Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  You really want to try it, little girl?

  I smiled sweetly. Oh, yeah.

  Fine, but you’re going to be wishing you didn’t. He gave a slight shrug.

  We’ll see about that. I gave him a smug smile of my own. I did not want to show him the true fear I felt. I turned and walked away, not at all sure what happened, but knowing something changed between us—something I might come to regret.

  ***

  Josh and I were on our way back to Silverwood’s main building when Tim found me. “Hey, Em, Mrs. Sanchez wants to see you in her office.”

  “Did she say why?” I asked nervously.

  “Nope, sorry, but I don’t think it’s anything bad.” He smiled and patted my arm as he walked away. He was one of those people who was always happy. People like that mystified me.

  I moved to Mrs. Sanchez’s office and knocked on her door.

  “Come in,” she said.

  I opened it and stepped in. Mrs. Sanchez welcomed me from behind her desk. Even though it had been only a few days earlier, it felt like months since I sat in her office. “You wanted to see me?”

  “Yes, sit down.” She motioned to the seat in front of her desk. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing bad, not completely. I only want to see how you are doing. I’ve heard such positive things about you from Tim. You know, Ember, I think the whole situation landing you at Silverwood is complete bull-honkey, but I can’t say I mind you being with us. You are doing well, and people seem to take a natural liking to you.”

  I almost choked on the last part. In general, people didn’t take a natural liking to me. If anything, it seemed like the opposite. Then, I thought of Ryan and Kennedy and some of my old friends from Monterey, few as they were. They were all in some way outsiders, like the people here, like me. Even if you didn’t look like an outsider, it didn’t make you any less of one. I came across as an average teenage girl—except for my eyes—but people sensed I somehow didn’t belong. Here I did. In the land of outcasts and outsiders, I was home. Go figure.

  Then, I felt a presence behind me and immediately stiffened. I knew before I looked who it was and that troubled me.

  Mrs. Sanchez motioned to him. “Ah, Eli, please, come on in.”

  Eli moved into the room with an unsettling silence and swiftness. He didn’t sit but stood behind the empty chair, as far away from me as he could possibly get.

  “I asked you both in because Sheriff Weiss called me this morning, adamantly stating he is adding two days a week and weekends of community service to each of your sentences. Whatever the both of you did to this man, he seems determined to make sure your every waking moment is being controlled.” She shook her head in frustration.

  “What?” I exclaimed. “Are you kidding me?”

  “I’m afraid not. You make him incredibly nervous, Ember, which I don’t understand. You shouldn’t have been placed at Silverwood in the first place. I’m not sure what it is about you that unsettles him so much. Unfortunately, he can extend punishment, even if you don’t deserve it. If you fight it, he will say you are being uncooperative and make life here a living hell until you graduate. He can make sure your school files show you as ‘troubled.’ I want to be honest with you.”

  This was his revenge. After seeing how his mouth watered at the idea of locking me up last weekend, I shouldn’t have been surprised. He was out to get me no matter what it took. He would do what he could to keep me under his thumb.

  “Although you might be happy because, in the absence of the couple who used to operate it, I have convinced him to let you teach the ropes course for me instead.”

  Eli’s voice was low but firm. “Marisol, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “Why? I think it’s perfect,” she responded. “I need someone to run our Adventure Education Rehabilitation Course, and you need community service hours. It’s a perfect fit.”

  Heat spread to my face, and a lump dropped into my stomach. Are you kidding me? This had to be some sick joke fate was playing on me. She wanted Eli and me to work together? We could barely be in the same place for a minute without venom shooting out of every word we uttered to each other. I felt Eli’s gaze on me, making my pulse quicken and my insides twist and roll around, ready to choke off my air supply. “Y-You want me to run the ropes course with him? Are you sure?”

  “I won’t make you. You’ve had too many people force you into things, but I do believe you would be really good at this,” she said. “And I have a feeling you and Eli will work really well together.”

  “May I speak to you alone, Marisol?” Eli said tersely.

