Oliver glanced at Anna and May. "Maybe we should just go upstairs?" he suggested quietly.
The girls nodded and they hurried towards the lift.
"Hey, you. Oliver!" Quinn barked, making him cringe.
Oliver walked over to them with a resigned sigh and heard Anna and May following him.
"What's up?" he asked Quinn brightly and Rogan shook his head at him in warning.
Quinn jabbed Oliver in the shoulder with a sharp fingernail. "You have made Larkin ditch us from his team," she hissed.
"How's that my fault?" Oliver asked indignantly.
"Because he doesn't like you and Rogan decided it was a good idea to side with you over him," Quinn said.
"Again. How's that my fault?" Oliver asked, glaring at her. She was slightly shorter than him so he was glad of having the advantage of looking down at her.
Quinn huffed angrily. "Because you're a stupid Earthy," she responded wildly.
"Seriously?" Oliver said, cocking an eyebrow in amusement.
"Guys, can I join your team please?" Rogan asked them politely.
"Course you can," Oliver said, ignoring a look of venom from Quinn.
"Please tell me you're joking? I'd rather sacrifice myself to a hogtrout than compete with them," she said, scowling at Oliver, Anna and May.
"Who said anything about you? I've got a place on their team," Rogan said, walking around to stand beside May.
"Excuse me? You are not competing without me," Quinn demanded.
"Well, I seem to have a team right here, do you?" Rogan asked, folding his arms. "I'd love to meet them, are they around here somewhere?" He looked around Quinn with exaggerated curiosity.
Quinn's face turned red with fury. "YOU ARE NOT COMPETING WITH THEM!" she screeched so high pitched that Oliver only just caught the words.
"Yes. Yes, I am. And if you ask really nicely, they might let you join their team, too," Rogan said, raising an eyebrow at them.
Oliver shrugged and Anna seemed stumped for words.
"You can join us if you want, Quinn," May said and Oliver glanced at her, his anger with Quinn dissolving as he was reminded of how much his sister needed a team.
Quinn didn't even acknowledge her. She shoved Rogan out of the way, stormed past him with a noise like an angry tiger and disappeared into the lift.
"Don't worry, she'll come around," Rogan said.
Oliver shoved his hands in his pockets, hating how much they needed her.
Silence hung in the air for a moment then Anna said one word that brightened his mood by a mile.
"Sumi's?"
* * *
They arrived at Sumi's and took a seat in the corner. Rogan's bushy beard was firmly back in place, only partially concealing the moody frown on his face.
"You okay, man?" Oliver asked as the girls went off to order them some food.
Rogan grunted. "She is the most infuriating person I've ever known."
"Yeah, me too. And I've only known her for half a day," Oliver said with a laugh.
Rogan joined in, breaking his bad mood.
"So, did you meet Larkin on your way home then?" Oliver asked with a flare of annoyance on Rogan's behalf.
"Yeah, we got a pod pretty quick with the guard's help then bumped into Larkin outside the hotel. He'd come over especially to tell us that he'd replaced us with two of his mates. Git," he said, gritting his teeth.
"Are you sure you want to compete with us? I know we're not exactly the strongest contestants," Oliver said, hoping he wouldn't back out on them.
"No, seriously, this is so much better. You guys aren't weak anyway. Did you see the way those two handled themselves back in the cave?" Rogan said, nodding to Anna and May who were chatting together in the queue.
Oliver smiled. "Yeah, I guess."
"Yeah. And I doubt you'd let anything happen to those two in the race, either," Rogan said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Especially Anna," he goaded.
"Shut it," Oliver said, feeling the blood rise under his cheeks. "You've got the advantage with your magic anyway."
"Nope. Magic's banned in the race, it'd be an unfair advantage," Rogan said, leaning back in his chair so it balanced on two legs.
"Oh," Oliver said in surprise. "I guess that makes sense."
The girls returned with some drinks and sat down, placing them on the table. May sat beside Rogan, leaving a sizeable gap between them.
