Undercurrents

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  A knock finally came at the door. Shaye opened it with an unsteady hand.

  “Hi! Are you ready?” Matt stuffed his hands in his pockets, surveying the room. Shaye’s side was done simply in white. Only a stuffed animal on the bed and the books on her desk added any color.

  “Let me just grab my jacket.” Shaye slipped it on, patting the inside pocket for her cellular phone.

  “Do you mind if we walk to the stadium? Traffic is a nightmare out there.” Matt held the door open as she passed into the hall.

  Shaye nodded, following him outside. They joined the wave of students heading for the stadium. To her surprise, a number of people greeted Matt as they walked across campus.

  “How do you know so many people?” she asked finally.

  Matt shrugged. “Mostly from classes.”

  Another group waved to Matt as they entered the stadium. He led her to their seats on the forty-yard line, and Shaye settled into her seat, ill at ease. The stadium was filling up quickly, and the crowd was much larger than she had anticipated. Had the crowds seemed so big before the FBI changed her name?

  The two seats next to them remained vacant until moments before the opening kickoff.

  “I was starting to wonder about you.” Matt turned to greet Jenna and Brandon as they sat down. “Shaye, this is my roommate Brandon Wert, and that’s Jenna McDaniels.”

  Jenna smiled warmly, her subtle appraisal of Shaye barely noticeable. “Nice to meet you,” Jenna said, pushing her curly, red hair out of her face.

  “You, too.” Shaye wondered briefly if she had passed inspection.

  Brandon nodded at her, saying nothing. He didn’t take his eyes off of Shaye until she made eye contact with him and he mumbled hello. She couldn’t help but notice that Brandon and Matt were complete opposites in appearance. Brandon’s dark, curly hair and olive complexion suggested Italian ancestry. He was also shorter and more compact than Matt.

  They settled back into their seats as the teams took the field. After the kickoff, Shaye glanced over at Matt and saw that Brandon was staring at her again. Her heart jumped into her throat and panic seized her as Brandon quickly looked away. She glanced at the nearest exit, contemplating her options. Surely Brandon didn’t recognize her—or did he? Agent Pratt had chosen this school because none of the students who attended were from anywhere west of the Mississippi. Still, why would Brandon keep staring at her? Glancing over at him again, she saw he had turned his

  attention to the game. Breathing deeply, she convinced herself she was just being paranoid again. Still, she felt vulnerable and

  unprotected sitting in the crowd.

  At halftime, Matt stood up and stretched his legs. “I’m going to get something to drink. Do you want anything?”

  Shaye shook her head. “I’m fine, thanks.”

  “I’ll come with you.” Brandon stood up and followed Matt to the concessions stand.

  As soon as they left, Jenna slid over, leaving only one empty seat between her and Shaye. “You know, Matt is just the sweetest guy.”

  Shaye nodded, not sure what to say.

  “He probably told you about his breakup with my friend Erica. I’m sure it’s been hard on him. They were such a cute couple.”

  “Brandon seems really nice,” Shaye said, hoping desperately that there wasn’t a long line at the snack bar.

  “Oh, he is. He and Matt do just about everything together. They’ve been roommates since their freshman year,” Jenna told her.

  “That’s great.” Shaye glanced upstairs.

  “Yeah, they’re on the baseball team together too. Of course, Matt plays a lot more than Brandon does. I mean, he could have signed with one of the minor league teams last spring.”

  “Really?” Shaye wasn’t surprised to find out Matt was an athlete. She had already guessed from his build that he was no stranger to the weight room.

  Jenna nodded, waving at some girls who walked by.

  “How long have you and Brandon been going out?” Shaye asked.

  “Almost a year.” Jenna lifted her left hand so Shaye could see the sparkle. “We’re getting married in April.”

  “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks.” Jenna smiled. “We started dating right after Brandon got back from his mission.”

  “Mission?” Shaye couldn’t keep the word from coming out of her mouth. Brandon was LDS, and if so, then was Matt . . . ?

