Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  I didn’t speak. Instead, I found an empty bathroom and ignored Cora’s rant from the other side of the door. Why did it hurt to see Torin with someone else? I didn’t want him or own him. I had Eirik. Besides, Jess was the senior co-captain of the swim team and knew our best swimmers. Since Torin wanted to recruit our best swimmers, he would need her help.

  “We’ll never ever be part of that crowd, and he’s been here … what? A week and he’s already one of them? So unfair,” Cora ranted on.

  “We have our friends, Cora.” I opened the door and washed my hands even though I hadn’t used the bathroom. “And he obviously belongs with them.”

  “Belongs, my butt. You should have snagged him the day he moved next door.”

  That was never going to happen. I rinsed and dried my hands. “He’s not my type.”

  Cora laughed.

  “What?” I snapped, getting irritated by her attitude.

  “Torin St. James is every girl’s type,” Cora said as we stepped out of the restroom.

  “Should I be jealous?” Keith said from behind us.

  Cora turned and slipped her arms around him. “No, you shouldn’t, silly. I’m crazy about you.”

  Keith kissed her. “I should hope so, because I’m crazy about you, too.”

  I shook my head at their show of affection. Yesterday, she was talking about breaking up with him and this morning she was crazy about him? Cora could be so unpredictable.

  Eirik caught up with me before I reached my math class. Torin and Jess were already by the door. She was draped all over him as they made goo-goo eyes at each other and he played with her hair.

  “Your hair is like silk,” he’d told me. Did he think Jess’ perfect hair was silky, too?

  The kiss Eirik pressed on my lips felt awkward. Or maybe it was just me. He nodded at Torin and took off. I was halfway to my seat when Jess stuck her head in class and said, “Nice to see you two finally got your act together and stopped acting like brother and sister, Raine.”

  I didn’t bother to answer her. She wasn’t worth my time. Besides, I knew her dislike of me went beyond swimming. Her friend Danielle had had a thing for Eirik, for like forever, and got nowhere.

  “We thought you were into girls or something,” she added.

  I stopped. I didn’t need another viper coming after me. Maliina was enough. If I could, I’d walk back and shut Jess up with a slap, but physical violence wasn’t encoded in my DNA.

  Instead, I turned and smiled. “It’s nice to know you can actually think, Jess. I thought there was nothing but air between your ears.”

  She blinked and opened her mouth, but I was already turning away. Snickers followed. Face red, I slid behind my desk and opened my math textbook. I couldn’t believe I just did that.

  “Way to go, Raine,” someone said.

  Torin entered the class, and I couldn’t help looking up. I braced myself for his anger. After all, I had insulted his new girlfriend. His eyes twinkled with a devilish delight. Why was he happy? I’d just pissed off the meanest girl on the swim team, which meant she was going to make my life hell. As a senior co-captain, she helped the coach with seating arrangements on the bus when we traveled to meets and assigned rooms for overnights stays. I could already see her making me sit and room with freshmen.

  When he paused by my desk, I looked down. Please, go away.

  “We need to talk,” he said.

  “No, we don’t.”

  “Yes, we do. Wait for me after class,” he added.

  For the rest of the period, I was aware of his eyes on me. I didn’t wait when the class ended. Part of me knew I wasn’t just running away from Torin. I was running from my growing feelings for him. From my reaction when I saw him with Jess, my feelings were stronger that I’d thought.

  Luckily, Eirik was waiting by the door. Unfortunately, so was Jess. Someone forgot to tell her only desperate girls walked guys to their classes and waited around for them like a groupie. She shot me nasty look. As we walked away, I heard her annoying high-pitched voice as she whined to Torin. How could he stand her voice?

  Oblivious to my yo-yoing emotions, Eirik talked about his meeting with his art teacher. Mr. Drexel was sending some of his photographs to some national photography contests.

  “Oh, that’s great,” I mumbled, not really paying him the attention he deserved. His photographs always made it to nationals every year. Maybe they would win this year. If he noticed my inattentiveness, he didn’t show it.

