Eerie

Hailey held her breath to stop the agony inside her foot. It didn’t work. And as she lost consciousness, she heard Giselle cussing her out.

  “Oh no you don’t, I told you—shit!”

  “ . . .why you won’t just heal her foot . . .” A familiar voice trailed in and out as Hailey opened her eyes.

  “She must ask for such a favor,” Asher answered sharply, and Hailey blinked, recognizing the naked bed under her as her own.

  “Well, you’re a real gentleman, Asher,” Fin said in a voice dripping with sarcasm. And then he proceeded to mock the Envoy in an overly dramatic and holier-than-thou voice. “Beg for forgiveness, and I shall heal you. You’re such a romantic. Make sure you tell her she’ll be your slave for eternity.”

  The next thing Hailey heard was a choking noise, and she turned her head to see Asher holding Fin up by his throat, pinning him against her closet.

  “It’s nice to see you two getting along,” she mumbled.

  Dropping Fin, Asher turned to face her.

  Fin stood up and cleared his throat.

  They both glared at her.

  “I told you to go to the hospital!” they yelled in unison, one pointing at her foot, and the other in a southern direction.

  Looking from one angry face to the other, Hailey scooted back from them in her bed. Then she surveyed her foot, which was still attached and nicely bandaged.

  “I didn’t need the hospital,” she shrugged. “Giselle got the splinter out just fine.”

  She looked at her roommate’s bed and the ceiling above it then the floor in front of it, but Giselle wasn’t home.

  Asher stepped toward her, looking angrier than she’d ever seen him, his eyes letting off flashes of dark violet.

  Looking up at him, Hailey frowned as she imagined his smooth voice full of scorn. But he said nothing. Instead, he simply turned and walked out, leaving Hailey with all of the guilt and none of the balancing anger she would’ve had if he had chewed her out.

  Fin sat on the bed, and Hailey scooted next to him.

  “He’s going to lock me up,” she said objectively, “or expel me.”

  Fin patted her leg. “I don’t think so.” He nodded at her desk. There, in a neat tower, sat all of her books, a box of vibrating crystals, a pair of Indispensable Magnoggles, a vial of gold dust and next to that, a stack of Bear Towne sweats. A new pair of wellies stood on the floor in front of it all.

  “Did you find my books?” she asked excitedly.

  “No,” he answered in a long, drawn-out monotone. “Asher brought you new ones.” Fin threw his arm out, looking thoroughly one-upped. “Tell you what,” he said turning his charming smile to her. “I’ll drive you into town on Thursday after your music class, and you can do some shopping.”

  Closing her eyes, Hailey smiled and threw her arms around him.

  He held her close, resting his forehead gently against hers for a long moment.

  “Try to be more careful, okay?” he whispered, and then he kissed her cheek, got up, and left.

  After the door closed, Hailey clutched her chest and stared at the floor.

  He’s an asshole. Giselle’s voice grated inside her head, abruptly ending her swoon.

  Rubbing her forehead, Hailey turned her attention to the pile of goodies on her desk and hobbled over to check them out.

  Not only had Asher replaced all of her class materials, he’d added a book on mountaineering in Columbia with a note:

  Take this with you to the Library. Mrs. Spitz will like it.

  He’d also left an Indispensable flashlight, a first aid kit, and a vase full of wildflowers. Hailey shook her head at all of it, smiling sadly as she puzzled over Asher’s quirks.

  Why was he so . . .so . . .grumpy? Clearly he cared about her, she thought as she gently touched some thistle in the bouquet.

  For the second night in a row, Giselle didn’t come home, and Hailey had no idea if she should be worried as she got ready for bed. There was nothing normal about Giselle. There was nothing normal about Bear Towne.

  Unhooking the ghost trap from her window, Hailey carried it into the shower, hoping to snag the little brat that had stolen her clothes. With her foot wrapped in a plastic bag and her senses on high alert, she moved her head under the faucet, and just as the spray hit her face, a slight vibration disturbed the air.