  Mrs. Sanchez frowned, then nodded. “Ember, will you kindly step out for a moment?”

  I stood, my own rebuttal dying on my lips as I looked at Eli. His angry, determined face was the opposite of my humiliated expression. I flushed as I walked out of the room. Mrs. Sanchez’s office had a long window next to her door. I situated myself so I could see what was happening, while not looking too obvious I was spying on them.

  Watching Eli trying desperately to change Mrs. Sanchez’s mind made something deep within my soul ache. The more she shook her head, the more adamant Eli became. I bit my lip, trying to keep back the tears. Why was I so upset? I didn’t want to work with him any more than he wanted to work with me. Another gush of heat flooded into my face. By now I had to be purple. How dare he make me feel like this! Like clockwork, my hurt and embarrassment transformed into anger.

  It was a few more minutes before Mrs. Sanchez called me back to her office. Eli sat in a chair with cool resentment, which sent chills down my spine. He kept his gaze on Mrs. Sanchez with a reserved hostility meant for me.

  “I apologize. Eli and I had to work out a few details.” I knew she was lying, and she knew I knew, but it was a lie everyone in the room was going to play along with. “I guess I should have asked first if you both wanted to run the class. I hoped, since it was either the ropes course or picking up trash on the side of the road, you’d be happy with this choice.”

  “I am. Thank you,” I said as pleasantly as I could.

  Eli scoffed beside me.

  Mrs. Sanchez could not have missed the strange animosity between us. On the other hand, maybe it was her reason for doing it—thinking if we worked together, we’d work out whatever problems we had. I watched her, trying to decipher her motives, but her implacable expression revealed nothing. I would not let the jackass next to me control my life, and I certainly wasn’t going to run and hide from him. He could glare and say snarky things all he wanted; I would merely smile more.

  “I’m happy to do the ropes course,” I said sweetly.

  “Great. I’m so glad.” Even now she didn’t smile, but there was something warm in her voice and eyes that made you believe she really was thrilled.

  The door to the office opened, and Mrs. Holt’s head popped in. “Marisol, I’m sorry to interrupt, but there is someone here who needs to see you right now. It should only take a moment.”

  “Of course.” She stood, all sixty-two inches of her. “I’ll be right back.” She walked out, closing the door behind her.

  Eli continued to look forward. I exhaled my irritation, my anger growing. His head jerked my way, but at the last moment, he averted his gaze again. I leaned over my lap, propping my elbows on my legs, cupping my head in my hands. I will not let him get to me. I will not let him get to me, I repeated to myself. But I couldn’t deny how one side of my body felt every molecule of his next to mine. Heat radiated off of him like a furnace, and I hungrily ate it up. Sighing again, I fiercely rubbed my temples. Why did this guy make me feel so baffled, frustrated, and emotional?

  “Problem?” Eli’s voice had a cruel taunting tone to it.

  Picking my head up, I gave him a sharp look. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?”

  “I don’t kid about fucking.”

  I flushed under his steady gaze. The last thing in the world I wanted was to show him he could embarrass me, especially with his se
xual innuendos. I pressed my lips together, fighting back the heat rising in my body. “You may not, but I’m sure most of your girlfriends found it a joke,” I shot back.

  “Ouch.” A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips. “So I’m gathering you have a problem working with me?”

  I let out a bitter, crazed laugh. He was enjoying getting a rise out of me as if I were his personal voodoo doll he could needle. This guy could seriously provoke me. I sat up, looking him directly in the eye. “Listen, I’m not any happier about our situation than you, but I’m going to try to make the best out of things."

  “I know a few ways you could make this situation better,” he said, leaving me guessing at his meaning. My cheeks were already flushed from the earlier implication, and the imagery still rocketed in my head. I couldn’t let myself linger on it for too long.

  “What? Like running to Mrs. Sanchez and crying like a little girl?”

  His face darkened as his eyes locked on mine. Dread and dizziness swept over me as I realized pissing him off was not the brightest idea. Not that I could help pissing people off, especially him. It seemed to come with the territory of being me.

