Fall of Thor's Hammer (Levi Prince Book 2)

by Amy C. Blake

  24

  Roommates

  Levi galloped down the spiral staircase, hand sliding on the banister. It was finally Sunday afternoon, time to call home, and he was late. He hoped his folks were home this time. Even though he’d decided to hold off on telling them about Terracaelum, he still wanted to hear their voices.

  As he barreled around a tight curve, he spotted someone huddled on the third-floor landing. “Look out!” Though friction burned a layer of skin from his palm, he screeched to a halt before he flattened Morgan.

  He plopped to the floor, chest heaving. “What’re you doing here? I almost squashed you.”

  Morgan’s pale, tear-streaked face poked from behind the arms she’d propped on her knees. “Doesn’t matter.”

  “What’re you talking about? I could’ve really hurt you.”

  She shrugged, sniffling.

  Levi’s blood pressure surged. He could’ve gotten hurt himself. She had no business blocking the steps. But her pathetic expression settled him down, and he managed to keep his voice relatively gentle. As usual, Morgan reminded him of his sister Abby.

  He pushed the thought away. “What’s wrong, Morgan? Why’re you crying?”

  She shook her head.

  “Come on, you can tell me.” He glanced at his wristwatch. Ugh. He didn’t have time for girl tears.

  “Don’t worry about it. Your friends are probably waiting for you.”

  Why did her words make him feel guilty? He hadn’t done anything wrong. And he really wanted to talk to his family. “Yeah, actually they are.” He looked at his watch again. “I’m supposed to hike down to the phones with them, but I’m so late they probably left without me.” He stood and offered his hand. “Come with me. Talk to me on the way.”

  Chin trembling, Morgan took his hand and rose.

  “So, what’s up?” he asked as they walked down the trail a short time later, everyone else far ahead.

  “My roommates hate me.”

  “Why would they hate you?”

  She gave a small snort. “They hate me because I’m not rich like them. Ever since I told them about my momma . . .” She shook her head.

  “My parents aren’t rich.” Levi moved a tree branch so it wouldn’t scratch Morgan. “Whether or not you have money shouldn’t make anybody hate you.”

  “It’s not just the money.” Her voice quieted so he had to lean down to hear. “My momma’s not a nice lady. That’s why I live with my aunt and uncle. Have since I was little.”

  She was still little. “That shouldn’t matter. Plenty of people live with their aunts and grandmas and stuff.”

  “Yeah. I shouldn’t have told them why I don’t live with Momma, that’s all.”

  He waited. What was the big deal about her momma? “Well, you can’t help who your mom is or what she’s done. If your roommates don’t get that, they’re not worth worrying about.”

  “Really?”

  He shrugged. “Well, yeah.”

  She smiled, but the corners of her mouth soon drooped. “It’s lonely, though, not having any friends.”

  His heart gave a tug, and he nodded, thinking how his little sister would feel in Morgan’s place. “What if I talk to Sara? They have an open bunk in their room you could maybe have.”

  She looked doubtful. “You think they’d want me?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  Levi hung up the phone and wandered outside. His family was home this time, but they were so busy with their own lives, he felt more isolated from them than ever. His sister’s choral group had a big performance next week, and his brothers were in swim lessons and softball. Grandpa kept having those dizzy spells, which meant Mom spent every spare minute helping out at their place. And Dad . . . well, there was always somebody at church needing him. By the time Levi had listened to everyone else’s news, his phone time had been over.

  “You ready to head back?” Sara bumped him lightly with her elbow. “We’re all finished.” She motioned toward the others clustered beside her.

  “Yeah, okay.” Levi started toward the trail, not feeling much like talking to anyone, when he remembered.

  “Wait . . . Morgan.” He wheeled around and scanned the area. She stepped from the building at that moment, her face anxious. “Hey, Morgan, come on.” He waved her over.

  Her expression brightened, and she hurried to his side. He ignored the furrowed brows and soft whispers of his friends as she snagged his arm. They climbed the path in a bunch, the others’ usual chatter subdued—by Morgan’s presence, most likely. Levi gave a mental shrug. They’d accept her eventually. She was just a lonely kid, and being kind to someone like her was supposed to be what Christians did, right?