Rogan glanced at her with a crooked smile and she returned it shyly, her cheeks colouring ever so slightly.
"Do you think Quinn will really join our team?" Anna asked Rogan.
"Yeah, she hasn't really got a choice," Rogan said, sipping his drink.
"Do you think she'll be okay getting on with us? If we race together we'll have to work as a team to get through it or we won't stand a chance," Oliver said, remembering Ely's pointers about the race.
"Don't worry she'll be civil. She wants to get a key as much as the rest of us and she'll do what she has to to get one," Rogan said.
"So, we've got a full team?" May said slowly.
"Looks that way," Anna replied with a grin.
"Cheers to that," Oliver said, raising his glass.
* * *
The next morning a knock sounded at the door in Oliver's hotel room. May turned down the survision as Oliver answered it to find Ely and Laura there. He let them in and they sat down together in the living room.
"What happened to you two last night? Laura asked them with a smirk.
"Please don't just wander off without mentioning it," Ely implored. "I have quite enough to worry about."
"Sorry, we went out. But we have good news," Oliver said.
"What's that then?" Ely asked.
"We found our last two team members," May revealed excitedly.
"Really?" Laura asked in surprise.
"That's fantastic. Who are they?" Ely asked.
"Rogan Ganderfield and Quinn Thorn," Oliver announced.
Ely and Laura both laughed.
"Yeah, right," Laura said disbelievingly.
Oliver and May looked at them straight-faced.
"Wait, how do you even know who they are?" Laura asked with a look of confusion.
"We didn't 'til we met them. And now they're on our team," Oliver said frankly, enjoying watching the expressions on their faces.
"Yep," May said with a smug look.
"Please tell me you're being serious?" Ely asked, his round eyes bulging at them.
"Yeah, we are," Oliver said with a smile.
"That's fantastic news!" Ely said, looking at Laura in astonishment.
"Come on. They're not being serious, Dad," Laura said, shaking her head.
"How about they come here for lunch?" Ely challenged them.
"Okay, I'll ask them," Oliver said brightly.
"The only problem now is getting you a place," Ely said thoughtfully.
"Have none of the teams dropped out then?" May asked, looking panicked.
Ely shook his head. "Not to worry, there's time yet." But the looked he gave Laura left Oliver with a sick feeling in his stomach.
* * *
Oliver and May took the lift down to Anna's room, knocking on the door marked 303. Anna's mum answered the door, looking curious at the sight of them. Oliver was glad that she was no longer angry as she seemed like a woman you didn't want to get on the wrong side of.
"Hi, is Anna around?" Oliver asked politely.
"Yes she's about, come on in."
They followed her inside to a room that, although cosy, was noticeably smaller than the rooms they were staying in. Doors led off to bedrooms from the living area.
"Would you like some tea?" she offered.
The Glacian tea tempted Oliver but before he could say yes Anna barrelled into him and dragged him towards the door.
"I'm going out. BYE!" she shouted as she pushed Oliver through the doorway and May backed out ahead of them.
"Annabelle, that's very rude-" her mum's voice was cut off
as Anna slammed the door shut behind her.
"Thanks for saving me. I've been going mad in that room all morning. Mum and Dad have been arguing about me entering the race non-stop. They've decided to only let me race if I promise not to use my key until I'm eighteen if I win one." Anna expelled a breath loudly.
"That sucks," Oliver said, frowning.
"Maybe they'll change their mind?" May suggested with a sad look.
Anna shrugged. "I doubt it." She sighed. "Anyway, where are we going?"
"Erm, upstairs," Oliver said with a laugh.
"Good enough," she said, smiling back.
They returned to the top floor.
"We need to find out if Quinn's definitely joining us," May said as they exited the lift.
Oliver nodded and they walked down the corridor.
"I don't know what room they're in," Oliver said. "It's around here somewhere." He gestured to the doors further down the corridor.
"ROGAN?" Anna shouted and May giggled.