  He moved in closer, stopping only inches from my face. “I didn’t run,” he said through clenched teeth. “I skipped.”

  It took a second for his words to sink in, and then a nervous laugh bubbled up. “Wow, you really need to work on that skip of yours.”

  “How can you say that?” He moved back in his chair. “It was beautifully executed.”

  “You seriously have to be bipolar or something,” I muttered, still confused by his changing moods.

  The door opened, and Mrs. Sanchez came in. “I apologize. Now, where were we?” She went through all the details with us. Since it was still considered winter, they only had the ropes course on weekends. During the week, on Mondays and Thursdays, she wanted us to prep for the upcoming season by installing an obstacle course and a paintball area. In a few weeks, they would be hiring more people and switching to their summer schedule.

  Mrs. Sanchez wanted us to stay late the next evening to go through some basic ropes training. “Jason is a professional trainer who prepares people to lead the ropes course. I’ve used him several times before. He’s a great guy and is able to fit you in at the last moment. I understand my request is very quick, but I’m going to throw you two into the deep end and hope you can swim.”

  After she excused us, we both raced for the doors that led to freedom. But then I did something I wasn’t expecting. Right as we came to the front of the building, I stepped in front of his path and blocked his exit.

  “Truce?” I asked abruptly. “Till we get through this.”

  He stared down at me in silence, making my heart race. He looked like he was seriously debating with himself about whether he wanted to be civil to me. Finally, he nodded stiffly. “Truce.”

  I felt a weight which I hadn’t even known was there lift off my shoulders. I sighed with relief. There was a peculiar buzzing that throbbed between us, making my heart beat faster. We were standing extremely close, staring at each other. Even the way he stood motionless intrigued me.

  Was I that typical—drawn to the bad boy? Was ego all it was, a woman’s tendency to think she will be the one to “tame” the beast? I hadn’t thought I was that kind of girl, but obviously I was wrong. It seemed no matter how dangerous or scary he was, it only made me want to know more about him.

  We watched one another skeptically, our eyes fixed on the other. Words were not spoken, but I felt I was on the verge of understanding his eyes again, like earlier. But it quickly dissipated as he jerked his gaze away from mine. Like a door slamming in my face, he became hard and aloof once again.

  THIRTEEN

  Mark looked relieved when I told him I had to stay late the next day and Ryan and Kennedy would be picking me up. I also told him I would be taking the bus in the morning. He nodded. Work was really starting to get hectic and stressful, so he didn’t argue with me.

  The next morning I was re-thinking this decision when I had to get up over an hour earlier than usual. I dragged myself to the bus stop, still half asleep, my coffee container in hand.

  The day passed quickly enough. I felt a lot more comfortable and began to find a rhythm. It was a normal day, so for me that meant it was abnormal. It struck me as odd how Sam seemed to move away whenever I was near. At first I thought I imagined things, but when Eli did the same, I wondered if it could be more than coincidence. Was I seeing his version of a truce? Yeah, he would be so much fun to work with.

  I walked into the lunchroom where we would be training for the ropes course. A guy with a bluish-black and red striped Mohawk and eyebrow piercings stood at the far end of the room. Tattoos covered both his arms and neck, but they were partly hidden by a t-shirt proclaiming “Rock the Rope.” Mrs. Sanchez told us he was also an extreme sports enthusiast. Jumping out of planes with a snowboard and other insane stuff. I had tried bungee jumping and really liked it, but I was nowhere near an extremist.

  I waved to get his attention. He looked to be in his mid-thirties but definitely had a young skateboarder-surfer vibe about him. He loped over to shake my hand.

  “Oh, hey, I’m Jason. I guess you must be Ember? Cool hair.” He smiled at me.

  He stopped pumping my hand but continued to grasp it as he looked back and forth at my eyes, seemingly transfixed by them. He leaned so close I could see the tiny stud on his eyebrow ring. “Holy shit, man, those are the most freakin’ unbelievable eyes I have ever seen. They’re wicked!”