  “So, Sara,” Levi began, sidling up next to her, “without Ashley in your room, you guys have an extra bed, don’t you?”

  She looked confused but nodded. The other girls went totally silent.

  “Morgan’s roommates aren’t being very nice to her.” He glanced at Morgan with his brows raised, and she nodded her approval. He looked back at Sara. “I told her you three would be happy to have her move in with you.”

  “Oh?” Sara stopped dead in the path, eyes wide. Everyone else halted. Monica’s mouth opened and closed a few times. Lizzie bit her bottom lip as if to keep from saying something she shouldn’t.

  “Yeah.” Levi shrugged. “You guys have the space and all.”

  Trevor snorted. Levi shot him a dirty look.

  “Sure, that’s fine.” Sara turned questioning eyes to the other girls. “Isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay.”

  None of them sounded enthusiastic.

  Morgan’s cheeks pinked. “You mean it?”

  Sara gave a slow nod.

  “Thank you so much.” Morgan grabbed Sara’s and Monica’s hands and let out a squeal.

  Levi flinched as Lizzie speared him with a look. He would probably get an earful later, but what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t let the poor girl stay with mean roommates.

  “Come on.” Steve started up the trail, huffing. “It’s nearly suppertime. I’m hungry.”

  Levi silently thanked him for the distraction.

  In the middle of that night, Levi sat bolt upright in bed, t-shirt drenched with sweat. Heart pounding, he darted wide-eyed glances around the dark room. Nothing was there but his roommates sacked out in snoring lumps on their beds. He drew in a deep breath and told himself to relax. It was a nightmare, nothing more.

  “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?” He ran the verse through his mind over and over. When his pulse stopped pounding in his ears, he lay back on his damp pillow and closed his eyes. They instantly shot open again. Why wouldn’t those hideous shapes leave his brain? He was fed up with nightmares. They’d been tormenting him for way too long. Now even the Scriptures failed to offer comfort.

  He’d thought the troubles of his miserable school year would end when he got back to Terracaelum, but nothing felt right. He hadn’t made things right with his parents. He’d gotten himself into trouble at camp a couple of times already. He’d aggravated the girls by getting them to take in Morgan. Plus, he’d added extra monsters to his nightmares, and he wasn’t sure he could trust Mr. Dominic to protect him from them. Aargh.

  With a grunt, Levi shoved aside his soggy sheet and climbed from bed. He slipped on shorts and sneakers, snagged his flashlight, and crept from the room. Just as he eased the door closed, it popped open. Gasping, he stumbled backward.

  Trevor stepped into the corridor, the goofy grin on his face chafing Levi’s nerves. “Hey, where you going?”

  “Tower.”

  Oblivious to Levi’s uninviting response, Trevor pulled the door closed behind them. “Can I come?”

  No. Levi shrugged and headed for the tower staircase. As he climbed, he tried to shove aside his crankiness. Trevor was keeping him company like he usually did on these midnight trips. He probably knew Levi was having bad dreams and didn�
�t want him to be alone.

  But Levi wanted to be alone. Why, God? Why won’t you make these dreams leave me? Why won’t you make everything right?

  “So, how’s your family?”

  Levi rolled his eyes in the darkness. “Fine.”

  “Did you tell them hi for me?”

  “Forgot. Sorry.”

  A pause, then Trevor said, “Did you tell your dad about me winning that fencing match against Martin?”

  Ugh. Another reminder of Levi’s puniness. “No.”

  “Oh.”

  The note of disappointment in Trevor’s voice drove his aggravation up another notch. Even though they were almost at the top of the steps, he wheeled around and glared at him in the lantern light. “Why not call your own dad and tell him?”

  Trevor glowered at him, lips pressed into a thin line.

  Levi spun around and took the remaining stairs in two large steps. He shoved open the door and stomped halfway across the roof.

  “What’s with you anyway?” Steel edged Trevor’s words.

