Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  Were they some kind of a coven? What I knew about magic came from fiction, and it was all about witchcraft, death, and mayhem. “I’m not interested.”

  “You don’t know the perks yet,” he said.

  I turned to face him and crossed my arms. “Why would I be interested in joining you after your friend tried to kill me?”

  He grinned. “Maliina was just jealous. She’s my mate, or as you Mortals say, my girlfriend.” He reached out and touched my hair. “You could be one of us, Raine.”

  In his dreams. I pushed him away. Maybe the element of surprise was on my side or the need to get away from him gave me extra strength, but I pushed him hard enough that he lost his balance and landed on the table. I moved away from him, my mind racing. He had referred to us as Mortals as though he wasn’t, just like Torin had earlier.

  “What’s going on?” Darrel yelled, standing up.

  “Is this man bothering you, Raine?” another lacrosse player asked and drew closer.

  I imagined what could happen if they dared to fight Andris and his magical runes. He was probably faster and stronger than Maliina.

  “No, he’s not,” I said. “He was just leaving.”

  “Only if you come with me.” Andris straightened his trench coat and extended a hand toward me. “One dance, Raine.”

  “I think she told you to leave,” Torin’s voice came from somewhere behind Andris. I searched for him in the shadows. I had no idea when he’d appeared or how much he’d heard, but I was relieved, which was totally wrong. He was just like Andris, an immortal wizard, witch, or whatever magical term they used.

  Grinning, Andris turned and faced Torin.

  Darrel and the other guy spoke again, but I’d stopped listening to them. I strained to hear the exchange between Torin and Andris. The pounding music made that hard, so I moved closer.

  “Nice of you to join us, St. James,” Andris said mockingly.

  Torin grinned, red, blue, and green lights flashing across his handsome face. Like Andris, he was dressed in black. “Outside. Now.”

  “Why? You’re no longer my superior.” Andris sounded almost belligerent.

  Torin didn’t respond. Instead, he turned and started for the stairs as though he expected Andris to obey him.

  Andris hesitated, glanced at me, and shrugged. “Later, gorgeous.”

  I shuddered with revulsion. As they continued downstairs, I debated whether to follow them. They were not mortals and had powers, two reasons to stay put and pretend they didn’t exist. Below, Eirik made his way past the dancers with our drinks. I should wait for him, forget about Torin and Andris. He was normal, my best friend.

  When Eirik stopped to talk to someone, I reached a decision. I grabbed my coat and raced down the stairs after Torin and Andris. I wasn’t sure why I was doing it. I just had a bad feeling about those two.

  Halfway down the stairs, I saw Torin push the emergency door. I searched for Eirik to see if he’d seen me. He had and waved. Crap. I pretended not to see him and hurried toward the emergency exit, which was now closed. I pushed it, but it didn’t budge.

  “That door only opens during emergencies,” someone yelled in my ear.

  I turned. Mohawk from the welcoming committee grinned.

  “But two guys just opened it,” I explained.

  He shook his head. “That’s impossible. An alarm would have gone off.”

  Unless Torin and Andris had used magic to open it. Frustrated, I almost bumped into Eirik when I whipped around.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “I need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.” I pressed a kiss on his cheek and didn’t give him a chance to say anything before I took off. The lounge was now packed with giggling girls in sequined tops, skinny jeans, dramatic makeup, and teased hair. Their dates checked them out on the sly while ordering drinks from the bar. I spotted a few familiar faces from school.

  I kept going. Outside, I turned left and headed toward the back of the building, where the emergency exit was located. As I got closer, muffled voices reached me, not thuds of fists slamming against bodies like I’d expected. I slowed down, angled my head, and listened.

  “Come on, St. James. Half the swim team’s on it.”

  “You don’t know that,” Torin retorted.

  On what? I crept closer.

  “So a few might slip through, big deal. No one cares. They’re just Mortals.”

  “I care,” Torin retorted. “I have no intention of taking another detour to Land of Mist because you can’t follow orders. Control her, Andris. She pulls another stunt like she did today and I’ll personally escort her there.”