  “Brandon served a mission for our church in Miami for two years,” Jenna continued. “Matt left around the same time for Caracas.”

  Shaye absorbed Jenna’s words, surprised to find herself torn between annoyance and relief. She had already listed Matt in the safe category, knowing she would never seriously date someone not of her religion. Now she was faced with the reality that she would have to deliberately hide her beliefs from Matt even though they were such an integral part of her being. How could she even be the most superficial of friends when she had to lie about everything? Since moving to Virginia, she had deliberately attended the family ward to avoid any contact with fellow students who might attend the singles ward. Until now, she had never really thought it would become an issue.

  She looked up to see Matt and Brandon walking toward them, their arms full of drinks, popcorn, and nachos. Shaye wiped her now-sweaty hands on her jeans, suddenly struck with the realization that Matt wasn’t safe after all. She doubted more than one hundred students at Royal were LDS—how did she manage to run into one of that minority?

  Her gray eyes clouded as she took the tray of drinks from Matt so he could organize the mountain of food in his arms.

  “Do you think you got enough?” she asked, trying to brush off her mood.

  “It’ll have to do. I’m not tackling that line again,” Matt joked. “Here, I got you some nachos.”

  “Thanks.” Shaye forced a smile, handing Matt his drink. Her smile froze when she noticed Brandon staring at her again. She sat back in her seat, trying to look relaxed even though her heart was pounding. He couldn’t know her. Pratt was too careful. But why did he keep watching her?

  The start of the second half drew Brandon’s attention away from her, and before long Shaye found herself watching the game again. She and Matt shared her nachos as the other team continued to score. The cheering died down as it became inevitable that Royal would lose.

  “I guess it’s not looking good for a winning season,” Matt said with a shrug as they got up to leave after the game ended.

  “It was still fun to watch,” Shaye replied, following him up the stairs.

  “Did you guys want to go out somewhere?” Brandon asked, his arm draped around Jenna’s shoulder.

  Matt looked down at Shaye before answering.

  “I really shouldn’t. I have to be up early in the morning,” Shaye told them.

  “We’ll see you later,” Matt said, leading Shaye toward the nearest exit.

  “Nice meeting you,” Jenna called after Shaye.

  Shaye nodded, grateful that Matt hadn’t insisted they join his friends.

  “I hope Jenna didn’t talk your ear off too much at halftime.” Matt shoved his hands in his coat pockets as they walked toward the dorms.

  “She did tell me what a shame it was you and Erica broke up.”

  “She didn’t.” Matt stopped walking, his jaw clenched.

  “I think her exact words were, ‘They were such a cute couple.’” Shaye smiled, then noticed his expression. “I’m sorry, Matt. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “It’s not your fault. I never really even dated Erica. Jenna kept encouraging her to pursue me, though, so Erica wouldn’t leave me alone.” Matt shook his head and started walking again. “I’m just tired of my friends’ interference.”

  Shaye wondered if he would miss it if his friends were all taken away from him. “Was Brandon okay tonight? He kept staring at me.”

  “He just likes to look at pretty girls,” Matt said rather unconvincingly. “I hope Jenna didn’t notice.”
>
  “Jenna mentioned you’re both on the baseball team,” Shaye offered.

  Matt nodded. “I’m guessing you’re on the swim team.”

  Shaye laughed. “Good guess.”

  Matt smiled in response to her laughter. “I think tonight is the first time I’ve seen you with totally dry hair.” Without thinking, he reached over and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

  A shiver ran through her. Matt’s fingers tightened on her hair before he let his hand drop away. Just friends, Shaye reminded herself as they approached her dorm.

  At the front door to her building, Shaye turned to face him. Allowing him to walk her to her door would feel too much like a real date. “I had fun tonight.”

  “Me too.” Matt opened the door and held it for her. “I’ll see you around.”