  Levi folded his arms over his chest, hands fisted, and glared at the cloud-choked moon. “Nothing’s with me.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  He twisted around. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you need to get over yourself.”

  “Get over myself?” His voice cracked. “Get over myself?”

  “Yeah.” Trevor’s fists balled. His face reddened, and the muscles bulged in his bare upper arms. “Get over yourself.”

  Snarling like a junkyard dog, Levi flew at Trevor and punched with all his strength square into his best friend’s chin.

  Releasing a bellow and a spatter of blood, Trevor snatched Levi in a headlock and punched him in the stomach.

  Sucking wind, Levi dropped to his knees. Trevor stumbled away a few paces.

  “What do the two of you think you’re doing?” an angry voice demanded from near the door.

  Blinking the fireworks show from his eyes, Levi watched Miss Althea grab Trevor by the scruff of his neck. A trail of blood dripped from his friend’s mouth.

  “Up, you.” The tiny woman hauled Levi from the ground. His breath came in ragged gasps. With both boys gripped in her iron claws, she yanked them toward the stairs. “You’re going to Mr. Dominic’s office.”

  Levi wheezed along, bent double from the pain in his middle and the short woman’s grip on his collar. He tried not to fall down the steep staircase as she continued her rant. She reminded him more than ever of her great-aunt Mrs. Forest—minus the gray hair. At least she didn’t have him by the earlobe. “Out of bed in the middle of the night. And on the roof fist-fighting like a pair of hoodlums. Shame on you! I thought you two were friends.”

  Levi was ashamed. What had possessed him to throw a punch at his best friend? The last time he’d slugged somebody had been when Zeke broke his Darth Vader action figure four years earlier. His dad had made him promise he’d never hit anybody like that again.

  When they reached the bottom of the steps without breaking their necks, Miss Althea slammed the door with a sharp kick. “He should send you both home for this one.”

  Levi’s head jerked up. Would Mr. Dominic expel them?

  25

  Awaiting Judgment

  Levi and Trevor sat side-by-side on the stone floor outside Mr. Dominic’s office, where Miss Althea had commanded them to wait. Neither spoke for several moments. Only the muffled sound of voices from the office and the occasional scrub of Trevor’s hand across his bloody mouth filled the silence.

  After the fifth swipe, Levi asked quietly, “Still bleeding?”

  Trevor grunted. “Bit my tongue.” He stuck it out.

  Levi cringed at the bloody tear in its tip. “I’m really sorry.” He looked away. “I shouldn’t have punched you.” He glanced back at Trevor.

  “You got that right.” Trevor leaned against the stone wall and grimaced. “But I guess I got you back.” He smirked. “Didn’t think you were ever gonna quit sucking wind.”

  Levi rubbed his sore belly. “You hit me hard.”

  “Don’t pick a fight if you can’t take the licks. That’s what my dad always says when my brother beats the mess out of me.” Trevor shrugged. “He never cares that my brother picks the fights just so he can cream me.”

  What could Levi say? His dad would never treat him or his brothers so wretchedly.

  “That’s why it gets on my nerves so much.”

  “What?”

  “The way you take your family for granted.”

  “I don’t take—”

  “You do.” Trevor frowned, cracking the blood crusted in the corners of his mouth. “You act like they’re a collective pain in your precious little neck.”

  “That’s not true.” At least not since he got back to camp. “Besides . . .” Levi jerked his back away from the wall as anger coursed through him again. “What do you know about it? I’ve been to your house. You’ve got everything, computers and cars and stuff. And all brand new. You have a flat screen plasma TV in every room of your house. We’ve never had a new TV in our lives.”

  “So? That’s just stuff.”

  With a hand slash, Levi dismissed the statement. “You don’t have somebody breathing down your neck every second, making sure you’re doing what they want, not listening when you tell them you should be able to do what you want. I mean, your dad lets you do anything.”

  Trevor shook his head like he was talking to a particularly dim-witted child. “That’s because he doesn’t give a rat’s behind what I do.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Yeah. Exactly. He doesn’t care what I do because he doesn’t care about me.” He looked like he wanted to slug Levi again. “You’re so dense you don’t even see that your folks pay attention to what you’re doing because they actually care about you.”

