by Kristie Cook
I swallowed past a block in my throat and swiped at the wetness on my cheeks. “Eirik was on the dance floor when the lights went out. A friend is looking for him. Cora is with me. She’s fine. I’m not sure what happened to her cell phone—”
“I have it, but my battery died,” Cora murmured and sat up. “Oh, no. I have to call home.”
“I’ve to go, Mom.” I could see Torin’s silhouette at the top of the stairs.
“Come home, sweetheart. Please.”
“I will, as soon as I find Eirik. Don’t worry, Mom. I’m okay.” I pressed the phone into Cora’s hand, got up on shaky legs, and moved toward Torin. “Did you find him?”
“Yes.” As if he knew I was crying, he cupped my face and wiped the wetness with his thumb. For a moment, I let him, needing the connection with another person. “He was protecting a girl who’d been knocked unconscious. He took her outside and is waiting for the EMT. I’ll take you to him.” His hand dropped from my face and I felt so alone, which was ridiculous. “Let’s go.”
He led the way downstairs, surprising me again when he held my elbow until we left the building. Cora and Keith followed closely behind. The parking lot was half empty, but people were seated on the grassy patches around the parking lot.
“He’s over there.” Torin pointed at Eirik, who was by a girl on a patch of grass bordering the parking lot. Her eyes were closed as though she was asleep. Eirik had bruises on his face.
I turned to thank Torin, but he had already disappeared. I sighed. Maybe it was better that way. He didn’t really belong here. Cora was crying while Keith held her. I indicated to Keith where I was going then hurried to Eirik’s side. He took my hand and pulled me down beside him.
I wanted to scold him for scaring me, but I couldn’t. He had a nasty cut above his right eyebrow and on his lower lip and discolorations on his cheeks and bloodied hands. It was as though someone had turned him into a soccer ball. Chances were he’d used his body to protect the unconscious girl.
I touched his forehead, though I was careful not to touch the cut. “Does it hurt?”
“It’s nothing.”
It didn’t look like nothing, but he appeared uncomfortable with my attention. I focused my attention on the girl he’d rescued. I recognize her from the swim team. Kate Hunsaker. Her swimmer nickname was Shelly. I wasn’t sure where the nickname came from, but our team was big on nicknames. She was a sophomore, didn’t say much or socialize with anyone in particular, but she was an amazing breaststroker.
I glanced around. She wasn’t the only one hurt. About a dozen or so people were on the ground, some with their parents and others with friends. Some of them I recognized from the swim team, others were just regular students.
“Is she going to be okay?” I asked Eirik.
“I don’t know,” he said, sounding so sad. “By the time I reached her, she’d lost consciousness. I tried to carry her, but it was impossible with the crowd shoving and panicking.”
“So you protected her with your body,” I whispered and rubbed his arm. When he winced, I let him go. “You’re a hero, Eirik.”
He shook his head. “I helped one. Torin helped a lot more.”
“What do you mean?” I glanced around the park even though I knew Torin was gone.
“The emergency exits were jammed. He broke them down.”
I hesitated, told myself it didn’t matter, but I couldn’t help myself. “How?”
“I don’t know. People were banging on the door from the inside, and then it was lifted off its hinges from the outside. I didn’t see it happen, but Condor recognized him from the park and mentioned it. Chances are he opened the second one, too.”
Condor was a senior butterflyer. I knew I should stop questioning Eirik, but once again curiosity got the better of me. “What is he?”
Eirik glanced at me and frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Torin. He’s different, isn’t he? Like Andris and the girls.”
Eirik frowned harder. “I don’t know about different, but he’s the kind of guy you can count on in an emergency. Who’s Andris?”
Obviously Andris hadn’t made an impression on him. “Exchange student from Norway. We met him at the park.”
“Aah, he was with the two blondes?”
Go figure he’d remember the girls. Men. By the time the EMT appeared, strapped Kate to a gurney, and put her into an ambulance, her parents had arrived. There were about five people with serious injuries but more with minor ones who needed attention, too. Kate was the only one unconscious. Instead of going home, we piled in Eirik’s Jeep and followed the ambulance to Kayville Medical Center. Cora came with us since Keith had to leave. His mother kept calling. We called home and explained where we were headed.