  Shaye slipped inside and hurried to her room. Relieved that Colleen wasn’t home yet, she dropped to her knees as the tears began to fall. Her heart was heavy as she began her dialogue with the Lord. “Oh, Heavenly Father, please give me strength. I want to have a normal life again, but it hurts so badly to remember what my life was like before. I miss Dad and Chase so much. I’m afraid to care for anyone again.”

  Her fear of yet another loss seemed to overcome her momentarily. It was such a simple thing, but she couldn’t deny she felt something when Matt touched her. There had been a connection unlike any she had felt before. Warmth spread through her as she continued to pray. When she rose from her knees, she looked out the window and hoped for a good tomorrow.

  Chapter Three

  “It looks like you’ve had a productive weekend.” Brandon looked over Matt’s shoulder as Matt created yet another drawing of Shaye.

  “I’m afraid if I stop, I’ll lose my momentum,” Matt told him, trying to capture the shape of her eyes on the paper in front of him.

  Brandon walked over to the bulletin board, now completely covered with sketches of Shaye. “You’ve been working nonstop since Friday night. Don’t you think you need a break?”

  “I don’t want a break.”

  “Come on, Matt. Why don’t you come down to the gym with me? Shoot some hoops.” Brandon blocked the light, forcing Matt to look up. “You already have enough drawings to finish your art class for the rest of the semester.”

  “Maybe.” Matt leaned back in his chair and raked his fingers through his hair. “I can’t figure out what it is about her. There’s something different, intriguing, that makes me feel like I can’t take my eyes off of her.”

  “Sounds like you’re falling for her.” Brandon raised an eyebrow. “She’s really got to you.”

  “It’s not that.” Matt shook his head, trying to remove her image from his memory for a moment. “Even you couldn’t stop staring at her Friday night.”

  “You should have told me that your date was the girl in your drawing.”

  “She didn’t even have a face in that first sketch,” Matt insisted. “Besides, I honestly never thought you’d react that way.”

  “It was just weird to see that drawing in your room and then to walk into a football game and come face-to-face with your mystery girl.”

  “What is it that makes people want to stare like that?”

  “She has a secret,” Brandon said simply.

  “What?” Matt turned back to study his first drawing of Shaye.

  “That’s what makes these drawings so good. When you look at Shaye, you want to find out what’s inside. It’s like her whole life revolves around protecting her secret,” Brandon said, impressing himself with his analysis.

  “Do you have another psychology test next week?” Matt asked suspiciously.

  “Probably.” Brandon grinned, returning to the subject at hand. “What do you see when you look at her?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Exactly.” Brandon moved out of Matt’s light. “There’s one thing you haven’t brought up yet.”

  Matt glanced up at his roommate.

  “She isn’t LDS, is she?”

  “I’m not dating her,” Matt defended himself. “We just went to the game as friends.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Yes.” He didn’t mention that his fascination with her had increased after he had brushed the hair from her face. In that instant he had felt something, a connection.

  “Can’t hurt to mention the Church to her anyway.” Brandon stepped toward the door. “Do you want me to bring you back something to eat?”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Matt nodded, already absorbed again in his artwork.

  He barely slept Sunday night, finding it difficult to tear himself away from his drawing table. By Monday evening, he realized how excited he was about presenting his artwork to his professor.

  When he walked past the aquatics center Tuesday morning, it took all of his willpower to walk past and just keep going. Carrying his portfolio full of sketches, Matt wondered what Shaye would think if she saw them. Would she be flattered or annoyed that she had been the subject of his artwork for the past week? He wanted to wait for her, talk to her, but he knew he couldn’t. At least not today.

  * * *

  Shaye glided through the pool, forcing her head and shoulders above the surface only to dive into the water again. She resembled a dolphin as she gracefully crossed the pool yet another time.

  Wednesday mornings were Shaye’s favorite. The entire practice was spent in the pool, instead of spending a portion of it in the weight room. Her coach had been pushing her to bulk up in preparation for the swim season, but so far Shaye had held her ground. She was

  naturally a light eater, and she had no interest in deliberately gaining weight, even if it was in the form of muscle.