  Pivoting on her bad heel, Hailey lunged into the changing stall, ghost trap in hand and clobbered the would-be brat over the head with it—which did absolutely nothing. In fact, the poltergeist paused only momentarily to point and laugh, and then it grabbed Hailey’s sweat pants and took off.

  “Tomas!” she yelled, limping as fast as she could out of the stall. She didn’t care that she was naked—she was going to catch that little trouble-maker.

  Tomas appeared in the mirrors, looking confused.

  Hailey pointed to the brat on the ceiling, which taunted her by waving her sweat pants. “That urchin stole my pants again. Can you get them back?”

  “Jawohl” materialized on the mirror, and Tomas flew to the ceiling. A polter-scuffle took place there, which looked cartoonish, and after a few seconds, her sweat pants popped out and fell to the floor. The brat wailed and flew away, and Tomas reappeared in the mirror, smiling victoriously.

  “Great work, Tomas,” she told him, holding up her pants. “Listen, I’m designing a new ghost trap, and I’ll need a test subject. Wanna help me?”

  Tomas tapped his chin thoughtfully then nodded, saluted, and disappeared.

  That night, Hailey made it half-way through her new copy of Balance and the Aether: The Lessons of the Seven Envoys, before she fell asleep with Asher on her mind (one of the seven mentioned in her textbook). She had a thousand questions and found him waiting for her in the Aether.

  “Asher,” she called as she hobbled near.

  He stood on a bluff, facing a breathtaking view of snow-draped mountains and turned only slightly to greet her.

  “I find it very difficult to talk to you on Earth,” he said.

  It shouldn’t have been a surprise, but hearing it so plainly sort of hurt Hailey’s feelings.

  “I’m very quickly frustrated with your defiance,” he went on, and Hailey pressed her lips together.

  “Asher. You threatened to lock me up. How am I supposed to respond to that?”

  He stepped away from the bluff, and Hailey shambled behind him.

  “I really like the flowers,” she offered, trying to keep up.

  “They remind me of you—wildflowers.” he said sharply, but then his mouth twitched. Hailey wasn’t sure how to take it.

  “You’re doing it again. You make me so nervous—it seems like you’re always mad at me, I—”

  He spun around. “Hailey, I wish to heal your foot.”

  “You can do that?”

  “Yes,” he said, looking apologetic. “But not here. It has to be done on Earth. May I come see you?”

  Hailey beamed. “Of course!”

  She reached out to him, and he moved his translucent hand over hers.

  “Then I will see you soon.”

  Hailey woke just as Asher was leaving her room.

  “Asher. Wait,” she said groggily, and he hesitated at the door. “Won’t you stay and talk to me?”

  His eyes glowed warmly when he turned to her. She swung her feet over the side of her bed and wiggled them excitedly.

  “Did you fix my foot?”

  “I did,” he answered even as Hailey unwrapped the bandages.

  “This is amazing,” she said, pirouetting and laughing her relief. “Thank you!”

  Without thinking, she danced to the door and flung her arms around him, hugging him tight—something she’d always longed to do when she’d seen him in the Aether. It felt good to feel him close; it felt warm and safe.

  But
when Asher didn’t embrace her, she slid her arms off him and stepped back.

  “Why did you do that?” he asked.

  “I guess I was happy to see you,” she said, cringing inside. Clearly, she’d invaded his personal space. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” Asher took her hand and pulled her back into him. “I can never predict you,” he said, stroking her back, and Hailey melted into his powerful arms.

  “Clothes,” she blurted, leaning slightly away. “I was only wearing Fin’s clothes because a poltergeist stole mine. I wasn’t—”

  “I’m aware,” was all he said, and Hailey studied his eyes.

  “So, you’re not going to kick me out of lab tomorrow?” she teased.

  “No.”

  “What are we going to work on—crystals?” Sliding out of his arms, she pranced to her pile of school materials, unable to hide her curiosity as she held up the vibrating box.

  “Or . . .” She put those down and pulled on her Magnoggles, which reminded her of something the Red Baron would wear. “What do these do?” she asked when she found him looking perfectly normal on the other side of the lens.