“Oh, sweetie.” I could tell my mother really wanted me home.
“We’ll wait with her parents just for a little bit, Mom. They’re all from the swim team, and we want to make sure they’re okay.”
Mom sighed. “Okay, but be careful. Come home as soon as you can.”
Inside the ER, the first person I saw was Torin. He was seated at the farthest corner inside the waiting area. My stomach flip-flopped, and my heart picked up tempo. Why was he here? He hardly knew any of the injured people. I changed my mind when I saw the people seated at the corner by the ER entrance—Andris and his girls. Maliina shot me a smug smile. I so wanted to march over there and smack her. Was she behind the blackout? Maybe they were all behind it. From the conversation between Andris and Torin, they wanted something from the swim team. Most of the injured were Trojan swimmers.
I was aware of Torin’s eyes on us, hating the unsettling effect his presence had on me. My grip tightened on Eirik’s arm. I rested my head on his shoulder after we sat. By the time everyone settled into the waiting room, there were almost two dozens of us mixed with parents. But half of us weren’t hurt. We were there to keep vigil. The show of solidary didn’t surprise me. Coach Fletcher always insisted we were more than a team, that we were a family. I never believed him until now.
Most of the injured had sprains and cuts that needed stitches, but nothing life-threatening. Kate had a fracture on her right leg, several cracked ribs, and bleeding in her brain. They rushed her into the operating room as soon as they arrived. Mrs. Hunsaker was in tears, and she wasn’t the only one. Kate’s best friend, whom I’d seen last year during meets, was in tears, too. Mr. Hunsaker appeared stoic, but it was obvious he was just being strong for his wife.
He stood and came to where I sat with Eirik. A nurse had already cleaned and wrapped up Eirik’s bleeding knuckles and stitched the cut on his brow.
“Thank you for protecting my daughter, young man,” Mr. Hunsaker said and pressed on Eirik shoulder when he started to get up. “No, don’t get up. What’s your name?”
“Eirik Seville.” Eirik offered his left hand, and the man shook it gingerly.
“Mr. Seville, I’m Seth Hunsaker, Kate’s father, and over there,” he indicated Kate’s mother, “is my wife Sally. We would like you to know you’re welcome at The Oyster Bar any time.”
“I, uh, thank you, sir. I did what anyone would have done in a similar situation.”
“That’s where you are wrong.” Mr. Hunsaker glanced at his wife, then asked, “You swim with Kate?”
“We all do.” Eirik indicated the swimmers in the room.
“Thank you.” Mr. Hunsaker looked at us, his eyes bright. “All of you, for being with us here tonight. It means a lot to us.”
As he walked back to his wife’s side, the students who didn’t know Eirik had protected Kate stared. My gaze connected with Torin’s, the unsung hero of the night. I wondered how he felt being ignored. His expression didn’t change, even when Cora went over and sat by his side. She stayed with him until it was time to leave.
It was one in the morning when they wheeled Kate from the operating room. We weren’t allowed to see her, but the doctors talked to her parents and a nurse told us to go home. She w
as stable.
The streetlights were back on, I noted as we drove away from the hospital. Cora insisted on going home and was half asleep when we dropped her off.
“Are you coming in?” I asked when Eirik walked me to the door.
“Not tonight. I just want to go home and crash.”
I touched the Band-aid above his eyebrow. The purple discoloration on his cheek looked worse. I wanted to kiss him, but I couldn’t when he had a busted lip, so I kissed his cheek, instead. “Goodnight. Thanks for the wonderful birthday surprise.”
He grimaced. “It ended on a shitty note.”
“Don’t think like that. It was beautiful, and I’ll always remember it. And you were awesome tonight.”
He frowned, obviously uncomfortable with the compliment. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” He gave me a brief peck on my forehead and walked away.
Mom was asleep on the living room couch, candles on every surface in the living room and kitchen. I blew them out, pausing when I saw Eirik’s present, which I still hadn’t opened. I tucked it under my arm and woke up Mom.