  I gawked when Torin stood at the entrance of my physics class and looked around. I slouched lower, trying to be invisible. He found me anyway, then sauntered to the front of the class and handed Mr. Allred a piece of paper.

  “You’re three weeks behind, St. James, and will need to work hard to catch up. Saturday classes are always an option if you find yourself struggling.”

  “I have a friend in this class who’s agreed to tutor me. There she is. Hey, Raine.” He waved enthusiastically.

  Seriously? I wanted to kill him.

  Mr. Allred studied me with his mismatched eyes, one brown and the other blue. I always got the willies when he looked me. “Fine, St. James. I’ll get you a textbook after class, but in the meantime, share a textbook with Cooper.” The chair beside mine happened to be conveniently empty. Great! Torin sat and scooted his chair closer.

  “Hey,” he said, grinning.

  “What are you doing?” I whispered.

  “Getting ready to learn, uh … What class is this?”

  Argh, he was so annoying. Having him seated so close made it impossible for me to focus. Half the time, I studied him from the corner of my eyes. He slouched in his seat, his arm resting on the desk. He had beautiful hands, the fine, dark hair on the back of his arms intriguing. I wanted to reach out and touch him.

  Okay, I’m officially insane. Certifiably loony. Ixnay on touching.

  When the class ended, I practically ran out of the room. But I might as well have not bothered. I could only stare when Torin entered my history class. Mr. Finney was the youngest and cutest of all my teachers and seemed to genuinely love teaching. The problem was I sucked at history. Finney started every class with a question and a heated discussion, and today was no different. At least Torin ended up at the back of the class.

  “All wars and conflicts are started because of one thing,” Finney said, grinning. “It has four letters. Go.”

  “Fear,” someone yelled.

  “Hate,” said another.

  “Envy.”

  “Lust.”

  “Sex.”

  The class laughed.

  “Sex, Ricks?” Mr. Finney chuckled. “Nice try. Any more guesses? Come on, people. Think. Be creative.”

  “Gold.”

  “Need.”

  “Love.”

  “All of you are wrong.” Mr. Finney grinned. “Drum roll, please. The answer is … land. Pretty simple, isn’t it? L-A-N-D.”

  “I disagree,” a single voice of contention rose from the back, and everyone turned to find the speaker. I recognized Torin’s voice and slid lower in my seat.

  “Who said that?” Mr. Finney asked. Torin must have raised his hand because the teacher said, “Ah, the new face in my class.” He picked up the piece of paper Torin had given him and read it. “Torin St. James. Why am I wrong, St. James?”

  “Because you are the product of an educational system which recycles historical facts written by the victors whose perceptions are often skewed and self-serving.”

  A collective gasp filled the room.

  Mr. Finney’s eyes narrowed as he walked past me. “Is that so?”

  “You believe land is the cause of all wars because humans need to eat and live, and that means they need resources, which come from land. The fact is wars have been fought over many things, from nationalism to religion, jingoism to pure stupidity, but the underlying cause stays the same.”

  The class was so quiet a feather dropping would have been heard. No one ever stood up
to Mr. Finney. Me? I just wanted die. Why was Torin doing this? Why was he stalking me?

  “What is the underlying reason, St. James?”

  “Greed. G-R-E-E-D. Five letter word, Mr. Finney. Not four.”

  Mr. Finney laughed. “Okay. I’m listening. Explain your reasoning.”

  “Humans are by nature self-centered. It doesn’t matter how civilized or primitive they are. If they want something, they’ll find a way to get it or take it. The old empires used land, women, religion, pride in one’s nationality, or preservation of their culture as an excuse to start war. Presently, you use technology, world policing, expanding markets, and protecting national interest, but the underlying theme has never changed. As long as there are greedy people in this world, there will always be wars.”

  Mr. Finney chuckled when I’d expected him to be pissed. It must be the debate-loving side of him. He was in charge of Debate Club.

  “You speak as though you’re above all this, St. James,” he said, sounding impressed.

  “Absolutely, Mr. Finney. I am an evolved human being.”