A door to their right opened a moment later. "You called?" Rogan stood there, leaning against the door frame, his muscular arms folded across his chest.
"Hey, man, you alright?" Oliver asked.
"Good, come on in," he said with a grin.
They followed him inside. His room was far grander than Oliver's; a large seating area surrounded a raised, spherical tank filled with exotic looking fish with two heads. Floor length windows led out to a balcony that overlooked the city, a hot tub sat to one side of it.
"Wow," Anna said, looking impressed.
"Bloody hell Rogan, do you and Quinn really need all this space?" Oliver asked, taking a seat in front of the elaborate fish tank.
"Actually, it's just me. Quinn's in a room across the hall," Rogan said.
"You guys don't share a room?" May asked, almost knocking over a delicate glass ornament as she passed it.
Rogan righted it with a flash of magic and they shared a grin that said almost. "No, I mean, we're engaged but...we won't really share a room 'til we're married..." he trailed off, running a hand down the back of his head.
"Oh, right," May said awkwardly as she ducked around him and took a seat on the sofa next to Anna.
"When's the big day?" Anna asked.
"We haven't set a date yet. We have to be married by the time we're twenty one so we've got almost three years to decide," Rogan said with a yawn.
"Did she agree to join our team?" Oliver asked anxiously, watching as two fish swam around each other in circles.
"Yep. I talked her round. She's not happy about it by a long shot but she's agreed," Rogan said, dropping into an armchair.
"That's more than I expected to be honest," Oliver said. "You must be more charming than I realised."
Rogan picked up a cushion off his chair and lobbed it at him. Oliver ducked it with a laugh.
"And I rang my agent to sort out the details. He was so mad when I told him me and Quinn had swapped teams," Rogan said, grinning at the memory.
"But it isn't a problem, is it?" May asked, creases forming on her brow.
"No way, it's sorted. Someone dropped out of the race and we got their place. Easy peasy," Rogan said.
Oliver glanced at May who frowned.
"Our grandfather said no one had dropped out," May said.
Rogan shrugged. "Apparently they did."
Anna made a noise of excitement in her throat. "I can't wait for the opening ceremony!"
"The what?" May questioned with a frown.
"It's just a way of building up hype for the race. They do a quick interview of all the teams and introduce this season's guest commentator. Nothing to worry about," Rogan said confidently.
"As long as we're racing, that's all that matters," Oliver said with a sigh of relief.
18
Fame and Misfortune
The day of the Opening Ceremony arrived a week before the race began. Oliver, May and Anna spent the day shopping for clothes in the city. They bought outfits for the ceremony that evening and Oliver and May purchased extra clothes for their extended trip.
Late in the afternoon, they returned to the hotel to get ready. Oliver showered and began dressing in his new clothes. Before he pulled on his shirt he glanced at the place on his arm where the vark's blade had sliced it open.
Though there was no scar to mark the wound, the memory of it made him shiver and he quickly pulled his top on. He checked his smart outfit in the bathroom mirror, pushing away the thought of the creature. He flattened his hair down, pulled on his jacket and went to the lounge.
A knock on the door sounded and May stepped into the room in a pretty, pink dress that dropped to the knee. Her hair was curled up into a delicate bun with loose strands that fell about her face and neck. She twirled one with her finger and looked at Oliver with raised eyebrows. "Do I look okay?"
"You look nice. You remind me of Mum in that colour," he said with a sideways grin.
Her face fell a little and she touched her hair self-consciously. "I don't look like her though."
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not related to her, so I can't resemble her," she said a little sharply.
Oliver was taken aback. "Where did that come from?"
Her eyes went skyward and the whites of them sparkled. "It's the truth."
He stepped toward her. "Maybe, but so what? What difference does it make?"
"I dunno, Olly." She blinked as she met his gaze. "It's just- you've found out so much about your family since we've been here and I can't help but think I'm never gonna know anything about mine."
"Me and Mum are your family," Oliver said with a pang of annoyance.