  Levi’s ears felt scorched. “They treat me like I’m an infant. Not like a guy who’s battled a sorcerer and survived a trip through the underworld with a dark dwarf and . . . and a dragon and . . .” He trailed off without mentioning the lake monster or the mormo.

  “Did you tell them about any of those things?”

  Levi couldn’t maintain eye contact. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because if I told them, they’d never let me come back.” There. He’d said it out loud. The real reason he still hadn’t confessed, which had almost nothing to do with how hard it’d be for his family to learn about Terracaelum over the phone, and everything to do with his own selfishness.

  Trevor popped him lightly on the arm. “I know your mom would probably freak, but that’s just ’cause she’s your mom. But your dad? He’s always really cool, the way he listens to people. Really listens.”

  Levi studied the wistful expression on his friend’s face. Trevor had spent a lot of time with Levi’s dad when he’d come to their house over Thanksgiving and spring break. He’d even gone with them to their grandparents’ house for Christmas. When Levi’s mom had thrown a family party for Trevor’s birthday, complete with his favorite homemade chocolate cake and a birthday hug, Levi had seen the tears on his lashes. He’d once asked Trevor if his dad minded him spending all those school holidays and special occasions away from home, and the answer had been, “You’ve got to be kidding. Dad doesn’t do special occasions. Not since Mom died.”

  “But your dad drove us to camp,” Levi whispered now, knowing how feeble his words sounded. Trevor’s dad hadn’t spoken any more than necessary on the entire trip and had left before the ferry even arrived.

  “He couldn’t exactly refuse when your dad called to say he had to preach a funeral, now could he? And my brother flat-out told him no way he was gonna drive us.”

  Levi pressed his lips together.

  “I called him,” Trevor whispered.

  “Your dad?”

  His face reddened. “No, yours. When you were late for the phones with that Morgan girl.”

  Now Levi’s face h
eated. “I couldn’t just leave her crying on the stairs, could I?”

  Trevor grinned and shrugged, brows lifted.

  Not going there. “So why’d you call my dad?”

  “Just wanted to talk to somebody who gave a rip, you know.”

  “Yeah.” Levi fell silent, the buzzing conversation in the Dominics’ office suddenly loud in the stillness. He shot a glance at the door. “You think they’ll actually kick us out?”

  Trevor sighed. “I hope not. I sure don’t want to spend the rest of the summer at my house.”

  “I should send you two packing.” Mr. Dominic sat behind his huge antique desk, hands folded as if praying for strength. Beside him, Miss Althea glowered down on them like a judge on convicts.

  Levi shifted in the cushioned chair. Here he sat, in trouble again. The fire blazing nearby had felt good after an eon of sitting on the cold stone floor, but now sweat trickled from his armpits. In the chair next to him, Trevor squirmed.

  “Fist fighting on the tower roof?” Mr. Dominic’s tone was sharp. “Who gave you permission to be out of your beds at this hour?”

  Uh-oh. “It’s my fault, sir.” Levi met the director’s gaze. “I . . . I couldn’t sleep and Trevor . . .” He glanced at his friend then back to Mr. Dominic. “Trevor was just checking on me when I got up.”

  Miss Althea grunted. “That wasn’t checking. That was punching.”

  His eyes flew to hers then back to the director’s. “That was my fault, too. I picked a fight. I’m sorry.”

  The grandfather clock ticked away the silent seconds, then: “Althea, why don’t you go on to bed. I’ll deal with these two.” Mr. Dominic fixed them in a stern glare.

  “If you insist.” Miss Althea huffed as she strode toward the door.

  When she was gone, Mr. Dominic sat tapping his steepled forefingers together. “I must assume you two think the rules don’t apply to you?”

  “Sir?” Trevor shrank back in his seat. “No, sir, we don’t think that.”

  Levi shook his head, eyes wide.

  “There’s a reason hall chaperones do room check every night. Do you know what it is?”