  “They allow you to view the Northern Lights.”

  “Oh.” Pulling them off, she turned them over in her hands. “You can’t see the Northern Lights without goggles?”

  “Not properly,” he told her. “I’m afraid we won’t be using them until November.”

  “What about this?” She held up her vial of gold dust and shook it.

  “For calibrating a ghost trap,” he said striding toward her.

  “You have to calibrate them . . .oh . . .” Hailey said thoughtfully.

  Very gently, Asher took the vial from her hand, pausing to brush his fingers across her skin. “You remind me of the wonder I felt when I first came to your world. And I very much look forward to working with you.” He gazed into her wide eyes for several seconds before placing her vial of gold dust back on the desk.

  “Tomorrow, we’ll discuss DOPPLER,” he said with a somber tone, but Hailey was still transfixed by his swirling eyes—so adoring, so kind.

  “DOPPLER . . .” she repeated dreamily. Then she blinked several times, remembering Tomas.

  “Why did they kidnap my poltergeist?”

  Asher nodded, seeming to already know what she was talking about. “The men there are ambitious. They seek information and leverage in their dealings with the Envoys, and they know that you’re . . .important...to me.”

  “Am I?”

  Asher trapped her in his piercing stare again. “I would reorder the world for you,” he told her softly, and Hailey caught her breath.

  Hailey-Khu and Schatz—that’s what Tomas meant—she was Asher’s treasure—he protected her soul. She dropped her gaze, not sure she rated such a compliment even as Asher pulled her close and moved his lips to her ear. “I promise you, Hailey,” he whispered, “I’ll never lock you away. Forgive me for suggesting it.”

  As he looked her in the eyes again, Hailey held her breath, convinced he was about to kiss her.

  Instead, he stepped back and surveyed her room.

  “How are you adjusting to Alaska? Do you require anything?” he asked, and Hailey breathed again.

  “No, I don’t think so.” She waved her arm at her school books. “Thank you for bringing me all this. You’re a life saver. And Fin’s driving me into Anchorage on Thursday for some . . .shopping . . .”

  Hailey’s voice died when Asher flicked his eyes at her. They erupted, and without explanation, he stormed out of her room, slamming the door behind him.

  If she had a pillow, Hailey would have screamed into it.

  In the morning, Fin caught up to Hailey as she bounded down the stairs, heading purposefully toward Olde Main for her first lab with Asher.

  “Why are you wearing your wellies? It’s not raining,” was how he greeted her.

  “My sneakers ran away.” She pointed at his feet. “It’s forty degrees out here—I can’t believe you’re wearing flip-flops.”

  “This is Alaska, Hailey. It doesn’t matter how cold it is—if there’s no snow on the ground, it’s flip-flop weather.”

  Hailey nodded, impressed.

  “How’s the agony of the feet this morning?” he asked.

  “Great! It’s completely healed,” she said brightly, and Fin stopped her.

  “You didn’t ask Asher to heal your foot, did you?” he said, his eyes narrow.

  “No,” she said defensively. “He just showed up in the middle of the night and fixed it.” Hailey’s stomach dropped. “Why?”

  “Because,” he cautioned her, “if you ask for a favor from an Envoy, it’s like handing them an eternal free pass into your head. They basically make you their immortal slave forever and ever amen.”

  “Well, I don’t think I asked him . . . I mean, I remember talking to him in my dream, but I don’t remember what we said.”

  “Oh, you’d remember.”

  “He’s mad at me again, anyway,” Hailey said glumly. “I told him you were taking me to Anchorage, and he just left. He slammed the door.”

  Fin laughed out loud.

  Hailey shot him a sharp look. “It’s not funny.”

  “Ohhhhh,” Fin sighed heartily. “Sorry,” he said, still tickled.

  “Do you know where Giselle is?” she asked to change the subject. She hadn’t seen her roommate since the carnivorous splinter incident.

  “I don’t know—sharpening her demon teeth?”