“You’re finally home.” Her eyes roamed my face as though looking for injuries before she hugged me. “What time is it?”
“Late. Come on, Mom.”
“What happened to the girl who got hurt?” she asked.
“Her name is Kate Hunsaker.” I explained her condition as we staggered upstairs.
The first thing I did when I entered my bedroom was peer at Torin’s house. It was in total darkness. He had disappeared after the doctors spoke with Kate’s parents. Was he home? Why was I worried about him? I was sure he could take care of himself. Besides, I had Eirik, my unofficial—or was it now official?—boyfriend and best friend. My life was perfect. Torin and his mysterious background didn’t fit in it.
Closing the curtains, I sat on the bed and opened Eirik’s present. I smiled at my favorite chocolate and a framed eight-by-ten picture of me. It was a memento from the years Mom tried to make me a carbon copy of herself. I was probably nine or ten and wore a Gypsy inspired outfit and a matching headscarf with beads. It was one of the first photographs Eirik had ever taken of me. He’d even signed it. Smiling, I placed it on my nightstand. I’d always treasure it.
I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and crawled into bed.
***
Caridee came to our house for my birthday mani-pedis and facials, but all she talked about was the blackout.
“My cousin Camille knows Gaylene, who knows Chief Sparrowhawk’s sister-in-law. The chief thinks someone went to the substation and threw the switches on the circuit breakers.”
“We’ve never had a blackout before. Who’d want to plunge the town and neighboring county into total darkness?” Mom mused.
I didn’t dare say anything, but a certain jealous exchange student came to mind.
“Kids playing pranks,” Caridee said. “Sally Hunsaker’s little girl got hurt real badly. They had to operate on her last night.”
Mom reached over and gripped my hand. “Raine told me. She and the swim team stayed at the hospital with Kate’s parents until the poor girl was out of the operating room. Trojan swimmers are very supportive of each member, you know. One of them, Eirik Seville, is the one who found the Hunsaker girl, protected her with his body, and carried her to safety,” Mom repeated what I’d told her last night. I was surprised she remembered. “Because of him, that dear girl escaped serious injuries.”
“How brave of him.” I imagined how Caridee would embellish the story in the coming weeks. Eirik deserved a hero’s recognition, even if it was through the grapevine. “I heard they were planning to operate on her again.”
“Why?” I asked.
Caridee shrugged. “I don’t know. Complications after surgery are pretty common.”
My stomach churned. If Kate didn’t make it … No, I couldn’t afford to think like that. “Why does Chief Sparrowhawk think someone was behind the blackout?”
“He found something. Gaylene didn’t know what exactly, but she said it was solid evidence someone messed with the switches.”
After she left, I went upstairs and called Eirik. He sounded like he’d just woken up. “Kate is going in for a second surgery.”
He cursed. “Do you want me to come over?”
“No, I, uh, I’ve tons of things to do. Maybe later.” My eyes went to the box of assorted chocolates and the photograph. “I love my birthday presents. Thank you.”
Despite saying I had things to do, we talked for a while. As soon as I hung up, I curled on the window seat with my laptop and went online to investigate runes.
The amount of information was staggering. Runes had meanings and stories behind them. They were alphabets used in ancient times for writing, divination, and magic by people from northern Europe, Scandinavia, British Isles, and Iceland. Andris, Ingrid, and Maliina were from Norway, which made sense. Did that mean Torin was from Europe, too? It might explain the British accent. Were they witches and wizards? It might explain their use of runes. It didn’t explain why they called us Mortals.
I looked out the window at Torin’s place. The slats were still closed. Maybe I should warn him that the police chief was investigating the blackout in case Maliina was behind it. No, I wasn’t helping her. If she’d messed with the switches, she deserved to pay for whatever happened to Kate and the others. There’d be no journey to Land of Mist, which Torin had threatened Andris with, just good old Oregon prison and an orange jumpsuit.
I researched Land of Mist. There was no connection to runes, just books and online games. Wherever Land of Mist was, it was a horrible place to Torin’s people.