  “Okay, I want you to do a 300 cooldown,” Coach Terrance shouted.

  Without hesitation, Shaye pushed off of the wall. She swam steadily, letting her muscles stay loose. Less than five minutes later, she stripped off her goggles and cap and tossed them onto the deck. She leaned her head back in the water, smoothing her hair before jumping out of the pool.

  Gathering her things, she walked to the locker room, leaving her team behind. She showered and changed, emerging from the locker room fifteen minutes later.

  “You’re really good.”

  Shaye turned around, pleased to hear Matt’s voice.

  “I watched the last part of practice,” Matt said as he approached her. “I didn’t think that the freshmen were supposed to show up the seniors.”

  “Swimming isn’t exactly a sport where everyone improves with age.” Shaye stepped toward the door. “It seems like every year, it gets harder to drop time.”

  “The best always have the hardest time improving.”

  Shaye smiled. “Are you the best on the baseball team?”

  “At first base anyway,” he said with casual confidence.

  They fell into step walking toward the cafeteria, and it wasn’t until they were sitting at their table eating that Matt realized his invitation to have her join him for breakfast had never actually been spoken. Could friendship really be so simple?

  “Do you have plans for the weekend?” Matt asked as they walked to class, brightly colored leaves crunching under their feet.

  “I’ll get a couple of hours of practice in first thing Saturday morning.” Shaye shrugged, trying not to dwell on the fact that her life revolved around a swimming pool. “Besides that, I just have the usual homework.”

  “My church is having a dance Friday night,” Matt started to say.

  Shaye tensed but tried to keep her voice calm. “I’m not much of a dancer. Besides, I don’t think my coach would want me to risk a twisted ankle this early in the season.”

  “How about taking a drive with me Saturday then?” Matt suggested, adapting his plans easily. “We could go up the Blue Ridge Parkway, and I’ll show you this part of Virginia.”

  “Am I saving you again?” Her eyes were still cautious.

  “I’m just following the Boy Scout motto.”r />
  Shaye raised an eyebrow.

  Matt leaned closer and whispered, “Be prepared.”

  As the week went on, Shaye found herself thinking of Matt often. Each morning she found him waiting for her after practice, and eating breakfast together had quickly become a habit she enjoyed each day. Even though she looked forward to their plans on Saturday, she worried. Matt was a returned missionary, and somehow she knew he would bring up the subject of religion again. She couldn’t help but note that if Pratt had done as he promised, her membership records would have been taken care of weeks ago. Instead, she would have to keep hiding that part of her life from Matt until everything was in order.

  She worked out her frustrations in practice, trying to concentrate on her new life here in Virginia. Reliving the past could do nothing but cause her more pain.

  * * *

  She hadn’t known such beautiful scenery was only minutes away. In three months, not once had Shaye ventured more than a few miles from the college. She hadn’t dared. Now, she stared out the car window in fascination.

  Wide fields, already harvested and cleared, were prominent. Hills covered with wild grasses rolled down against the edges of the fields. Rocks protruded from the ground, giving variety and texture to the land that was still alive with color. Vivid red, orange, and purple leaves peppered the ground as well as the branches of the trees above. A variety of evergreens mixed in with deciduous trees, a promise that green would remain throughout the winter until spring awoke once again.

  Not once since entering the Witness Protection Program had Shaye done anything without a purpose. Before today, everything she did had to be calculated within the framework of her new identity. She had never even thought of simply enjoying her new surroundings, content to be just who she was and appreciate the beauty around her.

  The two-lane road meandered through the countryside. Matt drove at a leisurely pace, occasionally giving her pieces of historical information about the towns they passed. Houses were few and far between, typically situated on large spreads of farmland. Some were huge houses that looked like they had been standing, preserved, since before the Civil War. Large white columns supported spacious front porches. Shaye could easily picture the workers in the fields, slaves before the war, hired hands after the Emancipation Proclamation.