By the time he finished, I was crying again. I couldn’t come up with a snarky response or throw a pillow at him. He slid in beside me and, once again, held me while I cried. When I calmed down, I whispered, “All of the above.”
“I’m sorry for being brutally honest.”
“It’s okay.” I missed Torin’s arms. Eirik’s weren’t bad. They just weren’t Torin’s.
I fell into a fitful sleep. Hours later I shivered. Eirik. Had he turned evil again? I moved my arm to find him, but I was alone in bed. I lifted my head to check if he was in the pullout bed and then saw a movement from the corner of my eye. Eirik walked to the pullout bed and bent over. I smiled. He must have decided to move to his bed.
I opened my mouth to tell him goodnight, but the words froze in my throat. When had he changed into a hoodie? No, not a hoodie. A hooded robe, like a grim reaper’s. My stomach hollowed out as realization hit me, my heart pounding. This wasn’t a grim reaper. It was a Grimnir. And the only reason for a Grimnir to be in my house was to get my father’s soul. What was he doing in my room?
Anger slammed through me. Watching the Grimnir bend over Eirik, I carefully reached the bottom drawer where I’d hidden the dagger the Norns had given me. I opened it slowly and reached inside. My hand touched the bottom of the drawer.
The dagger was gone.
Starting to panic, I moved my fingers around, desperately searching for it. The Grimnir must have heard me because he froze. I froze too, heart pounding. Then a glow came from the bed. A familiar glow. The glow of fresh runes. I tried to use the glow to see his face, but because of the hood, I couldn’t. I saw the artavus in his hand. Why would a Grimnir etch runes on Eirik?
Instead of continuing to search for the dagger, I reached up and turned on the lights. Light flooded my room. I caught a glimpse of a face and blonde hair under the hood before the Grimnir leaped across the room at a super speed and disappeared through the mirror portal.
No, it couldn’t be.
I scrambled from my bed and knelt by Eirik’s side. The runes were gone, but his skin was still pink, showing the outline of the runes. As I watched, the pinkness disappeared, too. I stared at the mirror where the Grimnir had disappeared. Grief must be messing with my head because… I covered my mouth with trembling hands, reaction setting in.
There was no way the person poisoning Eirik and impersonating a Grimnir was Cora.
25. WHY CORA?
“I got your texts,” Andris said walking toward me. “Ten of them. Where are we going at this ungodly hour?”
It was six thirty. First period didn’t start until seven forty. “To Cora’s. We’ll take my car.”
He didn’t move. “May I ask why we’re going to the home of the girl trying to turn your BFF into a monster?”
“I want to know who she’s working with.”
“Why? It doesn’t make her any less guilty.”
“I know. Let’s. Just. Go.”
He made a face. “Okay, but we’ll take the SUV.” He grabbed my backpack from the back of my car. I locked my car and followed him across the lawn. My parents were still asleep. Eirik had left early, but I hadn’t told him what I’d seen last night. He wouldn’t believe me. Cora could do no wrong in his eyes. If, and that was a big if, she was guilty, he’d need proof. I needed proof. I still couldn’t believe she was an Immortal. Was she always one or had Maliina done something to her and started the process? Were her parents Immortals, too?
I got in the front passenger seat and realized Ingrid was in the back.
“She knows everything,” Andris explained. “You can trust her.”
Looking into her eyes, a memory flitted through my head, but it disappeared before I could grasp it. I shook my head, trying to understand.
“Why are you shaking your head? You don’t trust me?” Ingrid asked, sounding insulted.
“No, that’s not it.”
“I am not my sister, Raine,” Ingrid said, her voice rising. “I’m not manipulative or mean, and I would never poison Eirik. And to clear the air, I don’t blame you for what happened to her. I might have at one time, but I don’t anymore. I know what she did to you and Cora, and how she manipulated Andris to turn me into an Immortal.”
I sighed. I had enough crap to deal with without this. “I didn’t say I don’t trust you, Ingrid. Okay?” I took a deep breath to calm down. There was no point taking out my frustration on her. I faced forward, more confused than last night. There was something about her and last night that was bugging me. When I glanced at Andris, he just shrugged.