  Hailey rolled her eyes, and Fin held his hands up as they approached Olde Main.

  “I have no idea what that thing does,” he told her, opening the door. “You’re in Lab 1, which is down there.” He pointed to a hallway that was stretching and compressing like a horizontal slinky. “I’m upstairs, so I’ll catch up with you later,” he said, walking backwards as he spoke, and Hailey waved.

  Wearing her wellies, Bear Towne sweatpants, and a “Where the heck is The Middle of Nowhere” sweatshirt, she shuffled into Lab 1 a full ten minutes early. It would have been fifteen, but she’d stopped in the girl’s bathroom to fuss over her hair, which Tomas had insisted she wear down.

  After thirty minutes of staring at the door, waiting for Asher to arrive, Hailey gave up and decided to pay a visit to Dr. Woodfork, whose office was also on the first floor.

  She found his door slightly ajar and heard the unmistakable boom of Asher’s voice coming from inside.

  “Get rid of her, Simeon, or I will,” he almost roared.

  Shoot. Is he talking about me?

  He stormed into the hallway but stopped abruptly when he saw Hailey. His mouth turned down, and he tilted his head away from her.

  “You will leave this place,” he said with ice in his voice.

  Her heart fell. Eyebrows squished together, she glanced at Dr. Woodfork for an explanation, but he avoided her.

  She swallowed hard. “I . . .no. I will not,” she said, looking Asher up and down.

  When he put his face in hers like a drill sergeant, she pulled her head back slightly but refused to back away, even as her throat tightened. She stared at him defiantly, and he stared back, a thunderstorm of dark violet clouds rumbling to life inside his eyes.

  Then, as suddenly as the storm in his eyes erupted, it dissipated, and his face softened.

  “It’s no longer safe for you here,” he said gently, and he dropped his gaze then walked out, leaving Hailey stunned into silence and staring after him.

  She turned to Professor Woodfork, following him into his office as he retreated. “What was that?” she breathed, struggling to keep her voice steady.

  “Oh, dear,” said the professor, sighing deeply as he sat pensively at his desk. “Ah, don’t worry,” he said brightly. “I don’t believe he truly wishes for you to leave. Come,” He motioned he
r to a leather armchair near a woodstove. “I’ll conduct your first lab. Let’s have a short discussion about Envoys, shall we?”

  Standing, he plucked a book from his shelf and placed it into Hailey’s hands. “He’ll probably know that I’ve given you this—he can see into my mind, but he doesn’t always look. Still, best if you didn’t mention it to him,” he warned, and Hailey nodded.

  She ran her hand over the gilded leather cover. It was obviously an antique, an objet d’art in remarkable condition, and a book he’d written himself—a chronicle penned in an elegant old script. She hungrily scanned the first couple pages, picking out the gist of the story of the Envoys.

  During the seventeenth century B.C., a king among men became obsessed with the Aether, the realm, which holds life energy, as he believed he could harness and wield its power. What few records survive, indicate the king conducted barbaric experiments in his effort to understand the Aether, oftentimes slaughtering his slaves while they slept.

  Through a series of increasingly larger explosions, the king succeeded in tearing the barrier between the worlds. It remained open for several seconds, during which a vortex pulled many Envoys from their home in the Aether and hurled them onto the Earth.

  Fascinated, Hailey flipped to the center of the book.

  Seven of the Envoys pulled across the veil made contact with humans: Theon the Loyal, Asher the Benevolent, Cobon the Clever, Kiya the Serene, Adalwolf the Veracious . . .

  Flipping again, she found what she was looking for.

  An Envoy is devoid of emotion, incapable of experiencing what we call “feelings.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  A Dark Tunnel

  “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,

  Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

  - William Shakespeare, Hamlet

  Hailey stood, staring at those lines, lips parted as some mix of disbelief and horror bubbled in her stomach.

  . . .devoid of emotion . . .

  That . . .couldn’t be right. Could it?

  Asher certainly had at least anger figured out. And he cared about her—he’d said so.