Sighing, I put the laptop down and crawled out the window to the patio. Sometimes I wished I had a door like Mom and Dad. I’d begged them to add one when I turned thirteen, but they’d said no. It was better this way. No boys sneaking up into my room at night, Dad had said. Yeah, like that had ever stopped Eirik.
I leaned on the rail and inhaled. It was warm for fall, but knowing Oregon, the weather could turn chilly any minute. Most of our neighbors were indoors watching Sunday football. I could see inside the Rutledge’s house through the open windows. Mr. Rutledge and Mr. Ross were watching football in the living room while their wives did something at the kitchen counter.
I glanced down and frowned. Had someone vandalized my car? Against the dark-red color, it was hard to tell. I crawled back inside my room and ran downstairs. Mom yelled something, but I didn’t stop. I ran outside and gawked, my anger shooting up at the squiggles.
Who had done this to my poor car? Why?
I walked around and tried to wipe off the graffiti with the sleeve of my sweatshirt, but it didn’t come off. Against the car body and the roof, the colors almost blended. Almost. On the windows and the tires, they looked garish. Maybe a carwash would get rid of them.
I started for the house, paused, and turned. No, they couldn’t be. No freakin’ way. I walked back to the car, but I was too close. I walked backwards to the middle of the cul-de-sac and squinted as I studied the graffiti again.
They weren’t random drawings. They were runes, written in groups of threes, some across, others vertical. Who could have done this? Maliina, of course. But how had she found where I lived? What was her problem? Just because she hadn’t hurt me last night didn’t mean she had to put a whammy on my car. What were the runes supposed to do? Make my car flip, burst into flame while I was inside it? Torin needed to control that girl. It was obvious Andris couldn’t.
I marched up to Torin’s porch and rang the doorbell. No answer. He could still be sleeping or in the shower again. I banged on the door. Not a sound came from inside. Instead, I caught the reflection of Mrs. Rutledge and Mrs. Ross as they watched me from the porch. They gave me a look that screamed stalker. Bet they knew the number of times I’d talked to Torin since he moved in.
“He’s gone,” Mrs. Rutledge called out.
My stomach dropped. “Gone where?”
“P
ortland. He said he had a weekend job.” Mrs. Rutledge smiled as though she enjoyed knowing something I didn’t. I sighed. Cougar crush was so sad.
“Thanks, Mrs. Rutledge.”
Back in the house, Mom was folding laundry. She frowned when I grabbed a brush, threw it in a bucket, and reached for a bottle of cleaning detergent.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah.” I turned on the water and poured a generous amount of the detergent in the bucket.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to clean my car.”
“Now? Why don’t you just drive it through a carwash?”
And play straight into Maliina’s hand? I shuddered at the thought. I didn’t think so. “No. I need to burn off some energy.”
She studied me. “What’s going on, Raine? I saw you go next door.”
“We have a new neighbor. I went to, uh, say hi.”
“That’s sweet. Is it a nice family?”
“I only met their son, Torin. He’ll be going to our school.”
Mom grinned. “Is he hot?”
“Eew, Mom. He’s …” Superhot, mysterious, and magical, and he confuses me. I turned off the water.
“He’s what?”
“He’s just a guy. I gotta go, Mom.”
Outside, I scrubbed my car until my arms hurt. Using a water hose to rinse it off, I stepped back. I had done it. The squiggles were gone. Feeling better, I took the bucket and brush inside and came back with my keys.
No! My heart sunk. They were back. The water had just hidden them briefly. How the heck was I going to get rid of them? I kicked a tire.
“What happened?” Mom said, hurrying toward me. “I heard you scream.”
“Someone vandalized my car, and I can’t get rid of the drawings.”
Mom stared at the car then me. “Oh, sweetie.”
“Just look at it.” I waved toward my car, so frustrated I wanted to cry.
Mom put her arms around my shoulders. “Raine, your car is spotless. In fact I’ve never seen it this clean.”
“But …” Then realization hit me. She couldn’t see the runes, while I could. Why?