  “You can’t threaten Maliina. She’s my first mate.”

  A thud vibrated through the wall as though a giant bolder had rammed into it, and I jumped. “Listen, you bastard. I don’t care if she’s your first, second, or hundredth mate. I gave up ten years of my life because you don’t know how to listen,” Torin snarled. “Control her or lose her. Get it?”

  What did he mean by he gave up ten years of his life? How the heck old was he?

  “Why are you taking this job so personally, St. James? Jealous I saw the Cooper girl first? Or is it because her father is—”

  “Her family situation doesn’t interest me,” Torin cut off Andris, but my ears twitched and my heart pounded. What about my father? “This is a job, like thousands we’ve done before,” Torin continued. “We finish here and move on. We don’t make stupid mistakes. She saw your runes at the park today.”

  Andris chuckled. “You know me. I get pissed, they appear. I get aroused …”

  “Spare me the details. Find a way to disconnect your emotions from your runes.”

  “You’re a cold bastard, St. James. Incapable of feeling anything.”

  “There’s no room for love and sentiments in this business, just rules and punishment if you break them. No more turning Mortal girls, Andris. Everyone on the swim team is off limits, and I mean everyone, until it’s time.”

  A chill crawled under my skin. Turning Mortals into what? They couldn’t be vampires because they were not scared of daylight and I’d seen them eat regular food. Werewolves? Aliens? Demons? Or maybe I’d been reading too many paranormal books and was becoming paranoid. What did they want with the swim team?

  I waited to hear more. Instead, a bright light lit up the alley. Just as suddenly, it disappeared. The silence was spooky as though something bad was about to happen. I peered around the edge of the building and blinked.

  They were gone. How?

  Then I noticed the runes on the wall of the building. They glowed as though written in neon ink. Maybe they could walk through walls. Had I really seen the emergency door open earlier? Torin had put his hand on it, and I’d just assumed he’d meant to push it open. Maybe they’d walked through the solid surface while I was distracted by Eirik.

  The runes on the wall shimmered and grew faint as though the wall was absorbing them. I reached out to touch them when I felt a presence and tensed.

  “Where is he?” a woman snarled behind me.

  I yanked my hand back, my stomach dropping, and slowly turned around.

  THE BLACKOUT

  Red sheath dress, thigh-high boots, furious expression, she was also the one who’d nearly killed me. Andris’ first mate.

  “Maliina,” I said weakly.

  “Where’s Andris?” she asked.

  “He’s, uh, not here,” I stammered and took a step back. She’s not human … She’s strong … She has powers … Run … Scream …

  Despite my thoughts, I couldn’t move. My knees knocked, and my throat seized up. She moved closer, and I took another step back, the back of my foot hitting the wall. I had nowhere to go, but face her. My stomach dipped when light bounced off something in her hand. She had a weapon. It looked like a letter opener except it was sharper with a thinner blade.

  She was going to kill me this time. I just knew it. My breath hitched. “Maliina, I did
n’t come out here to—”

  “You think I wouldn’t notice you left after he disappeared.”

  “I wasn’t meeting with him if that’s what you think.”

  She closed her eyes, then snapped them open, her pale-blue eyes glowing eerily. “Don’t lie to me. His essence is here. Is he going to turn you?”

  “Turn me into what?”

  “One of us.”

  “What are you?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me, Mortal,” she moved closer, her body starting to glow as though neon lights were imbedded under her skin. “I might have been human once, but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid. There’s something different about you. What are you?”

  Too distracted by her glowing skin, I didn’t respond to her senseless question. As the light on her skin grew brighter, I realized it came from the runes on her body. Like Andris, she had one on each cheek and her forehead. A tear rolled down her cheek, and I almost felt sorry for her. Despite all her witchy powers, she was just a girl in love with a jerk.

  “Maliina, Andris was meeting Torin, not me,” I tried to reassure her.

  “Liar,” she yelled. “Torin and Andris can’t stand each other. They can’t be in the same room without trying to kill each. You will not take what’s mine.” She raised her weapon.