He started the car and left the cul-de-sac. “Okay, start talking. What do you think is going on?”
“I don’t know what to think. Cora etched Eirik with new runes and moved like an Immortal, yet the Cora I know would never hurt Eirik. Not willingly anyway. Someone is making her do this.”
“Did you tell Eirik what you saw?” Andris asked.
“No way. We can’t tell him yet. One, he won’t believe us. Two, if he thinks someone is out to hurt Cora, he’ll get pissed, and when he’s pissed—”
“His dark side takes over,” Andris finished.
“The only way to prove she’s the one is catch her in the act. Can you sketch runes around my bedroom to trap her in case she comes back?”
“Sure. Although Lavania used powerful bind runes I’ve never seen before.”
“I remember them,” Ingrid said. “If you like, I can sketch them.”
I turned and smiled. “Thanks, Ingrid. That would helpful.”
“So why are we going to Cora’s place?” she asked.
“To watch and follow her. I’ve dealt with Norns before, and this has their names written all over it. They are determined to make me join them. If she’s working with them, we’ll have the proof we need to confront them.” And leverage in case they came after us.
“Would they poison Odin’s grandson to get to you?” Andris asked. “That’s pretty extreme.”
I shook my head. “Like I said, I don’t know what’s going on. All I know is Cora cannot be doing this on her own. Remember the dagger I told you guys the Norns tried to force me to take?”
“The one meant to kill Eirik when he changes?” Ingrid asked.
“Yes. I took it.”
“What? Why?” Andris and Ingrid asked at the same time.
“I did it to stop whoever is poisoning him, not to use it on Eirik. The Norns told me it could kill her. It’s missing. My room wasn’t ransacked by whoever stole it, which means the person knew exactly where to look. The Norns are the only ones who saw me put it away.” Thinking about the crones only pissed me off. Cora must have taken it last night. “They probably never meant for me to use it. I bet it was all part of an elaborate scam to manipulate me into joining them. ”
“How?” Ingrid asked.
“For me to help Eirik, I had to accept him as my responsibility. To do that his life had to be in danger.”
“You do know this is all just an assumption,” Andris said. “You still have to prove it.”
“Or we could just trap Cora and force her to confess. We’ll have what we need to get rid of the Norns once and for all. I’m just surprised they are willing to turn Eirik into a monster. He will live with those runes forever.”
“Who told you that?” Andris asked.
“The Norns. They said Eirik will always have them in him and he must learn to suppress their effect.” My gaze swung between Andris and Ingrid. “What if they lied?”
Silence followed as we digested that piece of information. If they’d lied, Eirik would be okay. Please, let Eirik be okay.
I gave Andris directions, until we entered the road leading to Cora’s farm. He pulled up under a tree where we had a clear view of the farmhouse and the barn. Cora’s car was missing from the front of the house. I was so hoping it would be where Ingrid could etch it with trap runes.
The more I thought about Cora, the angrier I became. The girl I’d known all these years couldn’t hurt
Eirik or me. Assuming she hadn’t always been an Immortal. Was she a willing participant in all this or a helpless pawn? Would she be willing to help me? Surely, our friendship meant something to her.
“Change of plans, drive to the house,” I instructed Andris.
“Raine—”
“I’m going to talk to her.”
Andris turned and faced me. “What are you going to tell her?”
“I don’t know. I’ll wing it.”
His brow shot up. “Wing it? How? ‘Hey, Cora, I know you’re an evil Immortal, but since we’re BFFs help me stop three of the most powerful beings in the world from ruining my life.’ FYI, the Norns want you. The rest of us are expendable as far as they’re concerned. They can erase our memories and screw up our destinies without losing sleep as long as they get what they want. And that’s you. Think very carefully what you plan to say to their little pawn because they’ll know about it.”
I swallowed, hating the thought that I might put him and Ingrid in danger. “When we get there, stay in the car, so she doesn’t see you.”
Andris grimaced. “What? Do I look like a coward to you? Torin left me in charge, so wherever you go, I go.”