"I know. That's not what I'm saying. It'd just be nice to know where I came from. All I remember is waking up in that hospital when I was six years old like nothing ever existed before that moment."
Oliver softened. "I know, I'm sorry."
Her shoulders dropped. "Finding out about these other worlds has made me question everything," she said, looking exasperated.
He nodded, waiting for her to go on.
"I used to think the only way I could have ended up in that road is if someone abandoned me there or if I was in some accident. But now...now I don't know what to think. What if I'm from one of these worlds? Maybe my parents were looking for me?" She touched her forehead with a grimace as if she was getting a headache and he reached for her, pulling her into a hug. He wasn't sure what else he could do.
She sighed and he sensed the tension go out of her body.
"Thanks," she said, stepping away.
"Maybe we can look into missing person reports here or something?" he suggested but she was already shaking her head.
"No, I'm just being silly. We don't have time to do anything like that." Her hand moved to her chest where the mark of the curse lay beneath her dress.
He nodded sadly. "Well, how about...when you're cured we'll look into it?"
She chewed her lip then nodded. "Okay." Her face brightened and he relaxed.
"Good." He grinned.
A knock on the door sounded and Oliver opened it to find Ely standing there looking surprisingly dapper in a navy suit.
"Shall we get going?" he asked, and they followed him down to the lobby.
"Where's Laura?" Oliver asked as the lift descended.
"She's already there. She'll be interviewed with the rest of the Race Committee so you might bump into her backstage," Ely replied.
The lift door opened to reveal Anna standing there in a peach dress with her hair pulled to one side. Oliver's mouth felt suddenly parched.
"I'll just go order a pod," Ely said and exited through the revolving door.
"Good evening," Anna said, beaming as she bounced on her toes with excitement.
"You look nice," Oliver told her a little stiffly.
"Thanks," she said quietly.
Rogan and Quinn appeared in the lift looking impeccable. Rogan was dressed in a smart suit with the shirt un
buttoned at the top and the sleeves of his jacket rolled back. Quinn wore a full-length, red dress that was cut so low and slit so high that Oliver wasn't sure where to look.
The clerks at reception swung around to stare at them as the couple joined their group, whispering to each other in low voices.
"Excited?" Rogan asked with a grin as he approached.
Oliver shrugged. "They're only gonna be interested in you and Quinn."
"That's true," Quinn said loftily. Her eyes scanned May's outfit and she raised her eyebrows. "I love your dress."
May glanced down at herself. "Oh, thanks."
Quinn shrugged lightly and led the way out of the hotel.
Ely was waiting for them by a large taxi pod. They climbed in and Oliver felt his heartbeat quicken as the pod glided forward along the street toward the unknown.
* * *
The opening ceremony was held in an enormous stadium on the outskirts of the city next to the lake. It was a seven-sided structure with a sharp spire on each corner, towering into the air. Atop the towers were lights painting patterns in the night sky.
Thousands of people were queuing in through a large gateway but their pod continued to circle the structure until they were far away from the crowd.
They exited the pod and a doorman checked off their names as they entered the stadium through a private entrance. "Upstairs and to the left," the man directed.
They followed his directions and entered a luxurious room with a wooden floor, gold satin draped along the walls and a buffet table to one side. Groups of people stood around chatting excitedly and five officials sat at the far end of the room, amongst whom, was Laura. She waved at them and Oliver led the way towards her.
"How are you feeling?" Laura asked, grinning at them. "Not too nervous I hope?"
"It's bigger than I expected," Oliver said honestly.
"Do we have to go out in front of all those people?" May asked, looking slightly pale.
"You'll be fine," Laura said, indirectly answering her question. She gestured for them to lean closer, her face scrunched up with excitement. "Wait 'til you see who the guest commentator is."
"Who?" May asked.
Laura mimed zipping her lips.
"What's our team name?" Rogan asked excitedly.
"You're Team Pandalin," a dark-haired woman next to Laura said, handing out metal badges with the name on.
Creeping Shadow (The Rise of Isaac, Book One) Page 19