  “Yeah, and if you get any closer to them, you might get a wicked view of my fist,” a voice growled behind me. I spun around to see Eli leaning against the doorframe. His arms were crossed over his toned chest. He looked like he was relaxed and carefree, but I knew it was all a façade. I could see he was tense and ready to pounce. His green eyes glinted brightly.

  Jason looked between us apologetically. “Oh, uh, sorry, man. I-I wasn’t … I didn’t know.”

  “Yeah, well, now you do.” Eli pushed himself off the wall and lumbered to us.

  My mouth was agape. “There’s nothing to know. We’re not together.” I turned to Eli. “What the hell is your problem? Is being a jackass another one of your many hidden talents?” I glared at him.

  “I won’t deny I’m good at it, but it’s definitely not one of my many hidden talents. Or so I’ve been told.” His expression revealed nothing, but there was no doubt as to what he was hinting. My cheeks turned a deep shade of pink, and I quickly turned away. I didn’t miss the smirk cutting across his face.

  “T-that’s not … I mean … I wasn’t insinuating …” It usually wasn’t easy to turn me into a stammering mess, but he seemed to do it effortlessly.

  “What’s wrong, Ember?” A cruel, smug smile tugged at the corner of Eli’s mouth. “You don’t strike me as the type who gets thwarted so easily.” Eli’s bright eyes penetrated so deeply into mine it made me feel as if all my inner thoughts and feelings were being unveiled.

  “‘Thwart’ suggests you defeated or outwitted me.” My eyebrows arched in a mocking response, challenging him. A slow, unsettling grin spread over his face, but he stayed silent. “What’s wrong, Eli? You don’t strike me as the type who gets surmounted so easily.”

  You want to play vocabulary? Fine, bring it, I thought.

  His eyebrow cocked, and I immediately wanted to slap myself. Oh, you idiot. Why did you have to use that word?

  “It’s a little early in our relationship for us to be ‘surmounting,’ but, hey, I’m game if you are. I’ll even let you be on top.” He looked directly at me, and a coy smile played on his lips.

  Whenever I thought I had the upper hand, Eli seemed to be able to pull my legs out from under me, knocking me off my game. I grappled for any kind of thought not including images of this boy’s naked body or his fingers against my bare skin. I shook my head, trying to rid my mind of the vivid images playing out.

  He moved in closer
, causing warmth to flare through me as he brushed my arm. He leaned and whispered in my ear, his hot breath slipped teasingly down my neck and spine. “I’ll be waiting eagerly for a good retort from that wicked tongue of yours. I’m sure you will come back with some mind-blowing licks for me.” He stepped away from me. Watching me flounder for words and the chagrin spreading over my cheeks only widened his smile.

  He was toying with me. He enjoyed the power he got from watching me lose my defenses. Everything about him scared me, infuriated me, and intrigued me—an exceedingly dangerous combination. Absolutely nothing good would come of this. I needed to run in the opposite direction of anything having to do with Eli Dragen.

  I really should have listened to my own advice.

  The ropes trainer’s mouth hung slightly open as his gaze flickered from Eli and me.

  I cleared my throat. “Uh, sorry about that. Putting us in the same room should come with a warning label: Will cause a pain in the ass.”

  “O-kay …” He put on a polite smile. “Shall we continue?”

  “Yes. Please continue, Jason.” I turned back to him, letting my flirty smile out. Anything that would piss Eli off would make me happy. I smiled brightly. “What are you going to teach us tonight?”

  “Oh, right. Yeah, man, come on over and I’ll show you guys the basics, the safety tips, how you get in and out of the harness, and how to check the equipment properly.” Jason waved us to the table piled with ropes and harnesses. For the next hour and half he took us through all the safety precautions and basic rope protocol.

  “Okay, now I’m gonna have you take turns clicking each other onto the lead and adjusting the tension.” He sprang toward the rope hanging in the room from end to end. Eli shot me an inscrutable look before spinning on his heels and going to the rope.