drive fast enough. Driving on the highway wasn’t so bad when there were other cars around, but the road got utterly dark when she got closer to the mountains. She hated driving when she couldn’t see where she was going, and the winding roads weren’t helping the situation. Feeling carsick, she rolled the window down just enough to allow the cool breeze to soothe her.

  The directions she was given were confusing. She had to read them several times, and even then, she wasn’t sure she was going the right way. The closer she got to her destination, the faster her pulse raced, and the anticipation of what waited for her was driving her insane.

  Normally, looking at the stars and the moon brought her comfort, but tonight they had an eerie glow. As darkness engulfed her entirely, hers was the only car on the road. That alone frightened the living daylights out of her, making her feel like she was the only living soul in the world. Creeping along, the only thing she saw in front of her was the dirt road, and the only light was the high beams from her car.

  Her mind was reeling with horrible imaginings. Any minute now, something ghastly would pop out and scare her. Someone that looked like a zombie would bang on the car window. That was what would happen in scary movies, and that was what this situation felt like. Skylar’s muscles were so tense, she didn’t realize she was gripping tightly to the steering wheel and her knuckles were white as her hands cramped up.

  Desperately wanting to turn back and go home, she thought about Mason. How did she know the person who wrote the note wasn’t a serial killer, luring her to the mountains where no one could rescue her? Even knowing the danger, she had no choice if it meant getting answers to where Mason and Nick had been all this time. Perhaps Everett and Amanda were with them, since she hadn’t heard a peep from them either. But then again, would Amanda contact her just to tell her Mason was safe? She didn’t know.

  What if they were really in danger and they needed her? What could she do? They were the ones with powers. Now th
is pathetic rescue mission seemed hopeless. Hoping she’d followed the directions correctly, she slowed the car and turned left, and found that she was still driving on an unpaved road. Soon after, she saw a dim light, but that was all. Unable to tell if it was a house or a cabin due to extreme darkness, she parked as close to the light as possible.

  The light came from a cave entrance, but not the same place she had gone before with Mason. After scanning the perimeter, knowing there wasn’t much to see, she got out quickly and ran to the light. Surprisingly, there was a lantern hung on a branch of the tree adjacent to the entrance. Skylar took it down and hesitantly walked forward. The cool draft that suddenly greeted her gave her the shivers. Even wearing long sleeves didn’t protect her from the sharp coldness that brushed against the fabric of her clothes. Mist floated in the air and spotted her with damp droplets.

  The further she walked, the brighter the cave became, and the stench of rotten soil disappeared. Moving from one world to the next, she saw she was standing on Olympus, where she had been before. Thinking the Oracle had her hand in this, Skylar raced to the tree. Just before she reached it, a body flashed before her, forcing her to jump back and causing her to drop the lantern, which shattered. Thank goodness, she had already turned the lamp off, or it would have caused a fire.

  “You’ve come as instructed, but I didn’t tell you to come here,” she hissed. “Oh, dear, sorry about the lantern.”

  Shocked to see someone new, Skylar stood there unable to look away, mesmerized by the woman’s beauty. Her red, wavy hair flowed to her waist, accentuating her porcelain skin. She wore all black clothes with black boots. On her belt was a small dagger. With legs spread apart, hands on her hips, she was guarding the tree with her life. Why?