  “No, don’t!” I screamed, lifting my arms and covering my head. Any second, I expected a jab or a cut, excruciating pain. Instead the light from her runes grew stronger. I peered at her and gasped. She was cutting herself.

  “Don’t! He’s not worth it. No man is worth …” Then I realized what she was doing. The letter opener wasn’t a regular weapon. It was a sketching tool of some kind. She was tracing runes on her skin. The new ones glowed so bright I squinted to see her. Her face was distorted as though it hurt, but the look in her eyes was vengeful.

  “You’ll be sorry you crossed me,” she vowed. Then she shimmered and became transparent, until I could see through her. The next second she was gone, the rustle of leaves the only sign she’d been there a moment ago.

  I slumped against the wall trembling, my mind completely blank. Then everything rushed back—Maliina telling me I was different, the conversation between Torin and Andris, the runes on the wall. Something weird was going on in our town, and somehow I was part of it. Not just me, the swim team, too.

  I hurried back into the building and went to the restroom. My reflection in the mirror shocked me. My pupils were dilated, and my forehead was shiny with sweat. I pulled a compact from the pocket of my coat, repaired my makeup, and headed back to the dance floor.

  “You took forever,” Eirik said when I found him dancing with Cora.

  “Sorry, I needed fresh air.” I tried to find Torin, Andris, and his mates, but I couldn’t see far while on the dance floor. The look on Maliina’s face stayed with me. The girl was crazy and after nearly killing me at the park, I was scared of what she might do. Part of me wanted to tell Eirik everything. He and I had never kept things from each other.

  My new neighbor is an immortal who uses runes to do magic, and he and his kind are after the swim team. Yeah, I could just imagine Eirik’s reaction. He’d think I’d gone crazy.

  I wanted to go home and analyze what I’d heard, maybe stop by Torin’s and ask him what was going on. No, that would be stupid. I was staying away from him, even if it killed me. Besides, I couldn’t leave. Eirik and Cora had worked hard to make my birthday memorable.

  I tried to push everything from my mind and enjoy the moment. I really did. Luckily, Eirik didn’t notice I was distracted. The crowd on the floor doubled as more students left the lounge and joined us, giving me the perfect excuse.

  “It’s too crowded down here. Let’s go upstairs.”

  Eirik wrapped his arm around my waist and walked with me upstairs, which was just as crowded. At least Keith and some of his lacrosse friends were at our table. One of the guys gave up his seat for me after offering his lap first, which earned him a mean look from Eirik. I loved his protective boyfriend routine, even the way he leaned down and planted a possessive kiss on my lips to let the guys know I was with him.

  I was grinning when he grabbed his camera and headed back downstairs to take pictures. Having a boyfriend was awesome, but the other guys’ reactions were even funnier. All of a sudden, I became interesting. Seriously, I would never understand guys.

  Cora left the dance floor and joined us. She sat on Keith’s lap and joined their conversation, which seemed to center around sports. I pretended to follow the discussion while I watched the dancers and searched for Torin. I couldn’t explain how I knew he was down there in the shadows, watching. I just did. I couldn’t spot Andris and his women either. Good riddance.

  A kick drew my attention, and I glared at Cora. It wasn’t the first time she’d kicked my shin. I wasn’t in the mood to yell and call it conversation.

  As though responding to my thoughts, the music stopped and the lights went out. Silence hung in the air like an ominous fog. Then a buzz rose as people started talking at once. Glowing LCD screens appeared as people used their cell phones to see their surroundings. Beeps of text messages, ring tones, and panicked murmurs came next.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Keith said.

  “No, dude,” one of his friends said. “Down there is an accident waiting to happen.”

  Eirik was down there. I removed my cell phone from my pocket and dialed his number. “Where are you?”

  “I’m okay. I’m trying to get to the stairs. Stay up there and wait for me.”

  “Okay. Do you think it’s just the club?” The look on Maliina’s face flashed in my head again. Could she have done this?

  “I don’t know, but if you look down, you’ll see me waving.”