“Seriously?” I glanced at Ingrid.
“Don’t look at me,” she said, her lips twitching. “He’s an annoying mass of contradictions.”
He gunned the engine, drove down the narrow road, and parked in front of the house. The barn door opened before he switched off the engine and Cora’s mother stepped outside. As usual, she wore dungarees, galoshes, and a heavy jacket. From the two baskets on her arms, she’d been collection eggs from the chicken coop. I got out of the car and waved.
“Who’s that?” Ingrid asked. I hadn’t realized she was out of the car until she spoke.
“Stay in the car.” But I might as well have been talking to myself. She and Andris were right behind me as I went to meet Cora’s mother. “You need help with those?”
“No.” Her grip tightened on the baskets. “What are you doing here, Lorraine.”
Her voice was cold. She was usually so nice and warm. “I came to pick up Cora. You know, save her the drive to school. We have playoffs today.”
“She’s not ready to come back to school yet.” She eyed Andris and Ingrid coldly. “So you and your friends just get going.” She brushed past us.
I exchanged a bewildered look with Andris and Ingrid. “Mrs. Jemison—”
“Lorraine,” she snapped and turned. “It’s going to take Cora a long time to fully recover, and when she does, she will be home-schooled. I thought I explained it in the text message I sent you on Thursday night when we got home.” She shook her head, gray eyes narrowed. “I told James there was no point in telling you Cora was home, but he insisted. He sees the good in people where there is none.”
I swallowed, not understanding her animosity or what she was taking about. “I didn’t get a text from you, Mrs. Jemison. And Cora and I are friends.”
She sighed and tilted her head to the side, her eyes narrowing. “Then where have you been since she was admitted at PMI. I know you had to deal with a lot after you lost your friends during that meet, but so did Cora. She had nightmares about seeing glowing people, you and your mother walking through walls. It’s taken her weeks to accept that what she saw was induced by grief—that it was not real.” She sighed. “It broke my heart that you never called to ask us how she was doing or whether she was allowed visitors when you used to be so close. In the last couple of weeks, she asked about you every time we went to visit her.”
Panic slamming through me, I tried to keep up with the information she was throwing at me. Providence Mental Institute, or PMI, was a psychiatric hospital in Salem. If Cora had been committed, who was impersonating her at school?
“I swear I didn’t know Cora was at PMI,” I said.
“Really? I find that very hard to believe. I don’t understand you kids. You live for the moment and value your social status more than being there for a friend.” She sighed. “Please, go to school, Lorraine. Cora needs to be surrounded by her family and those who care about her. I will not have her recovery jeopardized by anyone.” She marched past us to the house.
I stared after her, my throat tight. A feeling that we were being watched washed over me, and I glanced up at Cora’s bedroom window. I thought I saw a face, but I could have been mistaken. “Let’s go.”
“What is PMI?” Andris asked as we pulled away.
“Providence Mental Institute. Whoever is pretending to be Cora must be a Norn.”
“Norn?” Ingrid asked.
“Yes. They can impersonate people. Catie, Marj, and Jeannette do it all the time. Funny how I can sense them, yet I couldn’t sense the fake Cora. Maybe I was emotionally too close to her. She acted just like Cora, her mannerism, her likes, dislikes… everything.” I grinned. “But this is great. Cora didn’t try to hurt Eirik. All this time it was…” I covered my mouth. “Oh God.”
“I was wondering when it would hit her,” Ingrid murmured.
“Me too,” Andris said.
“I’m the worst friend ever. She was in a mental hospital, and I never visited her. She probably thought I’d abandoned her, that I didn’t care.” I stared out the window and fought tears. “No wonder her mother was so cold and mean. I let Cora down.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself,” Andris said.