  “So what drives you, young man, if not greed like the rest of us?” Mr. Finney asked.

  Silence followed the question and against my will, I found myself turning my head and glancing at Torin. His eyes locked with mine and a wicked smile tilted the corner of his mouth.

  “Love,” he said. “To give and receive love is the essence for my existence. It is what drives and motivates me.”

  Warmth rushed to my face. Several people laughed, some followed his gaze to me. I just wanted the floor to open up and swallow me. He was cocky and impossible. I spent the rest of the period plotting his demise.

  At the end of class, one student asked, “What is jingoism?”

  “I’ll let St. James answer that,” Mr. Finney said, crossing his arms and propping his butt on his desk.

  “It is the extreme level a country is willing to go to protect its so called national interest. Some even declare war on other countries.”

  He was still talking when the bell rang. I ducked out of the room, hoping he didn’t know what my next class was. I was dead wrong. He appeared in the doorway of my next class, grim determination on his gorgeous face.

  I jumped up and marched to him. “Follow me.”

  He grinned. “Finally. I thought I’d have to go to all your classes before you stopped ignoring me.”

  My stomach knotted with tension, anger, and tingly feelings I’d come to associate with him. I yanked open a broom closet and pulled him inside. There was hardly any space between us, and his scent and warmth wrapped around me. If I wasn’t so pissed, having him this close would have royally messed with my head.

  “What are you doing?” I said through clenched teeth.

  He glanced around and cocked his brow. “Hiding in a broom closet with you. Do people really make out in tight places like this?”

  Oh, he thought he was cute. “Why are you stalking me?”

  “I don’t like to be ignored.”

  I rolled my eyes. “So you humiliated my history teacher to get my attention?”

  He grinned. “It worked, didn’t it? And no, I didn’t humiliate Mr. Finney. I challenged him. He’s actually a smart guy. Tomorrow he’ll be armed with facts to refute everything I said, which was all bullshit anyway. I’m looking forward to another—”

  “No, you’re not coming to my classes tomorrow, Torin.”

  “If you ignore me again—”

  I sighed. “What do you want from me?”

  “Everything.” Blue flames burned in the depth of his eyes. Then as though he hadn’t meant to say that, he shook his head. “We need to talk. I’ll wait for you outside during lunch.”

  “I can’t. I’m meeting Eirik.”

  He cursed softly under his breath. “Fine. Then have dinner with me.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t do this, Torin. I want my old life back. It was sane, predictable, maybe a little boring—”

  “A little?” He rolled his eyes.

  “But it was mine, and I loved it,” I finished as though he hadn’t spoken. “I don’t want to be hauled in front of the principal because I’m talking to people no one else can see. I don’t want weird writings appearing on my body whenever I’m hurt. I don’t want to travel at abnormal speed. I want a normal life with normal people.”

  “But you’re …” His voice trailed off.

  “I’m what?”

  He didn’t speak, his expression begging me to understand. I hated that there were things he couldn’t share with me. “You can’t even tell me what I am, let alone what you are, can you? You know what, it doesn’t matter. I’ll find out on my own.”

  “Stay away from Andris and the girls,” he warned.

  “Why? You scared they might tell me the truth? Like why I’m under the protection of Goddess Freya?” He scowled. “Yeah, I learned that last night from Ingrid. Imagine what I’ll know by tomorrow. Stay away from me and my friends.” I reached for the doorknob.

  He pressed his hand on the door and stopped me from opening it, his expression serious. “I can’t. I promised to protect you, and I plan to keep my promise. Maliina is unhinged and fixated on you, and without Andris to keep an eye on her, there’s no telling how far she’ll go to hurt you. I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen. I know I said things that scared you, and I’m sorry I did.” His voice sounded bleak. “You want space to deal with what you’ve learned? Fine. I’ll give you space. But please, don’t ask me to stay away from you or walk away. My greatest fear is Maliina will learn where you live and attack you when I’m not there.”

  I swallowed, imagining that psycho bitch standing over me while I slept. “I’ll be fine.”