  I glanced down. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one using his cell phone as a light source or waving. Others called out their friends’ names or waved, too.

  “Don’t turn off your cell phone,” I warned him.

  “I won’t,” he promised.

  A voice rang out, “Everyone, stay calm and stay where you are. Do not attempt to leave the dance floor and rush to the entrances until the generator kicks in. Lights are off across town. Once they come back, move in an orderly fashion and exit the building using both the front entrance and the two emergency exits in the back.”

  Seconds passed and became minutes. The crowd below grew restless.

  “Don’t touch me,” a girl yelled.

  “You groped me, you jerk,” another one called out.

  “Hey, that wasn’t me,” a guy snapped.

  “Son of a …” A thump accompanied the words.

  Fights broke out. Screams and thuds filled the dance floor. Starting to panic, I searched for Eirik, but I couldn’t see him. Worse, our connection was broken. I tried calling him again just as the colored LED lights above the floor and the strobe lights behind the DJ’s booth crackled as though coming back to life.

  Everyone froze, their eyes staring up in anticipation. The lighting system short-circuited or something, and the crackling stopped. The lights went out again.

  Chaos broke as people screamed and surged toward the exits. Frantically, I called Eirik. He didn’t pick up his phone. I texted him, then leaned over the balcony rail. It was impossible to identify anyone. The screams grew louder. People wailed in pain as they bumped and tripped over each other. Panic hit me like a cement truck.

  “Eirik!” I screamed.

  “Stay up there,” I thought I heard someone yell, but I wasn’t sure whether it was him or someone else.

  Heart pounding, I kept searching. Cell phone LCD screens zigzagged the air as people shoved and stumbled. They were following each other blindly. Some of the students on the balcony started for the stairs. Cora and Keith followed. I didn’t know whether to leave with them or wait for Eirik.

  “Come on, Raine,” Cora begged.

  “No.” I recognized Torin’s voice. It came from somewhere below. “Stay up there until everyone leav
es, Raine. It’s too dangerous down here.”

  I tried to find him but couldn’t.

  “Eirik is down there,” I yelled. “I tried calling him, but he’s not answering his cell.”

  “I’ll find him for you. Just don’t move,” he ordered.

  Someone touched my elbow, and I turned. It was Cora.

  “Torin said it’s safer up here and that we should stay,” I said.

  Cora looked at Keith, then me, and then back at him, thoroughly conflicted. “Can we stay with Raine?” she asked.

  Keith surprised me when he nodded. Cora and I clung to each other and stared in horror at the scene below, both of us shaking. The pandemonium below continued, screams mixing with sharp screeches of pain. At least the emergency exits were open. I tried to locate Torin and Eirik with little success. The rest of the balcony crowd headed downstairs.

  “Do you think Torin will find him?” Cora asked, her voice sounding funny.

  “Yes.” From what I’d overheard in the alley, Torin was an honorable person, uh, Immortal or whatever he was. Cora sniffled, and I realized why she’d sounded funny. She was crying. I didn’t blame her. I was fighting tears, too. Tonight would haunt me forever.

  “Do you think …?” she started to ask but stopped.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Do you think some of the people we invited are hurt? Because if we hadn’t invited them …”

  I squeezed her shoulders. “Don’t think like that. We’re not responsible for this. No one could have predicted we’d have a blackout.” I glanced down. Through the emergency exit, I saw people moving around, headlights coming and going. Police sirens filtered through. Where was Torin? He was taking forever. If Eirik got hurt …

  My phone went off, and I reached for it with an unsteady hand. Tears rushed to my eyes when I saw who it was. I brought the cell phone to my ear. “Mom!”

  “Where are you, sweetheart? The lights just went off, and I thought it was only our block, but they say it’s the entire county. Are you okay? Please, tell me you’re okay.” Her voice shook.

  “I’m fine, Mom. I swear I am. I’m still at the club, but I’m fine.”

  “Oh, thank goodness. Are Cora and Eirik with you? Her mother tried to call her number, but she didn’t pick up her phone.”