“No, I should have known she wasn’t Cora. She was too happy when I came back from the cruise, and she used a curling iron on her hair. Cora would never do that to her hair. She uses rollers and a heating cap. A big fat red flag. She also hates greasy-haired Jaden Granger. Another red flag I ignored. And she would not prefer to hang out with Kicker and her group of friends instead of me. We’ve always been tight.” She’d skipped shopping with me for Halloween when she loved nothing better than to force me to buy inappropriate, skanky costumes. Then there was trick-or-treating, a tradition she, Eirik, and I never missed. And Cora would never deliberately make Eirik jealous. No, she would, because she took no crap from anyone. “I should have known.”
***
At school, Andris found a place to park, and we started for the school building.
“So, what are you going to do?” Ingrid asked.
“I’m going to stay glued to fake Cora, but we must set up a trap for her at my place. If she comes near Eirik again…” Then I remembered something. “There will be kissing booths in the gym during the pep rally. Keep an eye on Eirik, Andris. Whenever Cora flirts with guys, he goes ballistic. We don’t want a repeat of what happened at Cliff House or The Hub.”
“Where’s Torin?” someone yelled as soon as we entered the front hall. Like yesterday Andris said something rude in return. I tried to explain.
“Is it true he won’t play?” someone asked from my right.
“I got a tweet that he’s gone,” another one called out from behind us.
“That blows.”
“We’re so going to lose.”
“How can he miss the game?”
The coach must have told the players Torin wouldn’t be at the playoff, and bad news spread fast at my school. The worst part was everyone acted like it was my fault. When trying to explain failed to mollify them, I just shrugged. Let them blame me. I didn’t care. I had more important things to worry about—a Norn masquerading as my best friend.
Fake Cora was by the lockers with Kicker and a bunch of girls and guys from the swim team. They wore their swim T-shirts and sweatshirts with the slogan ‘Our Sweat, Our Blood, Your Tears’. Since I was no longer on the swim team, I’d chosen to wear my ‘I See Band People’ T-shirt. We also had sweatshirts with ‘If Marching Band was any easier it would be called Football’, but I doubted anyone was dumb enough to wear one today. In fact, every sports team wore their T-shirts, sweatshirts, or jackets. The students not in sports or clubs wore generic shirts with Kayville High colors. The Kayvees, our cheer squad, pranced around in their miniskirts and got people psyched.
The excitement was contagious.
Fake Cora saw me and waved. I pasted a smile on my lips. She ran to give me a hug, playing the part so perfectly if I didn’t know the truth, I would never have guessed she was a Norn. I wanted to choke her, gouge her eyes out.
“Is it true about Torin?” she asked.
I made a face, feigning sadness. “Yeah.”
“Have you talked to him? Is he going to make it to the game?” she asked. The other students moved closer to hear my response.
“He is,” I fibbed. So he can help me trap your sorry ass, I added. If I knew trap runes, I would do it myself. I’d never loathed anyone as much as I did this Norn. She even topped Marj on my hate list.
“Let me know as soon as you hear from him, so I can tweet about it.” She pulled out her cell phone and starting typing.
If I listened to her for one more second, I was going to scream. I grabbed my books and started for the stairs, then remembered I had to keep an eye on her. “See you at lunch, Cora.”
“Sure. If you don’t, save me a seat in the gym. I plan to check out which jocks will be in the kissing booths.” The other girls giggled.
I hope she caught mono from kissing someone. Upstairs, Eirik was taking pictures of some cheerleaders. He wore his swim team jacket even though he’d quit the team a week ago. Part of me wanted to warn him about Miss Fake. He’d be devastated to learn that Cora had been in a mental hospital and he never visited her.
Classes were ten minutes shorter than usual to create time for the pep rally, so the morning went by quickly. My thoughts kept drifting to Cora and clues I’d missed about her impersonator. Lunchtime came and went. I sat with her and her swim buddies, faked interest in the upcoming game, made more excuses for Torin’s absence, and tried not to throw food on her face every time she said something the real Cora would have said. I was so happy to leave the cafeteria.
The last fifty minutes of school, students poured out of classes, some running and others yelling as they headed to the gym. The gym was decorated in gold, crimson, and black. Tables were set for those who wanted their faces, stomachs, or chests painted. Fake Cora and her friends giggled as they joined me.
Immortals (Runes book 2) Page 36