  “No, you won’t. You’re not an Immortal. There’s just so much self-healing you can do before your body shuts down.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. Part of me wanted to let him deal with my problems, but the other part knew I had to learn as much as I could about what was happening to me. Ignorance wasn’t bliss. It could get me killed. Then there was Torin. My fears went beyond the runes and weird supernatural stuff he could do. He made me feel things I’d never felt before. Made me want things I couldn’t articulate. Crave with intensity that was all consuming. I didn’t know how to deal with any of them.

  “Who will protect me from you, Torin?” I whispered.

  His eyes widened. He stared at me as though I’d reached up and stabbed him. I felt terrible. “I’d never hurt you, Freckles. I would condemn myself to eternal servitude to Hel than harm a single strand of your hair.”

  Tears rushed to my eyes at his vow, yet he’d hurt me without him knowing it. Seeing him with Jess had felt like someone had reached inside my chest and yanked out my heart. I never wanted to feel like that again.

  “I have to go,” I whispered.

  The door swung open before I touched the doorknob, and Officer Randolph, the school security officer, stared down at me with narrowed eyes. Oh crap. Mom was going to go ballistic when the school called her about this.

  “What are you doing in a broom closet,” Officer Randolph looked behind me, “alone?”

  I glanced over my shoulder, and my eyes widened. Torin stood there with a wicked grin on his handsome face, glowing runes on his cheeks, forehead, and hands. He looked other worldly, beautiful, and invisible to the guard. For the first time, I wished I could pull that trick, too.

  “Step out of the closet,” Officer Randolph ordered.

  Taking a shaky breath, I stepped into the hallway. There were no students, thank goodness. The last thing I wanted was for the entire school to know I’d been busted by the guard in a closet.

  Officer Randolph slammed the door shut. “To the office, miss.”

  Torin walked through the solid door as though it was made of air, a broad grin on his face. “Start crying and tell him you were hiding from a bully,” he said.

  “I can’t do that,” I murmured.

  “Excu
se me?” Officer Randolph asked. He obviously had heard and misunderstood my words.

  “Sorry, I, uh, wasn’t talking to you,” I said lamely, my face warming up.

  Officer Randolph scowled. “You make a habit of talking to yourself, don’t you? You were in the parking lot a few days ago talking to yourself, too. I informed the office, but they obviously chose to ignore me.”

  “You were seen?” Torin asked.

  “Of course I was,” I said through clenched teeth. Once again, Officer Randolph assumed I was talking to him.

  “Okay, young lady. That’s it. Let’s go.” He grabbed my arm and whipped me around.

  Torin’s entire demeanor changed. Eyes flashed and more runes appeared along his neck. He reached inside his pants’ back pocket and pulled out a dagger. It was all black with the nastiest looking runes on its blade, and I knew he was going to attack the officer.

  “Don’t,” I cried.

  “He can’t treat you like that.” Torin moved fast. One second he was twirling the dagger, the next the tip of the blade skidded on the back of the officer’s hand. He moved back, and I saw the cuts. Instead of bleeding out, the blood disappeared into the wounds, leaving behind black runes. The officer didn’t even realize he had been marked. He was busy looking at me like I should be locked up in maximum security loony bin. Then his eyes became unfocused as though his thoughts were elsewhere. He let me go, hand dropping to his side. Then he turned and walked away.

  I stared after him with wide eyes. “What did you do to him?”

  “Marked him with forgetful runes.” Torin grinned.

  “Forget what?”

  “That he saw you. He’ll be okay in a few minutes. Will I see you later?”

  I shook my head. “No. I need space to deal with … you and everything else.”

  He studied me with narrowed eyes then nodded. He didn’t look happy, but he accepted my decision. The runes on his body glowed, and he disappeared through the door. Swallowing, I reached out and touched the door. My finger sank into the wood. I pulled my hand back, completely spooked, and took off.

  Not only did I get a tardy, I missed a quiz.

  ***

  Cora dropped her tray across from mine, sat, and demanded, “Start talking, missy, and do not leave anything out.”